Julie and Julia

Screenplay by Nora Ephron, based on the book Julie & Julia
written by Julie Powell and My Life in France written by
Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme

Directed by Nora Epron

In a word: Go. This is a film that, like many of the dishes prepared and consumed, deserves to be savored with fellow food-lovers and should have a healthy second life on DVD. Hopefully the filmmakers will see fit to include plenty of juicy extras, particularly footage of Julia Child in action on her TV show so viewers who haven’t seen the real thing can appreciate what a great job Meryl Streep does in impersonating Julia.

Actually, impersonating doesn’t quite encompass what Streep, as usual, does here. She more inhabits the character, submerging herself and re-emerging as Julia Child in gestures both large and small, doing what so few major movie stars are able to: make the audience believe they are observing the character being portrayed on-screen. In fact, the only real major weaknesses to this film come whenever we switch to the parallel story-line of Julie Powell, the blogger who spent a year working her way through Julia Child’s tome, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and blogging about it. Although portrayed by the ever-likable Amy Adams, Julie is so self-absorbed and narcissistic she is somewhat repellant and one can understand why Julia Child (reportedly) disliked the idea of her blog. Whether Julia Child actually read it or not, the blog is certainly more about Julie than the food, and one must admit (even fellow bloggers) that there is something inherently manipulative about blogging. There is little doubt that Powell has great respect and love for Julia Child. Maybe someone told Julia about all those four-letter words Powell likes to use.

At any rate, Julia Child’s story is simply far more interesting, her character enthralling and captivating, and Streep imbues the role with great humor and a few moments of believable, painful reflection. Stanley Tucci, as her loving husband, best friend and constant moral supporter, delivers a note-perfect performance. Some steam is lost occasionally when the film moves back to Julie’s story and for a film largely about food (rich, buttery, dripping food), there is a surprising lack of voyeuristic reveling allowed the audience. Oh sure, a few tastes here and there but we’re not given enough of the “aroma” of the food being prepared and devoured (forget 3-D, how about giving the audience aroma-surround?!). So audiences will leave the theater not quite as hungry for a rich French meal as they might expect, but satisfied all the same and probably intrigued enough to want to try out at least one recipe. May I recommend the Beef Bourguignon? It’s very good tonight.

Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon

Adapted from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck (Alfred A. Knopf, 1961)


Ingredients
One 6-ounce piece of chunk bacon
3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds lean stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, sliced
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups red wine, young and full-bodied (like Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone or Burgundy)
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups brown beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 teaspoon thyme
A crumbled bay leaf
18 to 24 white onions, small
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
Herb bouquet (4 parsley sprigs, one-half bay leaf, one-quarter teaspoon thyme, tied in cheesecloth)
1 pound mushrooms, fresh and quartered

Cooking Directions

Remove bacon rind and cut into lardons (sticks 1/4-inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and lardons for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sauté lardons in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a flameproof casserole over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.

Dry beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Heat fat in casserole until almost smoking. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and sauté until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the lardons.

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the excess fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes.

Toss the meat again and return to oven for 4 minutes (this browns the flour and coves the meat with a light crust).

Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in wine and 2 to 3 cups stock, just enough so that the meat is barely covered.

Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs and bacon rind. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove.

Cover casserole and set in lower third of oven. Regulate heat so that liquid simmers very slowly for 3 to 4 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with one and one-half tablespoons of the oil until bubbling in a skillet.

Add onions and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling them so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect them to brown uniformly.

Add 1/2 cup of the stock, salt and pepper to taste and the herb bouquet.

Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but hold their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove herb bouquet and set onions aside.

Wipe out skillet and heat remaining oil and butter over high heat. As soon as you see butter has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add mushrooms.

Toss and shake pan for 4 to 5 minutes. As soon as they have begun to brown lightly, remove from heat.

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan.

Wash out the casserole and return the beef and lardons to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms on top.

Skim fat off sauce in saucepan. Simmer sauce for a minute or 2, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.

If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons stock. Taste carefully for seasoning.

Pour sauce over meat and vegetables. Cover and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times.

Serve in casserole, or arrange stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles or rice, and decorated with parsley.

Eat too much. Take antacid.

Review by Michael Fishman.