Cream of Mushroom Soup

I actually made this recipe Friday but after working a 9 hour shift yesterday I was too exhausted to do anything else but sleep. Although this recipe may seem more difficult than the last, it was surprisingly easy. As long as you follow the recipe exactly, it will turn out perfect. However, I did not do the optional fluted mushrooms. I wasn’t even sure what a fluted mushroom was until I googled it. Although that is a skill that may come in handy later, it stressed me out. I knew it would just lead to me getting frustrated and angry so I decided to forgo that experience. But it was still delicious, as I knew it would be, and I am proud to say I made Julia Child’s Cream of Mushroom Soup! 522 more recipes to go!

Leek or Onion and Potato Soup

For this recipe I used leek instead of onion because I had no previous experience with leeks and this is of course, a learning experience. I had to go on Youtube and learn how to clean and cut a leek. I also had to google search the terms "whipping cream" and "food mill". It turns out that I own a food mill and have used one before. Compared to mashing the vegetables with a fork, the food mill made the soup very smooth. So there are other purposes for a food mill than just mashed potatoes. This was a reasonably easy recipe and took a fairly short amount of time. The first recipe alone has already taught me new words and phrases I didn’t know before. I feel very confident in the choice I made to do this and I’m excited to continue on to the next recipe. First one down, 523 more to go…

My Julie & Julia Project

As many of you may know, the movie Julie & Julia is an inspirational movie about the amazing French cook Julia Child and her protégé Julie Powell. This movie, along with Ratatouille, The Princess and the Frog, and Chef, have inspired me to become a chef in Paris. It wasn’t until this year however, that I realized I knew nothing about cooking. I knew my knife skills were inadequate and I wasn’t very knowledgeable in some aspects but I didn’t realize just how many holes were in my understanding of becoming a chef. When I started at my high school, I was told I would have an opportunity to work with the dining staff and serve food to my peers. The dining director, Chris Dill, asked me many questions to determine my level as a “chef”. Every question was followed by a blank expression or the word “no” escaping my lips. It was then that I realized I haven’t even scraped the surface of cooking. Mr. Dill took me under his wing and has been showing me the tricks of the trade ever since. Every time a word left his mouth I clung to it and tried to drill it into my head.

As a christmas present, I begged my parents for Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, volume 1. I have decided that instead of sitting around this summer, I will embark on my own personal journey of cooking every recipe in her cookbook. I will blog about each recipe and try my best to honor Julia Child and Julie Powell. However, as a working high school student, I have given myself a much longer deadline than Julie Powell’s of one year. I have given myself three years to complete 524 recipes. By the time I graduate, I want to be able to cook every recipe in her cookbook. With Ms. Child’s and Mr. Dill’s help, I hope to be able to fulfill my dream.