Okay, it’s time to get it out of my system. I AM OBSESSED WITH JULIA CHILD. Some of you who know me well knew there would someday be a blog post dedicated solely to her… and that day has finally come!
It started in the early 1980s when I was just a kid and my Ma had this tiny little TV in the kitchen that she would watch while she cooked or boiled water for her tea. Most days the TV projected the news and weather forecast for the day but when it wasn’t on WJAR channel 10, it was most definitely on PBS where Julia Child’s tall, statuesque figure would appear on screen, clad in long skirts, stylish blouses, a set of pearls and her huge smile. Oh! And that laugh! She had a great sense of humor especially when she was cooking with her buddy Jacques Pepin.
This was back in the day before the internet obviously and before websites where all Julia’s recipes can be found. And it was before she put out her cookbooks, that I own, naturally. Picture my Ma frantically trying to write down all the ingredients on her pad while Julia sputtered them out and their amounts. I used to watch in fasciation as she scribbled this stuff down in her perfect penmanship, and she’s a lefty too! I’m sure my Ma made stuff that was Julia inspired because she was always amazing us with something new for dinner. And I was, and am, NOT a picky eater at all, compared to my brother, so I think my Ma knew I would eat things like the leg of lamb she used to serve with little gold paper crowns on it!
I’ve read all of the books about and by Julia and I particularly love My Life in France, Appetite for Life, and Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom. Also, in 2010 I saw the best play at the TimeLine Theatre in Chicago called To Master the Art that was solely about the love and life that Julia and Paul Child, her devoted husband, shared. I heard it recently made Broadway! They were a one-of-a-kind couple and their marriage is an inspiration to newly-ish weds like me and Andy.
All the advice I’ve learned from Julia is valuable but today I’ll focus on a tip of her’s that I use EVERY SINGLE DAY! How to master the art of the Hard Boiled Egg or as Julia refers to them, “HB Eggs”! They are tedious little fellas those HB Eggs, especially if you’re trying to perfect your technique and temperature like you would a piece of steak. There’s soft boiled eggs, medium-soft boiled eggs and then your run of the mill HB Egg. And if you’re having trouble peeling the eggs, or getting them the color right (there suppose to be yellow, not green!) then you need Julia’s trick.
In her cookbook, Julia Child & Company, she devotes a whole chapter to HB Eggs. I won’t bore you with all the techniques she tried and number of letters she got from people suggesting their way over her’s. She calls this method the “17-minute sit-in” and I find it works well with the addition of some white distilled vinegar to help with the peeling process. I eat an HB Egg every morning for breakfast with a cuppa tea so I like to boil seven eggs at a time for the week ahead. Try it for yourself and let me know how it works!
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Start off by submerging the eggs in a pot of cold water with a tablespoon of white vinegar. Bring the water to a boil and remove from the heat. Cover the pot and let it sit for 17 minutes.
Then dump out the hot water and fill the pot with cold water. Wait for the eggs to cool before peeling. Normally, I don’t peel my eggs until I’m ready to eat them because sometimes I carry them in my bag throughout the day. But it’s easier to peel them as soon as they cool so you can crack them twice and remove all the shell!
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Well that’s all for today folks! I’m making some gluten-free Apple Cinnamon Granola this evening so I’ll make sure and post the recipe next week. Oh! And tomorrow night Andy and I are attending a 1920’s themed Murder Mystery Dinner Party for our friends Lisa and Joe. Growing up I was also obsessed with the game and movie Clue so I am excited beyond words! Andy has been assigned the character of Big Don Ravioli and I’m his new 19-year-old wife Carrie Crooner-Ravioli… and I have to sing at the party! I’m hoping my BFF and hairstylist Jen B. can help me create this Flapper Girl look! Stay tuned!
