Category Archives: Communal Cooking

I am not a huge movie-goer, unless released by Disney or Pixar, but there is a movie coming out next week that I really can’t miss.  Julie & Julia.  It’s about this young woman who decides she’s going to cook (and presumably, eat) her way through Julia’s Child’s epic classic cookbook, French Cooking.  Some 500+ recipes she tries and then blogs about her own Joys as a result.  http://www.julieandjulia.com/?hs308=JNJ002

Lots of people maintain blogs about specific experiences during wonderful projects.  I recently spoke to a local mother I know who has sold her house, bought an RV and she, her husband and two young boys are taking a year off to travel North America.  Maybe Hollywood will come calling and make a movie of her blog as well.  I remember reading a New Yorker’s blog about leaving a zero harmful impact on the environment for a whole year.  Another very challenging and worthwhile project.  Interestingly enough, how he convinced his girlsfriend to say good bye to toilet paper for a year was not one of his posts.

I often struggle for finding good blog content.  If nothing comes to mind, nothing goes to post.  I started this blog to chronicle our family’s struggle with our Lent Project living on a food budget equialent to that of social assistance for the duration of Lent (see my postings under Lenten Project 2009).  Seems to me that cooking my way through French Cooking is something I could write about but a little time consuming with 3 kids and somewhat expensive I am sure.  Drinking my way through the LCBO’s last mail flyer seems more appropriate but considerably more irresponsible.

I will have to wait for the movie to learn about how Julie went about making her “What’s for Dinner?” choices.   I don’t have a copy of Julia Child’s French Cooking but I do have another classic called Joy of Cooking.  So just for fun, on this sunny day interspersed with ravaging rains storms, I pulled out that cookbook and randomly opened it 5 times.  Here are the 5 recipes that I opened that book:

1. Savory Sauces and Salad Dressings:  Sweet-Sour Low-Calorie Dressing
   1/2 c lemon juice
   2/3 c water
   1 tsp sugar
   1/4 tsp salt  

   Hmmmm, that seems easy.  No olive oil though?  Hardly something to write about though.

    

    

2. Cakes, cupcakes, torten and filled cakes (now we’re getting somewhere):  Hazelnut TorteRight off the bat it asks for a 10-inch removeable-rim pan.  Don’t have one of those.  Next. 

    

3. Shellfish:  Clambake (I thought that was a party not a recipe)
   200 soft-shell clams (Oh, ok so it is a party)
   50 hard-shell clams (just for diversity? ) It gets better…
   4 dozen ears sweet corn
   5 broiling chickens
   10 sweet potatoes
   20 Frankfurters (what? For the kids?)
   20 1 1/2 pound lobsters (Who would eat weenies when there’s lobster around?)  

   The book then proceeds to instruct me how to dig a sand pit and 1 foot deep and 3 1/2 feet wide … And get a wet tarpauline ready that is bigger than the pit.  And some wet seaweed.  I suppose it would make for a very nice play area following the clam bake.  Next.

    

    

4. Meat:  Lamb Fries
   “Also known as animelles, frivolitiees, or “mountain oysters” these testicles of young lambs are a great delicacy”.  Okay, stop right there.  I can’t even continue reading this one.  

   And finally….

    

    

5. Candies and Confection:  Caramel Fondant
   1/2 c milk
   1 1/2 c sugar
   1/4 c butter
   While heating to a boil, caramelize another 1/4 c sugar.  Then add to the heated milk, sugar mixture.  Cook candy to soft-ball stage 234 degrees.  Cool to 100 degrees and beat until creamy.  Pour into a pan and mark into squares.   

   This I could do!  Or then again, I could just go buy a Tootsie Roll.

    

It’s all in the book – or the movie.  Obviously I need to go out a pick up a copy a French Cooking.  Bon Appetit!