About Me

My photo
Baker. Cook. Gardener. Animal Lover.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Waiting And Watching




Out here in on the Central Coast of Califoria we are waiting for our first BIG STORM of the season. And we are ready. It has been one long hot dry summer. We need some rain. So in anticipation of the big event, I decided to make my Julia Child French Onion Soup. I go back and forth between Julia Child's and Vincent Price's recipe. And back and forth on the beef stock or chicken stock thing too. I can never decide which I like better. Truth be told, I like them both the same. Cause when you get right down to it...for me anyway, it is all about the cheese..Went to Scolaris this morning praying they would have Gruyere cheese. It is a small neighborhood market and I was worried that anything beyond swiss and cheddar might be out of their reach. But I got lucky. I scored. They had some gruyere. It is really the only one that will do here. And I needed the vermouth too. I have used white wine before, but I don't know if it's in my head or what, I just like it better with the vermouth. Maybe it makes me feel like I am really doing it Julia's way. And at the very end...right before you serve it..it has got to have a wave of cognac. It's got to. I was watching PBS on Saturday...they had on those vintage shows of Jacques and Julia from like the 70's. And it made me remember how much I love her. So tonight when that big storm slams in from the Pacific...we will be all cozy inside with our bowls of soup and to go with it...grilled prosciutto and cheese sandwhiches. A cozy autumn night, by the fire.Soup and grilled cheese night. Julia-style.And YES..that is scotch tape holding that beloved book together.....

11 comments:

  1. oh yes...the perfect storm food :) i am going to take out my (same!) copy and make this tomorrow, thank you very much...and good luck with the storm!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hm Hm Hm...veal stock makes the best one I know, but I so cheat and use (blush)..no, I'm not going to tell you!

    Congratulations on your storm :-)

    You did say Vincent Price, didn't you???

    ReplyDelete
  3. hello! i discovered your blog by chance while leaving a comment somwhere else. it's adorable. same interests and same taste as mine...
    i'm your new happy follwer!
    have a great day, justyna

    ReplyDelete
  4. A wave of congnac..........that sure sat me up in my seat. I would love to saunter into Bevmo, and ask to be directed to
    the Congac Section, si vous plait, and PDQ..

    Lazy Acres has the best G. Cheese. Now there's a day trip for you. Santa Barbara for a hunk of Swiss Gruyere and only cave aged, to honor Julia.
    xx
    donkey in the pines

    ReplyDelete
  5. Can I PLEASE come to your house for dinner?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love french onion soup! We just had our first frost the other night and it's COLD tonight. I wish I was eating some of that soup!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, this sounds like an excellent dinner for this weekend. It's calling for rain, so I can stay in and simmer.....yum!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh my..now that is perfect comfort food for a storm night! I LOVE onion soup....especially Julia's recipe. I can't find my copy of her book (it is from the 70's) and it is making me crazy. I know, somewhere in this house there is a box of great books just waiting to be found..but where? If I buy another copy I will find it for sure. Meanwhile...I have soup envy!! Stay dry!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I just love the scotch-taped cookbook and stained soup recipe! I am a fledgling cook, and I can't wait until my resources are in this cozy condition of being well-used. I have to resist the temptation to sling batter and slosh juices on the clean, white pages of my cookbooks. I feel that it has to happen naturally and over time...

    Beautiful! Just beautiful! Or should I say, well-seasoned?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow, your book is more worn than mine. Loved this post and hope you are enjoying your soup and sandwiches in the rain. It is raining in NC too. We are having chicken pot pie. Bon Appetit!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love your old cookbooks, and your blue pot, too!
    Do you have Gladys Taber's 'My Own Cookbook'? It's wonderful.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by. I appreciate all your kind comments more than you can know.