In the days before the internet, cooking shows had to figure out an easy way for viewers to get a hold of the recipes featured on their programs. There was typically an address that one could write to to obtain the recipes. Alternately, they would leave the ingredient list and instructions up on the screen for some time at some point during the program, so that a quick transcriptionist could hurriedly jot them down. Sometimes, the only option for the viewer was to take notes while watching (my Aunt Doris always watched Julia Child with steno pad and pencil in hand).
This book, Julia Child and Company, was something of a revolution. Printed in 1978, it came out at the very same time as Child's show of the same name began to air. That way, viewers could watch the show at leisure, unworried about catching every nuance of the recipe as they knew they'd have Child's clear and careful written instructions to reference later on. Now, thirty years later, we can't follow along with the series, but we can still utilize the recipes in the book.
It is organized by menu, which is fun in that you can see just how Child would have served a meal (it's not just French food in this volume, she incorporates a variety of cultural favorites). However, if you don't want to recreate an entire show's worth of food, you do have to poke around a bit more to find what you're looking for. If you're a fan of Child and want another opportunity to "hear" her calm, helpful voice in the kitchen, this is a good book to add to your collection.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-30-2008 @ 11:44AM
Branwine said...
I have two Julia books I bought off ebay last year. The first book I got was the first she and her friend ever wrote. Which I will say has some great recipes in it. I make the best scrambled eggs now! And another from later after her show in Boston was on public tv. She is still inspiring to this day I believe. And I recommend "My life in Paris" which was written by her and and her nephew.It is not a cook book but about what inspired her to start cooking and how she fell in love with food. It was I believe the last book she put out before she passed away. What a neat lady!
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