The somewhat fraught story of Child and her co-authors, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, writing this book (first published in 1961) makes up a major part of the film, and Penguin have reissued both the updated 1983 edition, and the 1970 Volume 2 ($45 each) in a timely fashion.
Julia Child, played by Meryl Streep in the film, came across as a charming and enthusiastic cook, and that is reflected in her style in the books.
They are more than recipe books as they include detailed instructions of cooking techniques and explanatory diagrams so that, by working through the master recipes, you learn skills such as how to chop an onion quickly, where to put the tart in the oven so it will puff and brown, how to fold beaten egg whites into a cake batter to retain their maximum volume and how to add egg yolks to a hot sauce so they will not curdle.
For the 1983 edition of this primer of classical French cooking, the recipes were updated to include such innovations as food processors and non-stick pans.
Even allowing for the modern fear of butter and addiction to speed and convenience, and the American bent, the recipes in these books are still worth exploring for their timeless techniques and flavours - ragouts, terrines, tians, gratins, omelettes, fricassees, charlottes, clafoutis, crepes and so on.
As she says in the introduction to the first edition: "This is a book for the servantless American cook who can be unconcerned with budgets, waistlines, time schedules, children's meals, the parent-chauffeur-den-mother syndrome, or anything else which might interfere with the enjoyment of producing something wonderful to eat."
With a trend back to finding the roots of our food and classic and traditional dishes, the reissue of this timeless reference is welcome.
