On Tuesday afternoon I received my boxed set of the two volumes by Julia Child et al Mastering the art of French cooking. I am pleased to say that I have now made two of her recipes. Strictly speaking I made Potage Parmentier (leek and potato soup) and then converted that into Potage au Cresson (which is a variation with watercress added). Here I am starting out from my basic ingredients.
Basic ingredients for my first recipe
I prepared the leeks and potatoes and put them on to simmer for about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, I assembled more stuff and chopped the watercress a bit. I then pottered out into the garden and picked some chives, together with some flowers for a spray on the table. Next I assembled an avocado salad and slipped in some blueberries and chopped strawberries, as infiltrators. I made a strong garlic, lemon and olive oil dressing for the salad; on reflection I may have put in a little too much of the hot English mustard powder. The salad would probably have tasted more delicate if it had been left undressed but I just was not in the mood for naked lettuce today.
Most of the other ingredients
I ran a clove of garlic over some slices of baguette and put them in a low oven to crisp up as pseudo croutons. Once the soup was cooked, I shredded the solid vegetables with my hand-held blender. This left more texture in the soup than would have been the case if I had tortured it in the processor. I served up and garnished the soup with chopped chives. We had a very pleasant and tasty lunch.
A lunch based on Potage au Cresson
I don’t think I am going to attempt to replicate what happened in the film Julie and Julia. I shall see how I get on. However, I am thinking about one motivational goal. Our oven is a load of crap and the door doesn’t shut properly. We have to lean our metal waste bin against it in order to wedge it shut. I am thinking that if I can cook 100 Julia Child recipes, then I will treat myself to a new oven!
In my previous blog I referred to the Zen Guitar book that I recently found. I have been re-reading it, since it is an old favourite and I had lost it for a couple of years. The strange thing is that much of what Philip Sudo says about playing guitar applies equally well to cooking. Of course, he does stress that his book should apply to all domains of the life space, so it is not as though I am making an original point here. However, it has been good to experience it. Interestingly, some of the avatars at my Second Life gig last night were talking about Persig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. That is also an old favourite of mine. Bye for now, my dear blogophiles.
John's Quavering Pencil 
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