Have You Heard About The New Julia Child Cooking TV Show?
I don’t watch a whole ton of cooking shows on TV, but there is a show premiering on Food Network on March 14 called The Julia Child Challenge that I can’t wait to watch. It will be a series I definitely record on my DVR and wait to see who the champion is. I think it is such a fun way to honor the adorable and quirky Julia Child. The winner of the competition will receive a trip to Paris with an all-expenses paid 3-month cooking course at Le Cordon Bleu, the same cooking school she attended in France!
These contestants are all superfans of Julia and will share inspiring stories of why they love her and her recipes that inspired them. They will actually be cooking in a kitchen that is a replica of the kitchen she filmed her iconic show in and they will even be guided by her tips from Julia on a life-size television screen right there in the kitchen. How great does this sound?
Each episode the contestants will have two challenges--the first one will be recreating one of Julia’s signature dishes (with tips from her on the big screen), and their second challenge will be inspired by Julia, but putting their own individual flair on dishes reflecting their culinary point of view.
Now, for a bit of fun and maybe to celebrate the upcoming new show celebrating all things Julia, you could try your hand at making her classic French onion soup. According to Julia, “French onion soup is really not difficult at all to make, if you know how to chop onions.” This recipe is rated really high online and everybody says that even though the recipe takes quite a bit of time, it is well worth it. There were so many comments as well that said that it tastes just like French onion soup they just had in their recent vacation to France. Or that it got the approval of French friends. I don’t think there is probably any culture that takes their food more seriously or could be bigger critiques of people trying to make their food than French people. So for a French person to give that compliment that has really got to mean something :)
I watched the YouTube video of her making this onion soup and it could not get me more pumped to watch this creative and fun cooking show. In the video she read off a list of suggestions from people who wrote letters to the show about how to not cry when cutting onions (since this recipe calls for two and a half pounds of thinly sliced onions!). She was giggling when she read a couple of the funny suggestions like:
I really love Julia’s energy and I, myself, find her very inspiring. Too bad I didn’t learn about this sooner, or perhaps I would have tried to throw my hat in the ring to be a contestant. I am a 6’0” tall woman like Julia, so I would have felt right at home in her kitchen. (Did you know that she had all her countertops specially made a couple inches taller to accommodate her tall body so she could be more comfortable in the kitchen? Smart lady!)
Have you made French onion soup from scratch? Do you think it’s worth the effort and long time it takes? Do you enjoy Julia Child and her quirky cooking show? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
1/2 stick butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 cups thinly sliced onions (about 2-1/2 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon flour
8 cups homemade beef stock, or good quality store bought stock
1/4 cup Cognac, or other good brandy
1 cup dry white wine
8 (1/2-inch) thick slices of French bread, toasted
3/4 pound coarsely grated Gruyere
Directions:
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These contestants are all superfans of Julia and will share inspiring stories of why they love her and her recipes that inspired them. They will actually be cooking in a kitchen that is a replica of the kitchen she filmed her iconic show in and they will even be guided by her tips from Julia on a life-size television screen right there in the kitchen. How great does this sound?
Each episode the contestants will have two challenges--the first one will be recreating one of Julia’s signature dishes (with tips from her on the big screen), and their second challenge will be inspired by Julia, but putting their own individual flair on dishes reflecting their culinary point of view.
Now, for a bit of fun and maybe to celebrate the upcoming new show celebrating all things Julia, you could try your hand at making her classic French onion soup. According to Julia, “French onion soup is really not difficult at all to make, if you know how to chop onions.” This recipe is rated really high online and everybody says that even though the recipe takes quite a bit of time, it is well worth it. There were so many comments as well that said that it tastes just like French onion soup they just had in their recent vacation to France. Or that it got the approval of French friends. I don’t think there is probably any culture that takes their food more seriously or could be bigger critiques of people trying to make their food than French people. So for a French person to give that compliment that has really got to mean something :)
I watched the YouTube video of her making this onion soup and it could not get me more pumped to watch this creative and fun cooking show. In the video she read off a list of suggestions from people who wrote letters to the show about how to not cry when cutting onions (since this recipe calls for two and a half pounds of thinly sliced onions!). She was giggling when she read a couple of the funny suggestions like:
- Cut the onions by candlelight and the fire will burn away the onion vapors before it gets to your nose.
- Light a match and hold it between your teeth and the fire will burn away the vapors (Yikes! I hope nobody followed this tip ha!)
- And finally, Julia’s favorite tip was to wear either a diving mask or swimming goggles and that prevents the inevitable tears :)
I really love Julia’s energy and I, myself, find her very inspiring. Too bad I didn’t learn about this sooner, or perhaps I would have tried to throw my hat in the ring to be a contestant. I am a 6’0” tall woman like Julia, so I would have felt right at home in her kitchen. (Did you know that she had all her countertops specially made a couple inches taller to accommodate her tall body so she could be more comfortable in the kitchen? Smart lady!)
Have you made French onion soup from scratch? Do you think it’s worth the effort and long time it takes? Do you enjoy Julia Child and her quirky cooking show? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Julia Child's French Onion Soup
Author: Recipe courtesy of Julia Child
Yield: 4 servings
Serving size: 4
Calories per serving: 774
Ingredients:
Serving size: 4
Calories per serving: 774
1/2 stick butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 cups thinly sliced onions (about 2-1/2 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon flour
8 cups homemade beef stock, or good quality store bought stock
1/4 cup Cognac, or other good brandy
1 cup dry white wine
8 (1/2-inch) thick slices of French bread, toasted
3/4 pound coarsely grated Gruyere
Directions:
Heat a heavy saucepan over moderate heat with the butter and oil. When the butter has melted, stir in the onions, cover, and cook slowly until tender and translucent, about 10 minutes. Blend in the salt and sugar, increase the heat to medium high, and let the onions brown, stirring frequently until they are a dark walnut color, 25 to 30 minutes.
Sprinkle the flour and cook slowly, stirring, for another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool a moment, then whisk in 2 cups of hot stock. When well blended, bring to the simmer, adding the rest of the stock, Cognac, and wine. Cover loosely, and simmer very slowly 1 1/2 hours, adding a little water if the liquid reduces too much. Taste for seasoning
Divide the soup among 4 ovenproof bowls. Arrange toast on top of soup and sprinkle generously with grated cheese. Place bowls on a cookie sheet and place under a preheated broiler until cheese melts and forms a crust over the tops of the bowls. Serve immediately.
Source: foodnetwork.com
Sprinkle the flour and cook slowly, stirring, for another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool a moment, then whisk in 2 cups of hot stock. When well blended, bring to the simmer, adding the rest of the stock, Cognac, and wine. Cover loosely, and simmer very slowly 1 1/2 hours, adding a little water if the liquid reduces too much. Taste for seasoning
Divide the soup among 4 ovenproof bowls. Arrange toast on top of soup and sprinkle generously with grated cheese. Place bowls on a cookie sheet and place under a preheated broiler until cheese melts and forms a crust over the tops of the bowls. Serve immediately.
Source: foodnetwork.com
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Sources:
- www.commons.wikimedia.org
- www.flickr.com
- www.foodnetwork.com
Mary Richardson
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
Email the author! mary@dvo.com
