Week 2: Boeuf Bourguignon and La Tarte Tatin

Courtesy of Book Depository I am in eager anticipation of the arrival of the 50th Anniversary hard back edition of Julia Childs "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"... it has the entire 524 recipes... that will keep me busy for a while! 40% off (I am saving money!) at the price of $54.29. Meanwhile the fun has begun... and no better way to start off with the signatory dish of Boeuf Bourguignon and La Tarte Tatin.


You know that you are getting obsessed when you:
- wake up in a cold sweet fretting about what you could possibly cook your La Tarte Tatin in
- say to your family in conversation that "Julia told me..." and unless she has visited me from the spirit world that would be pretty much impossible
- keep to purchasing chuck steak despite porterhouse only being marginally more in price, because that was in the recipe
- undertaking a research project on the qualities of NZ apples to ensure the right apple was selected
for the La Tarte Tatin
- purchasing (investing in) a new casserole pot and a French Skillet pan
- watch the original filmed episodes of the Julia Child programmes at least 3 times each (I did have to get the recipe from them)
- your children tell you that you ARE obsessed (quote from Caroline)

After running around getting the ingredients and purchasing new equipment in the morning, pretty much of the day was dedicated to food preparation and then eating. Of course there was the mandatory "I can't possibly cook in this mess" manic clean up and then food preparation commenced at 2pm.

I can confidently report that the evening was a great success. My tasting crew of my parents, Jamie and the girls all gave it the thumbs up, with my father even reporting it was good (not just alright), my mother saying it was better than any similar dish she has had in France (and of course that is without daughter favouritism) and Caroline ate it (we starved her before hand giving a better chance of eating anything that was put in front of her).

Imke was the chief photographer and has captured the photographic evidence... even the high anxiety moment of the unmoulding of the La Tarte Tatin.

If you want a giggle... look at the you tube clip of Julia Child cooking La Tarte Tatin and when unmoulding goes wrong... it is refreshingly down to earth and gives you permission to adapt and carry on even when things don't quite go the way you wanted.