"JuliaChild" news and stories

Julia Child certainly could make a mean boeuf bourguignon, but did you know she could also whip up the building blocks of life?

It's kind of scary watching her describe scientific diagrams using her chef's knife as a pointer. But it's helpful for all us home cooks that she converts grams into teaspoons. Bon appetit!

[Neatorama via Buzzfeed]

Bowl of tabbouleh. Photo: Jakub_hla, Flickr.

• Potlucks can be reinvigorated with a jolt of Tabbouleh with Feta.
• Gourmet may have closed, but Ruth Reichl still hit Kansas City to promote her new book, "Gourmet Today," at a special dinner.
• A chat with local cook Carol LaBruzzo and a recipe for Italian Wedding Soup.
• The PBS show "The Winemakers" includes a KC contestant: Ryan Sciara of Cellar Rat.
• After "Julie & Julia," what should you read next? The Star says "My Life in France," "Alice Waters and Chez Panisse" and "Under the Table: Saucy Tales from Culinary School."
• Westside Local offers everything from a classic roast-beef sandwich to a soup made of watermelon, cucumber and beets.

Figs. Photo: Rubber Slippers in Italy, Flickr.

• Autumn baking leads A Good Appetite to fig tarts, tomato éclairs and ratatouille.
• Hot food carts and trucks like Schnitzel & Things score more cred after nabbing Vendy Awards at the fifth annual cook-off.
• A dip in the cold Maine waters with Barb Scully, a local fisherwoman.
• The Temporary Vegetarian finds orzotto to be easier to work with than risotto.
• GoMobo cuts the line and alleviates the food-gathering irks of office lunches with their order-ahead system.
• Before modern fast food, there were the quick pepperoni rolls of West Virginia coal country.
• Digging into Kevin Zraly and his "Windows on the World Complete Wine Course."
• San Francisco's Flour + Water boasts sophisticated Italian flavors.
• After years of critics espousing its virtues, Riesling has finally earned its spot in the U.S. wine market.
  
• Three years ago, Judith Jones (Julia Child's editor) started raising her own cattle for steak.
• Serving up fresh fare in school lunches is ideal, but it means a lot more than bringing quality ingredients into old and neglected school kitchens.
• The Minimalist makes roasted sweet potato salad.
• Restaurants: The meatpacking district's Standard Grill suffers some dining hiccups but is still a solid food experience, the Village's Joseph Leonard has "flashes of daylight" in otherwise so-so fare and Brooklyn's Bark Hot Dogs rests between chic eats and fast food.
• Food Stuff finds savory and sweet baked goods, simple jams and a Chilean food store.
• New York's openings and closings and dining calendar.

Shake Shack Shackburger. Photo: Robyn Lee, Flickr.

A few of the best stories spied elsewhere on the Web this week:

Set your DVR for the fall Food Network lineup.

A British hospital patient posts pics of his daily meals and asks readers to identify each dish.

A Hamburger Today creates a comprehensive style guide -- required reading for all burger enthusiasts.

Ace of Cakes gets the Easy-Bake-Oven treatment from Girl Gourmet.

U.S. restaurants make Guardian's Top 50 Places to Eat in the World.

Can't get enough ramen? Check out this hand-pulled noodle-making video.

Julia Child goes underappreciated in Paris.

Clamato. Photo: Bludgeoner86, Flickr

Syvlia Schur -- a recipe developer for Betty Crocker, cookbook writer for companies like Campbell's and creator of products like Clamato, Cran-Apple juice and the pre-Slim-Fast diet drink Metrecal -- has died at the age of 92.

The cause of death was respiratory failure, her daughter, Jane S. Smith, told the New York Times.

Clamato, a cocktail juice made with tomato juice, onions, celery, spices and a dash of clam juice, is known for being a key ingredient in the Michelada. It is made and distributed by Mott's.

Along with independently helping food corporations develop new products, Schur was the founder of her own restaurant and food company consulting business, Creative Food Services.

"She was a pioneer of modern food usage," her Creative Food Services coworker Heidi Kost-Gross told the Times. "Her company was at the cutting edge of how food should look and taste, and above all, how it should be used."