Any opinions/input on choosing an organization to get certified as a personal trainer with? So many options!
277 days ago
Foodie/Nutritionist Begins Mastering the Art of French Cooking
Posted Jan 20 2010 12:00am
Dear world,
Yes, I did see Julie & Julia. Yes, I like many others were inspired. And yes, I now own Julia Child’s celebrated book Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
I promise not to turn this into a Julie/Julia copycat blog. However, I did take the first step in working my way through the book’s recipes last week. Mastering the Art of French Cooking really is designed like a sort of textbook, with the intention of leading the student from simple to complex, through the major categories of typical French foods, building technique upon technique.
The very first recipe kicks off the “Soups” chapter Potato-Leek Soup, which as Julia puts it, “is simplicity in itself to make.” I went for the Potage au Cresson adaptation, which simply involved adding watercress to the boiling mixture.
The soup is simply potatoes and leeks boiled with water and salt until super soft, and then pureed. Watercress is added and simmered with the other ingredients, and butter or cream is added off-heat just before serving. The end result was considerably flavorful, despite the simplicity of the recipe’s ingredients. It was a very thick soup, almost on the end of thin mashed potatoes good either way.
This was the first time I’ve ever used watercress, not that I haven’t intended to before. I was surprised by its flavor, which is stronger than that of other greens; it has a bitterness like arugula, but with more of a bite. When cooked in the salty soup, its bitterness mellowed out and the cresson added a distinctive flavor of greens to the soup.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking is by no means a book of healthy recipes. But this particular recipe was not completely horrible from a nutritional standpoint. Its pitfalls are its inclusion of saturated fat and a high starch/low fiber ratio (which endows it with a high glycemic index). The recipe could be nutritionally modified by using a Smart Balance type butter substitute, fewer potatoes, extra watercress, and a smaller serving size all of which I am sure Julia would disagree with, but what kind of nutritionist would I be if I didn’t at least suggest it?
Dear world,
Yes, I did see Julie & Julia. Yes, I like many others were inspired. And yes, I now own Julia Child’s celebrated book Mastering the Art of French Cooking.
I promise not to turn this into a Julie/Julia copycat blog. However, I did take the first step in working my way through the book’s recipes last week. Mastering the Art of French Cooking really is designed like a sort of textbook, with the intention of leading the student from simple to complex, through the major categories of typical French foods, building technique upon technique.
The very first recipe kicks off the “Soups” chapter Potato-Leek Soup, which as Julia puts it, “is simplicity in itself to make.” I went for the Potage au Cresson adaptation, which simply involved adding watercress to the boiling mixture.
The soup is simply potatoes and leeks boiled with water and salt until super soft, and then pureed. Watercress is added and simmered with the other ingredients, and butter or cream is added off-heat just before serving. The end result was considerably flavorful, despite the simplicity of the recipe’s ingredients. It was a very thick soup, almost on the end of thin mashed potatoes good either way.
This was the first time I’ve ever used watercress, not that I haven’t intended to before. I was surprised by its flavor, which is stronger than that of other greens; it has a bitterness like arugula, but with more of a bite. When cooked in the salty soup, its bitterness mellowed out and the cresson added a distinctive flavor of greens to the soup.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking is by no means a book of healthy recipes. But this particular recipe was not completely horrible from a nutritional standpoint. Its pitfalls are its inclusion of saturated fat and a high starch/low fiber ratio (which endows it with a high glycemic index). The recipe could be nutritionally modified by using a Smart Balance type butter substitute, fewer potatoes, extra watercress, and a smaller serving size all of which I am sure Julia would disagree with, but what kind of nutritionist would I be if I didn’t at least suggest it?