Julia child taught us to love cooking by teaching us how to cook. We waded through lengthy techniques for elaborate dishes in her classic cookbooks; we tuned in to every TV show, copying her menu ourselves. But techniques are often forgotten by the home cook who doesn't make a particular dish repeatedly. Julia's Kitchen Wisdom is a compilation, made from Julia's own home notebooks, that easily references frequently needed techniques.
As Julia states in the introduction, this book, "won't by any means answer everything, and it doesn't go into such complicated subjects as French puff pastry, for which you need pages of instruction...but is a mini aide-mémoire for general home cookery, and is aimed at those who are tolerably familiar with culinary language."
Organized by both category and by technique, there are comprehensive sections for all food categories:
Soups and Two Mother Sauces
Salads and Their Dressings
Vegetables
Meats, Poultry and Fish
Egg Cookery
Breads, Crêpes and Tarts
Cakes and Cookies
Within each section Julia gives master recipes with variations. For example, Egg Cookery begins with a master recipe for The French Omelet, then goes on with variations for Fines Herbes Omelets, Filled Omelets with suggested fillings and garnishes. She covers techniques for Scrambled Eggs, with variations and accompaniments, Poached Eggs, Shirred Eggs, Eggs Baked in Ramekins and Hard-Boiled Eggs, each category with variations and suggestions.
She continues the egg section with instructions for Soufflés (savory and sweet for desserts), Savory Custards, Molded Dessert Custards, and finishes the section with Custard Dessert Sauces and Fillings. While not pretending to the extensive instructions of Child's master works, this is more than complete.
Each category is organized in a similar, comprehensive fashion, and part of the fun is feeling like you are peering over Child's shoulder. To enhance memory and the spirit of adventure, there are eight pages of photographs of the famous Julia in action and loving every minute of the kitchen.
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