A Perfect Way to Say Love on Valentine’s

                                                  Julia Child's pear tart screams amour

Any cupid should be thrilled to finish a Valentine’s Day meal with this delectable tart from Julia Child’s first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.   What’s not to love about perfectly ripe pears that have been simmered in red wine, and then magically combined with an almond cream filling and a shortbread cookie crust?  

Julia Child composed this recipe in the late 1950’s at a villa in Provence in the south of France not from the Mediterranean Sea.   Pears still remain one of Provence’s prized autumn fruits.   Julia, however, may have first learned about pear tarts when she was a student in Paris at the prestigious Cordon Bleu during the late 1940’s.    After all, the “city of light” had been famous for its pear tarts since the turn of the century.

But, Julia’s version is not just any pear tart.  Madame Child ups the flavor ante by cooking her pears first in red wine with a stick cinnamon.   The result is a more intense flavor profile, and its bright lipstick-red color should appeal to young and old lovers alike for a special ruby red valentine dessert.   

In September 2022 Wine-Knows has leased the very villa in which Julia wrote her two hallmark cookbooks.  We have only two spots remaining.  For more details on this food and wine homage to Julia, check out our website:

http://www.wineknowstravel.com/julia-2022-1-itinerary/

BTW:  Julia’s pear tart recipe can be found on page 642 of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I.   If you don’t have a copy, there are several online versions, but the following one is almost a dead-ringer for Julia’s original.  (Note:  while I prefer bosc pears, any ripe pear will suffice.)    

https://moderndomestic.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/holiday-desserts-julia-childs-pear-tart/

Wishing you a love-filled Valentine's....

How Provence Changed the Course of American Cuisine

                                                      Provence's magic awaits...

France’s southernmost region, Provence, is an area of remarkable natural beauty, but it's also a culinary wonderland for the food-lover.  Bordering Italy and the Mediterranean Sea, Provence is a gastronomic symphony combining France’s best olive oils, spectacular wines (Chateauneuf du Pape, Bandol, and a plethora of Rosé in 50-plus-shades-of-pink), truffles, a mind-blowing selection of goat cheeses, and colorful outdoor Provençal food markets.  Both the rugged beauty and this treasure trove of food brought Julia Child to Provence in the late 1950’s.

            Towns have a weekly market day brimming with local produce, cheese, olive oil & crafts

Julia Child changed America’s way of eating and both of her ground-breaking cookbooks, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, were written in Provence. During this time American cuisine was built around convenience. Women, who were joining the workforce for the first time, didn’t have time to cook.  Frozen and canned food were mainstays for working mothers. Quick and easy were themes: canned sloppy Joe’s, frozen fish sticks and TV dinners were all popular, and even orange juice was instant.  It was a sad time in our country’s food history. 

                                  Julia took the intimidation out of cooking & made it fun!

In 1961 Julia's first volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking was published. But, it wasn’t until two years later with her television debut on The French Chef that American housewives first saw a brave new world for cooking.  With her disarming personality, Julia demystified not only French cooking, but cooking in general in regards to using fresh foods. By the 1970’s Julia had become a celebrity, making food and cooking as much a part of American pop culture as rock ‘n roll, fashion, and art. 

                        Bouillabaisse, Provence's most famous seafood dish, was a favorite of Julia's

The villa in Provence where Julia wrote both volumes of her revolutionary cookbooks still exists.  In fact, Wine-Knows has leased it in September 2022.  Participants will dine at some of Julia’s favorite restaurants, visit her beloved olive oil producer, and shop at the local outdoor markets she so loved.  Moreover, there will be excursions to her most treasured hilltop towns and seaside resorts.

           You can stay at the villa where Julia wrote her trailblazing cookbooks & visit her foodie spots

The trip has been perfectly timed for Provence’s most idyllic time of year….after the height of the tourist season and at the most favorable time for perfect weather (late summer/early autumn).  One week has only two openings for culinary travelers to visit “mecca.”  Why not celebrate the COVID vaccine’s arrival by booking a trip for 2022? 

http://www.wineknowstravel.com/julia-2022-1-itinerary/

                  "I enjoy cooking with wine.  Sometimes I even add it to the food."   Julia Child

Provence has played a huge part in shaping the current foodie scene in America.  Come join one of Wine-Knows'  2022 groups on a wine and culinary adventure to honor Madame Child.

Viva Julia Child!   Viva Provence! 

Tasty Tapenade

                         Tapenade served with local Pastis at Julia Child’s villa in Provence 

I am a raving fan of tapenade.   A popular olive spread in the south of France for centuries, typical Provençal tapenade is made with olives, olive oil, anchovies, capers, garlic, and herbs of Provence---all pulverized into a puree of spreadable yumminess.  Although it’s closely associated with Provence today, the first tapenade just might have been invented by the Italians.

Olive spreads have been referenced in ancient Roman cookbooks for nearly 2,000 years.  A written recipe for an olive-caper spread appeared in 150 BC in a book written by Cato (a Senator and historian in the Roman Empire).   Currently in Italy, an olive spread is often used on a panini in northern Italy.

               Sun-dried tomato, artichoke, fennel & eggplant are only a few tapenade flavors  

Tapenade, however, remains a classical food item associated with Provence.  While the traditional recipe features tiny Niçoise olives (a varietal from the area of Nice, it’s small but packs a punch for flavor), tapenade can be made with any varietal of olives.  Go to an outdoor market in the south of France and you’ll often see tapenade vendors selling their spreads in a huge variety of flavors other than the one made with Niçoise olives:  green tapenade made with green olives, Kalamata olives, mixed olives.  There are also non-traditional tapenade in every flavor of fruit and veggies possible.  Tapenade has become synonymous with an olive base spread in which anything else can be added.

                                           Dried figs add an unusual nuance to tapenade

One of my favorite recipes is from David Lebowtiz, an American foodie living in Paris.  His rendition uses dried figs.   https://www.davidlebovitz.com/top-tapenade-ti/

Another fave is Wolfgang Puck who uses both black and green olives.  I really like the depth of flavor of this one.  Add a log of goat cheese and some magnificent bread….voila!      https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/black-and-green-olive-tapenade-234059

Wine-Knows will be conducting a tour in 2022 to the estate in Provence where Julia Child wrote her iconic cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  One week in 2022 is sold out, but we've added a second week.  This second week is now available for viewing on our website:   http://www.wineknowstravel.com/julia-2022-1-itinerary/

Bon appetit !

Rent Julia Child’s Villa in France

                          A "Week in Provence with Julia" is the the culinary memory of a lifetime

I have long been a fan of Julia’s.  Fortunately, I’ve had the great pleasure to meet this illustrious woman on three occasions.  The first mesmerizing time was at a cooking class in the early 1980’s.  The second was an event hosted by Robert Mondavi to launch the opening of Copia in Napa Valley (Center for Wine, Food and the Arts).  The final time was a Black Tie dinner to celebrate Julia’s 90^th birthday, a fund-raiser for the American Institute of Wine and Food.  When the opportunity arose to actually rent the villa where Julia, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle wrote their hallmark cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I jumped higher than one of Julia's voluminous souffles at the chance to do so.

        The estate has been completely modernized but Julia is still present around every corner

If you’re a Julia devotee, renting this villa is the equivalent of going to Mecca.  This is where it all began.  Although the villa has been transformed by one of France's great interior designers since Julia was there, its walls still echo Julia.  Even the antique La Cornue stove screams coq au vin and boeuf bourguignon.  I’ve rented this hallowed residence now on four separate occasions.  Each time Julia's magigue has been palpable.  If you haven't joined these special one weeks programs, do note that I have reserved the property for two additional future weeks.

 A well-outfitted kitchen offers 2 huge frigs & a La Cornue stove, along with beautiful dishes & linens

The villa is located in the South of France’s stunning Provence.  In the foothills above the Riviera, this large stone country home now boasts a swimming pool and outdoor kitchen with panoramic views.  It's available for a week’s rental.  With five ensuite bedrooms, a dreamy kitchen, and two separate sitting rooms, the large property is perfect for ten foodies. The four different groups I’ve taken for “A Week in Provence with Julia,” have all found the experience a lifetime memory.

         Grougeres & strawberry coulis aperitifs began this homage to Julia dinner in Provence 

A fifth Julia week (2023) is already sold out.  The original group of ten women from "Julia's Week in Provence" are going to return and have booked the villa.  But, an another week in September 2023 has been added.  This 2023 week is available to individuals, or another option is a private group of foodie friends.  

The butcher shop where Julia bought her meat is still open.  One of Julia’s favorite restaurants is thriving nearby and they even remember "the tall American."  Then, there’s the olive mill in the next village where she purchased her oil---it's still producing ethereal extra virgin.   This all can be yours.  Come and walk in Julia’s footsteps.

Where it All Started: America’s Foodie Movement

                                  Julia Child changed the culinary landscape of America

It all began in Paris.  Julia Child enrolled in 1949 in Paris' Cordon Bleu cooking school.  Having grown up in an entitled California family that had a chef, Julia didn’t know a thing about the kitchen.  However, her husband had accepted a job in Paris with the Foreign Service Department and Julia was determined to expand her horizons.  Never mind that the Cordon Bleu at that time was only open to professionals---Julia had attended a demonstration at the school and was hooked. Before long, she had talked her way into the program.

Through her cooking activities in Paris Julia met Simone Beck a few years later.  Madame Beck was from an aristocratic family in Normandy, and she had also attended the Cordon Bleu.  Soon Julia and Simone joined with another gourmand, Louisette Bertholle.  Before long the three were working on the first volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

During the 1950’s American cuisine was one built around convenience.  Women were joining the workforce and didn’t have time for cooking.  Frozen and canned food composed le menu du jour.  TV dinners were immensely popular for the working mother.  Quick and easy was in:  instant powdered soups were in (remember Lipton’s dried onion soup?) and renditions of tuna casseroles appeared in every woman’s magazine.  Frozen fish sticks were a favorite as were sloppy Joe’s.  Few purchased fresh vegetables or fruits as they spoiled too quickly---besides, everything was available canned or frozen.  It was a horrific time in America’s culinary history.

Then, in 1961, came Mastering the Art of French cooking which sowed the first seeds for change in America's foodways.  But, it was Julia’s TV cooking program launched in 1963, The French Chef, which brought the idea of a brave new world to the American housewife.  With her disarming personality, Julia demystified French cooking.  By the 1970’s, she had become a celebrity, and food and cooking had become as much a part of the pop culture as fashion, art, or rock n roll.

Julia Child inspired many food personalities of today.  One was Alice Waters who grew up watching Julia on television and went to France to study cooking right after her university studies.  While the 1960's and 70's belong to Julia, Alice inspired many of us with her farm to table ideas nearly 40 years ago.  Alice's restaurant, Chez Panisse in Berkeley, is a mecca for many foodies and is one of the most awarded and renowned restaurants in the world.  Alice was also was one of founders of the entire organic food movement.   Alice owes her start to Julia.

Merci beaucoup, Julia!

A Week in Provence with Julia Child

                                                     Julia at her estate in Provence

I have had the great pleasure to meet Julia Child on three occasions.  The first was a cooking class during the 1980’s.  My second rendezvous was at a charity benefit of American Institute of Wine and Food.  The last time I met Julia was her 90^th birthday celebration at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco.  Thus, when I had the opportunity to rent her home in Provence, I jumped on it in a flash!   That opportunity was four years ago when 2017 seemed forever away.  Now, I'm actually here.

We arrived today to begin a special week’s homage to Julia.  There are 10 of us who have come to pay tribute, all serious foodies and Julia groupies.  All women, each carefully chosen for Wine-Knows’ inaugural tribute to Julia.   Each one of us is armed with our favorite Julia recipes to prepare during this seven day feast in honor of Julia.

We have divided ourselves into pairs, five cooking teams of two femmes.   We will visit several different outdoor markets to procure our products.  As Julia wrote her ground-breaking two-volume books, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, for the American housewife who shopped in supermarkets, we’ll also visit the area’s largest supermarket to buy our many kilos of butter and liters of cream. 

Some teams picked their Julia recipes over a year in advance.  Julia’s bouillabaisse was one of the first things chosen.  Slow-roasted veal shanks in red wine was also snapped up much in advance.   One team is deciding on the fly (based on weather) between Julia’s cassoulet with duck confit (for colder temperatures), or her classic coq au vin (if the weather is warmer).  Another pair are gourmands but don’t fancy cooking complicated recipes---they have chosen salade Nicoise, a simple but gorgeous salad of grilled ahi tuna, tomatoes, green beans, eggs, olives, and potatoes.  Still another two-some will cook Julia’s thinly-sliced veal cooked in a butter and wine sauce.

                                    Julia’s bouillabaisse with a white wine from Grand Devers

Each couplet is responsible for one dinner, with a backup team assigned to help with prep, serving, and cleanup.  Wines are also part of the pair’s responsibility.  Considering the above foods, plans are underway for some to serve Champagne, while others are eyeing Provence’s Grenache or Syrah.  Still others are looking at wines from Southern France’s most illustrious district, Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  There’s word on the street that one of the pairs will be concocting a special Julia cocktail, with ingredients beginning with the letters “J,”  “U,” “L,”  and “I.”  The last ingredient in the drink is “A” for Aperol.

This trip will be repeated twice in 2018, and both weeks have sold out.  Another trip has just been added for June 2019.  Are you a Julia fan?  If so, this is a trip of a lifetime to be able to spend a week on the estate in which she wrote her famous cookbooks.  For more information, check it out:

http://www.wineknowstravel.com/julia_child_2_itinerary.htm

Viva Julia!