CINEMABLEND - Latest Comments in Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

Gregory — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 06:43:46 -0000

The Le Creuset Dutch Oven is recognized all over the world as one of the finest pieces of cookware available. Many fine chefs use this kind of oven exclusively for their cooking because they know they will always get great and consistent results.

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

Jan Wells — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 12:43:36 -0000

Enjoy the adventure. Forget the sauerkraut responses from negative boors. Cooking is a joy. If I had made more time I would cook more. My most prized posession is my mother collected recipes from over 60 years. She had a cake recipe from WWII, that was made with no eggs! A lasagne recipe when I made it, grew exponentially. It went from one dish to two! Treat yourself to Julia, and just enjoy!

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

neurozach — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:05:31 -0000

I had a small dinner party a couple of weeks ago, to send my uncle home in style. I prepared the "Biftec Sauté Bercy from page 294, the Purée de Pommes de Terre à L'ail from page 520, and the Tomates Grillés au Four from page 506. Dessert was just ice cream, but the meal was amazing! And next time you make a Julia-style meal, try the Reine de Saba cake on page 677. I've made it three times, and it's to die for. Kudos for trying the souffle, though. What kind of bowl did you use to whip them? Plastic won't work for egg whites, you've gotta use metal or glass. Alton Brown has some great egg white tips. Check out Youtube for his souffle episode.

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

xplodingx — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 07:29:02 -0000

suggestion that im sure has been covered:
keep eggs cold until you separate them. this makes separating them easier.
if there is anything other than egg white in your egg whites (oil, yolks, etc..) they will not whip up properly. You will also benefit from using a chilled bowl and slightly warmed whites. sit them in a bowl that is on top of a bowl of warm tap water for a few minutes before whipping.

also, tilting the bowl and moving the (electric) whisk in a circular motion, will help incorporate a little more air.

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

Che — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:47:06 -0000

I, for one, thouroughly enjoyed this article and screw that poop person, he/she/it is just frustrated that he can't cook this on his hotplate in his mommies basement.

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

Name — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:21:11 -0000

egg whites should be whipped at room temperature, cream should be whipped as cold as you can get it. Since you were frying bacon in butter, most likely some of that fat aerosolized and got into your eggs, although if you got a little bit of yolk into the whites, the result would be the same. Even one tiny droplet of fat is enough to keep the eggs from whipping properly. I don't have that copy of Julia's books, but if you put a little bit of acid, or cream of tartar into the egg whites, they will whip easier. Finally, souffles are mythologically hard, and are quite simple, as long as the eggs are whipped properly and the heavier ingredients are folded in.

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

manhattantourist — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:18:08 -0000

What a fun review and article! I totally enjoyed the thoroughness of your researching and executing the recipes - picturing all of this happening in a small Manhattan apartment made it all the more fun to read! The details and pictures made this very enjoyable to read - Thank you for expanding on my excitment to see the movie!!

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

disqususer — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:17:41 -0000

"Yeah. It wasn't pretty" at least the writer realize it. The dishes were not well served.. or considered it just for fun

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

alikhat — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:09:48 -0000

This was a fun read. It looks like you had a great time making this dinner and you did a very nice job of it. Love that you did it all wearing pearls! Very Julia. I concur with those saying you should try using a glass, ceramic or stainless steel mixing bowl next time you whip up egg whites. I also think the temperature worked against you as you said. Next time, try keeping the egg whites in the fridge until the moment you need them and keep the mixing bowl in the freezer if the room is very warm also. Egg whites and whipping cream like things slightly chilly or they never peak.

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

Just Me — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 23:38:13 -0000

Just to let you know, egg whites actually whip best if they are room temp (and older eggs actually work better than fresher ones). They will not, however, form peaks of any kind if there is the least trace bit of fat. So you have to make sure absolutely none of the yolk is mixed in. Also, make sure the bowl (and a copper bowl really does work best, but is not absolutely required, a metal or glass is, plastic is made of oil, so it cannot be used) and the beaters (more on that in a moment) are extra clean. I wipe mine down with a paper towel dampened with white vinegar before hand just to make extra sure. Finally, I'm fairly certain the electric whisk picture above won't work for whipping egg whites. I recommend a standard 2 beater hand mixer, the Kitchen Aid brand being my brand of choice. Oh, and make sure the bowl is at least three times as big in volume as the amount of egg whites you start with. You'll need that space to hold all of them.

For the double boiler, I know you're working with limited supplies and space, but it works better if you use a pot slightly smaller than the bowl. You want the bottom of the bowl to go into the pot, but not the entire bow. Also, you want the water level to be below the bottom of the bowl. Basically, you're using the steam generated by the boiling water to melt the chocolate, not the boiling water itself.

Hope this helps you out next time you attempt the souffle (although, the slouffe looks mighty yummy, too!).

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

theresaoconnell — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:28:42 -0000

Looks like a splendid dinner! Thanks for sharing! I love Julia Child's cookbooks and can't wait to see this movie.

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

johnharry — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:59:27 -0000

Wash and clean as your cooking, it eliminates a sink full of dishes

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

l337sp34kr — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:21:31 -0000

I had a really bad experience with souffle one time. You should know your first time came out better than mine.

On a side note, your friend Andrew is... hopefully single??

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

Idiyione — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:44:01 -0000

That was somehow soothing:)

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

lab59 — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:25:53 -0000

Your problem is not the temperature of the whites, from your pictures it appears you may have got some yolk in with them.
ANY sort of oil will keep your egg whites from foaming properly. You need a glass bowl and everything needs to be squeaky clean. If you get the smallest amount of egg yolk in your mixture, it will not beat properly. I usually separate the eggs into a small bowl, then if any yolk breaks i can discard that egg and start over. Eggs separate best when cold from the refrigerator but beat to the highest volume at room temperature.
I just love cooking from that cookbook. I can't wait to see you make croissants ~

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

Drew — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:19:29 -0000

Great article and the food looked delicious. You made the whole thing seem like a lot of fun, and that's what eating is about. But Poop Cannon was right about one thing - you do need a better camera.

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

Sandra :) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:16:18 -0000

It looks like you had a great time with your friends, and the food looks pretty good too! I agree with Whatever_the_Hell_I_Am - the apron and pearls are sweet! I didn't know that a pyrex pan would work as a substitute for a souffle pan - that's good to know, as I have the former but not the latter :D

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

jaimemangeralafrancaise — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 17:55:43 -0000

This is an excellent account of your first steps with cooking a la francaise, and congratulations for approaching it with appropriate joie de vivre !
One boils bacon to make it less salty; of course, the best butter is made of only two ingredients (cream from scalded milk and salt), so too much salt can spoil the meal.
The French call potatoes "pommes de terre", literally "apples of the earth", but they are still vegetables. By the way, it was the Belgians, and not the French, who invented "french fries".
Finally, keep your egg whites cold, away from oil, and whisk in copper or stainless steel. They will stand at attention for you, and make your souffle as light as air!
I really enjoyed your blog.

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

Whatever_the_Hell_I_Am — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:45:56 -0000

Your friends are beautiful, your meal looked fabulous, and your apron and pearls are completely adorable. Julia would be proud, and the aptly named Poop Cannon can shove it.

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

Ian — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:50:31 -0000

You deserve a bigger kitchen.

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

Joe H. — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:41:50 -0000

Your problem with the egg whites likely came from using a plastic bowl.

It's almost impossible to get a plastic bowl completely oil-free when cleaning (as it's made from oil), and any oil (or yolk, which contains oil) in the whites will keep it from whipping up.

Next time, put the yolks in the plastic bowl, and the whites in the ceramic one. (or glass, or stainless steel ... copper's ideal, but most of us don't have that sort of cash laying around for copper bowls).

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

Frankenbuffer — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:35:30 -0000

Looks like you were whisking the egg whites in a plastic dish. Use glass or china and they'll work better. Same with whipped cream. The plastic messes them up.

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

Relax - It's Just Food — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:11:17 -0000

Wow did you miss the sarcasm there or what.....

Lay off the coffee there hunter...

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

David Cook — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:39:57 -0000

Dear Poop Cannon:

I for one found the article to be well written, humorous, and an interesting read. Did I learn anything from it? Of course not (well, other than the author is new to cooking). But articles like this go along way to encourage those who would rarely cook, to try something new!

Sure, you may be a cooking expert (judging from your Nick though, you might need more fiber) - but others may indeed find this article useful, of if anything else, just a nice friday morning read.

I've personally been cooking for many years - but I always enjoy reading about someone reaching out for newer ground.

Finally, was it really necessary to include "nasty slop" and "ugly friends" in your reply? Neither seemed apparent to me (and I really do need to add, I just can't imagine, based on your nick, what YOU look like).

Aloha from Hawaii (and learn to relax, geeezesususus)

Re: Adventures In Cooking With The Julie & Julia Method

todd — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:38:55 -0000

enjoyed reading about your adventure in the tiny kitchen. Maybe I'll try it in mine!