Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Julie and Julia at Food 'n Flix

Julie and Julia is the featured movie at Food and Flix this month. Here I am, late to the party, but I hope our host this month doesn’t mind.



Check out our host's announcement post at La Cocina de Leslie -Thank you Leslie for hosting the November movie!

This movie is based on two true stories, each sharing a common theme. No, it’s not butter…although butter plays a prominent part in the lives of Julia Child and Julie Powell. Both women, living as far apart as you can imagine are looking for their niche in life. Their dedication and passion led them to cooking. I very much enjoyed the book and was looking forward to the movie and hoping, as I always do, that it followed the book.

It did not. The movie contrasts the culinary career of Julia as well as the obsessed Julie Powell (who is intent on making all of Julia’s recipes in a span of 365 days). There was more focus on Julia Child’s time in Paris in the 1950 era than was written about….but this isn’t a book review, now is it? While it turned into more of a split biography on the two women rather than Julie Powell’s journey to happiness and commitment, it was overall quite an enjoyable movie. Absolutely, no denying that Powell’s popular blog wouldn’t have existed without the inspiration of J.C.



Plus, this movie had Meryl Streep, who can act in anything. Any accent, any plot…the woman is a marvel. A fun movie with lots of food. I know anyone who participated with Food ‘n Flix this month had a hard time narrowing their choices for inspired dish.


Images that come to mind for me are butter (obviously), mushrooms, wine…….Coq au Vin.



Ingredients

· 1/2 cup lardons (4 ounces -- 1-by-1/4-inch strips of blanched slab bacon or salt pork)
· 3 pounds frying chicken parts
· 2 tbs. butter (plus a tad more…just sayin’)
· 1 tbs. olive oil
· Salt and freshly ground pepper
· 2 large cloves of garlic, chopped and crushed
· 1 bay leaf
· 1/4 teaspoon thyme
· 3 cups red wine
· 1 cup chicken stock (you may need more)
· Beurre manie, for the sauce (1 1/2 tbs. each flour softened butter blended to a paste)
· Chopped parsley)
· 1/3 cup good brandy (optional)
· 12 or so white onions – the itty bity ones, you know?
· 3 cups fresh mushrooms, trimmed, quartered and sautéed

Directions

Sauté the blanched bacon or salt pork and then set aside but leave fat in the pan. Brown the chicken in the pork fat, adding a little olive oil, if needed. Now simmer chicken in the wine, adding stock, tomatoes and seasoning. Add onions and sautéed mushrooms over the chicken and mix it gently, getting the sauce over all of the ingredients.

Check out Food 'n Flix for the next movies scheduled. It's fun...promise :-) Thans again Leslie for hosting!

Food‘nFlix

16 comments:

  1. It was Meryl Streep who made that movie! It was Julia Powell that got the rest of us blogging. I enjoyed the movie too.

    Velva

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  2. Oh your dish looks so good, I could just dive into the computer and eat it right now. I have tried a couple of Julia's recipes in the past, some with more success than others ;). But I enjoyed this movie (as well as the book it was based on). They both do seem to inspire us home cooks to get into the kitchen and try whipping up some kind of Julia concoction. Thanks for your review and recipe. Fun to read. And maybe now I have to try the coq au vin recipe.

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  3. I got inspired after seeing that movie and that was my first post. And then i tried my hand at Coq au vin.
    Rita

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  4. I really enjoyed this movie ... great recipe, too :-)

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  6. Cow au vin was the first dish The Hubs made for me (with lots of phone help from his mom). :). Great choice for F'n F.

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  7. Oh my gosh...Coq a Vin ...mmmm! Did you know that the movie is actually based on two books? Julie's part is based on her book, and Julia's parts are based on 'My Life in France' by Julia and Alex Prud'Homme? It may fit together better if you look at it that way!? =)

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  8. Paul Child: What is it you REALLY like to do?
    Julia Child: Eat!

    That's my life described right there!

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  9. Coq au Vin...great choice for a great movie!

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