Of course I admire her food but it’s Julia Child’s presence in the kitchen and life that inspire me most. With grace and humility Julia danced around the stove fancifully with an obvious passion for what she was cooking. There is no hiding the inevitable mistakes and flops that happen when cooking and yet she reiterated that it’s what you do with those little mishaps that make a great cook. Never apologizing for them she moved on accepting the little slip up while not letting it affect the rest of the dish or her confidence.

I don’t claim to be a Julia expert but I am inspired by the image of her in my head that I’ve pieced together through my years of seeing her on TV, reading her books, cooking a bit of her food and learning about her career.

Julia’s passion for food and the career that was formed around that started later in life and was fueled by her genuine love of eating and cooking rather than a desire to be known. Julia’s excitement about food and life around food was and continues to be infectious. I can’t help but want to jump into my kitchen and start cooking every time I read her recipes, her words or watch her saute´ and roast on tv. As a young girl I eagerly sat in front of the tv while watching her baking series on PBS where she brought in dozens of talented bakers to join her in the kitchen. As the chefs were slicing, stirring, whipping and mixing a towering Julia stood at their side dipping her finger into everything in sight. Her passion outweighed her desire to keep up appearances as she couldn’t help but taste the food in all its various stages.

Julia continues to give me confidence in my own kitchen and inspires me to reach beyond my comfort which inturn makes me stronger and wiser. Most recently it was Julia who nudged me to step into the world of pates. In the last several years I’ve shed my childish disdain for the various animal parts that often make up pates. I now frequently order them in restaurants and speak about this as passionately as Julia would. But it wasn’t until last week when Julia held my hand in the kitchen, that I made my first Chicken Liver Mousse.

Throughout the entire process I was beaming with pride feeling as if I was crossing off an item on the imaginary culinary “must make” list. It’s not that the process was a challenge it’s just that I had deemed chicken liver mousse as food to order at a restaurant instead of making at home and didn’t believe I could create the mousse that I fawn over that is made by accomplished chefs.

That is exactly what an inspiring person does. They cause you to see things differently, give you the confidence that you need and push you to actually make it happen. They hold your hand up to a point then push you when you’re ready. In the end you walk away more courageous and more sure of yourself then before. And as with my case, you walk away with a buttery rich and lightly spiced pot of Chicken Liver Mousse topped with a sleek shiny cap of aspic and feeling even more grateful for the inspiring life of Julia Child.

Julia Child’s Chicken Liver Mousse
adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking
makes about 2 cups

I served my mousse with cornichons, grainy mustard, pickled cherries , fennel and assorted crackers.

2 c. (about 1 lb) chicken livers
2 tbsp. minced shallots
2 tbsp. butter
1/3 c. cognac
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. chopped, fresh thyme
1/2 c. melted unsalted butter
Kosher salt and pepper

Remove any greenish or blackish spots from the livers then cut into 1/2″ pieces.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat in a sauté pan until foam has subsided. Sauté livers with the shallots in butter for 2 to 3 minutes, until the livers are just stiffened, but still rosy inside. Remove any liquid then scrape into the blender jar.
Pour the cognac into the pan and boil it down rapidly until it has reduced to 3 tablespoons. Scrape it into the blender jar.
Add the cream and seasonings to the blender jar. Cover and blend at top speed for several seconds until the liver is a smooth paste.
Add the melted butter and blend several seconds more. Adjust seasoning.
Push the mousse through a fine sieve to remove any unwanted little bits.
Pack into the bowl or jar and chill for 2 to 3 hours.

Cognac Aspic
adapted from Smith & Ratliff

1/2 c. water, separated
1/2 tsp. unflavored gelatin
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. dry vermouth
2 tsp. cognac

Place 1/4 c. of cool water in a ramekin, sprinkle unflavored gelatin and let it stand for 10 minutes.
In a small saucepan heat vermouth and sugar over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.
Heat the remaining ¼ cup of water and add to softened gelatin. Stir to dissolve. Add the gelatin mixture to the warm wine mixture and mix thoroughly.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and add cognac. Let the warm mixture stand until it almost reaches room temperature.
Once it has cooled, pour over chilled mousse. Return the mousse to the fridge and chill until the gelée has set, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
If you wish to garnish the mousse with fresh herbs or herb blossoms gently press them into the mousse before topping with the aspic.

To learn more about Julia’s life read the new biography Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child

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I stood at the kitchen counter chopping, roasting, baking and washing for most of the weekend stopping, momentarily, when the sun lured us outside. The only thing that could tear me away from the kitchen was the possibility of feeling the slightest bit of warmth from the sun as it reminded us that it indeed still exists.

Even though the calendar had declared the start of Spring sometime early last week while the snow continued to threaten, it was as the eggs boiled and I mixed in things like celery and capers with vibrant yolks that it began for me. And in between the hours in the kitchen when we found ourselves outside stretching our wintery legs and breathing in the air that “smelled like water” according to my 5 year-old, it hit me then too.

This sudden burst of inspiration led to not one type of deviled eggs but four. I dug through my pantry and refrigerator dreaming up ingredients that would easily lend themselves to being mashed with yolks and you know, I stopped at four varieties but could have easily continued.

A deviled egg is not unlike the perfect black dress with its versatility and ability to dress up and down. It may be a vintage recipe that gracesthe now yellowed pages of Betty Crocker but its adaptability makes it timeless.

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When inspiration strikes you must seize it, even if it means a glut of deviled eggs. Actually, especially if it means a glut of deviled eggs.

These recipes are suited to my taste but are easily adapted. Feel free to make them your own. I’d love to hear what you come up with!

A few thoughts on perfect hard boiled eggs:

These eggs were placed in a pan of cold water that was then brought to a boil. Immediately when the water came to a rolling boiling I turned off the heat and set a 12 minute timer. Then they were submerged in an ice bath until cool. 

Alternatively you can bake the eggs in a 325* over for 30 minutes. Chill in ice water until cool.

Beet Pickled Eggs with Fennel

2 cups water
1 cup distilled vinegar
3 small beets, washed and sliced
1 shallot, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon salt

6 hard boiled eggs, peeled

Combine all the ingredients except for the eggs in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then simmer on low for 10 minutes.
Let the brine cool slightly before adding the hard boiled eggs. If the eggs are not fully submerged use the beet slices to help weigh them down.

Let marinate for at least one hour in the fridge.

When the eggs are done bathing in beets remove from the brine and carefully slice in half. Remove the yolks and mix with 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons dijon, ¼ teaspoon toasted and ground fennel seeds and a touch of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

Pipe or spoon filling back into the eggs then garnish with fennel fronds or Italian parsley.

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Preserved Lemon

inspired by Mourad: New Moroccan

6 hard boiled eggs
3-4 Tablespoons plain yogurt
½ teaspoon minced preserved lemon
pinch salt and white pepper
Mix the yolks with the above ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings before filling the eggs and garnishing with fresh mint.

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Sour Cream and Tabasco

6 hard boiled eggs
3-4 Tablespoons sour cream
Tabasco
salt and pepper

Mix the yolks with the above ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings before filling the eggs and garnishing with fresh chives.

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Celery and Capers

6 hard boiled eggs
2-3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1 ½ teaspoons dijon
2 Tablespoons finely chopped celery
2 teaspoons capers

Mix the yolks with the above ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings before filling the eggs and garnishing with celery leaves and capers.

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It’s a rare move when I swap out ingredients in order to preserve calories. My philosophy, after years of learning through mistakes, has become quality over quantity. It’s actually become somewhat of a motto for my husband and myself becoming a daily practice in the kitchen and beyond (I find it particularly helpful in the closet as well).

I’d much rather eat a smaller portion of a bittersweet chocolate made liquid by the addition of hot cream and then served with more cream than a large amount of a less flavorful dessert containing ingredients that read “non-fat”. It has been my experience that I walk away from a few bites of something decadent and rich feeling very satisfied and quite okay by the fact that I left a good portion of it untouched or saved for someone else.

But what is really glorious is when you lighten a normally hefty meal without surrender the flavor or overall satisfaction. This salad has done such a marvelous thing.

It’s in these cool, gray months that my body yearns for food to comfort. Ones laden with cream and butter comfort me nicely particularly around the mid-section but there are times when I must resist such urges. With comfort food in mind I was set on a classic caesar. Slightly spicy, salty from a touch of briny anchovy and of course, creamy.

Where I would normally reach for oil and egg yolk to work the ingredients into an emulsion I grabbed greek yogurt – a very popular ingredient in our house as of late. The idea was to just replace some of the oil with the yogurt but when I tasted the mix of lemon, anchovy, garlic, dijon, parmesan, and yogurt I found no need for the oil. What I did find was a near replica of a classic caesar dressing without the addition of any rich oils or fats.

I did however top mine with a few nice slices of seared tenderloin (quality over quantity) and sat down to one of the best lunches I’ve had in quite some time.

A Lighter Caeser

This is a very forgiving recipe. Taste and adjust as you please, I promise I won’t be offended. Just remember that you want the dressing to taste strong as the romaine will tame its flavor. Top with slow-roasted tomatoes, shavings of Parmesan, roasted chicken, or steak for a complete and healthful lunch or dinner.

1/2 cup greek yogurt
2 teaspoons dijon
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 Tbl fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh pepper
2 Tbl finely grated parmesan

In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

Carefully combine with fresh, chopped romaine. Serve with shavings of Parmesan.

Keeps in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for one week.

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What does one do when your garden is rampant with sage (and sadly, very little else)? Well, you make pesto of course.

Before the brilliance of sage pesto, I had relegated sage to merely a Thanksgiving herb, getting neatly tucked under turkey skin just prior to roasting. Or casually stirred into sauteed mushrooms before the box of Stove Top gets dumped on top (yes, Stove Top. No matter how hard I try, my family can not deviate from the box). No longer saved for November, we’re eating sage year-round.

Handfuls of pine-y and eucalyptus scented sage get thrown into a food processor with a bit of parsley and mint. These additional herbs help to calm the sage, as does the walnuts, Parmesan and lemon. What you are left with is just the right amount of wondering-through-the woods-after-a-good-rain taste, but not so much so that you feel as if you are eating the forest.

Because of our bountiful bush I was able to whip up a hefty batch leaving me an ample supply in the fridge. So I ate it, marinated with it, turned it into an appetizer, and whisked it into pleasantly biting dressing.

It is sort of reminiscent of the Fall, but with the mass of gray days we’ve been having in Seattle, it seems only fitting.

In order to enjoy this recipe you must be a fan of pungent herbs and not afraid of sage. If you, like me, revel in their floral aroma and not only enjoy eating them but also drinking herb flavored beverages, then you are in the right place. I suggest you start toasting your walnuts. Don’t worry about the sage, I have plenty to share.

Sage Walnut Pesto

¼ cup Italian parsley

¼ cup tablespoons mint

1 cup (2 ½ oz.) sage, packed

2 garlic cloves

½ cup (2 oz.) walnuts, toasted

½ cup (1/2 oz.) grated Parmesan

½ cup (3 ¾ oz.) extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

salt

Combine first six ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend to a rough puree. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the machine running stream in the olive oil. Add the zest, lemon juice, then taste and add salt to taste. Adjust seasonings to your preference.

Sage Pesto Roasted Chicken

adapted from Zuni Cafe, via Molly (Orangette)

serves 4

1 medium-size whole chicken (about 4 pounds)

salt and pepper (about ¾ teaspoon kosher salt per pound)

½ cup sage pesto

A day or two before roasting generously apply salt and pepper all over the chicken – inside and out. I’ve done this a few hours before and it’s been fine but if you are a better planner than me, I highly recommend salting the bird at least a day in advance. The salt has a chance to permeate the bird replacing the awkward mess of a wet brine.

Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to roast. Make sure the chicken is in a pan with sides so the juices don’t leak on to anything in the fridge.

When ready to roast pre-heat the oven to 450* for at least 30 minutes prior to roasting. Cover the chicken with the sage pesto and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Place the chicken in a shallow roasting pan breast side up. Place in the oven then roast for 30 minutes. Carefully flip the bird over and roast another 15-20 minutes. Carefully flip over once again and finish breast side up for another 5-10 minutes. Total roasting time should be 50-60 minutes.

Remove from the roasting pan and lest rest for 15-20 minutes before cutting.

Sage Pesto Vinaigrette

¼ cup sage pesto

2 teaspoons champagne vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

Combine the pesto and vinegar in a small bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil while continually stirring. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

Dressing can be well covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Sage, Ricotta, Pickled Cherry Crostini

One a hearty slice of crusty bread (toasted or not) add a mound of ricotta with a sprinkle of salt. On top of that a smaller heap of sage pesto and finally, a few slices of pickled cherries.

Pickled Cherries

10 oz (roughly 3 cups) Bing cherries (I left the pits in)

3/4 cup (5 1/2 oz) white vinegar

1/4 cup sugar (more if you want more sweetness)

4 cardamom pods, crushed

1 teaspoon peppercorns

1 teaspoon whole coriander

pinch chili flakes (optional)

Combine everything in an airtight container. Shake to mix. Refrigerate. These can be enjoyed a couple hours after mixing and up to one week after. The longer they sit the more pickled they taste. My favorite is 24 hours after they’ve been sitting in their pickle bath. After that I start to add a bit more sugar to balance the tang.

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It would appear that you can make most anything taste amazing when you simply apply a bacon and pepper makeover. As is the case with zucchini – it’s not my favorite. Sure, I’ll eat it in quick bread form – I guess the butter and sugar makeover also works. I don’t mind Zucchini sliced thin and grilled but that’s mostly because it’s slathered with olive oil and usually along side something else much more delicious like steak. But I have too many tainted memories of sludgy, steamed zucchini with nothing more than a light shower of salt – if that.

Now I could eat my weight in zucchini, just add bacon, a Serrano pepper and deep fry. Oh and the Tarragon aioli helps too.

Their squid-like appearance also makes them enticing to me. I don’t like squid but apparently I like fried food that looks like them. Go figure.

When the wet batter meets the hot oil the final fritter shape is immediately set, and just like a snowflake, each is uniquely beautiful in a slimy, sea creature sort of way.

Or it is quite possibly another form of the wax and water test. I never did this myself but learned about it via The Simpsons circa 1994. Apparently your future can be predicted by the shape wax makes in cold water. In the Halloween episode Lisa’s wax droplet turned into a broom thus determining her future as a witch or housewife. Either way, she was scared.

According to my findings I am set to be a sea creature with long tentacles. Deep fried tentacles. The best kind.

Zucchini Fritters
inspired by epicurious.com and Ratio, by Michael Ruhlman

¾ cup + 1 T flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon cumin
½ cup (4 oz) milk
1 egg
1-2 Serrano (or Jalepeno) chopped, seeds removed
3 strips bacon, cooked until crisp and chopped
1 cup grated zucchini (about 1 medium)

Oil for frying

Combine flour, salt, baking powder and spices in a medium bowl. Whisk in the milk and egg until just combine. Add Serrano, bacon and Zucchini. Stir to combine. Do not over-mix or your fritters will get tough.

In a medium saucepan fill with enough oil to come up three inches on the side on the pan. (Fry oil can be reused up to three fries. Once oil is cool, strain out any floaters then put back into the oil container and save for another use. Homemade chips perhaps?!)

Heat oil to 360*

Using a spoon, drop in 1 tablespoon of the batter into the oil. The oil should bubble vigoursly but the fritters should take 2-3 minutes to develop a deep, dark golden color.

Do a test fritter first to determine the proper oil temp and cooking time. Let cool completely and make sure it is completely cooked eternally.

Proceed, cooking 3-5 fritters at one time, while maintaining the correct oil temperature.

Keep warm in an oven set to 200* on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Don’t let the fritters touch or they may get soggy.

Sprinkle warm fritters with a fine sea salt, or Maldon and serve with Tarragon Aioli.

Makes about 20 fritters that must be eaten right away. Not a problem.

Tarragon Aioli
½ cup mayonnaise
1 T. Tarragon, finely chopped
1 small garlic clove (or ½ large), minced (I like to *carefully* grate my garlic on a microplane)
¼ teaspoon lemon zest
salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Taste for salt and pepper.
Chill if not using right away. Will keep tightly covered for 3 days.

*Hey! I just was named one of the top 25 Foodie moms by Circle of Moms. If you would be so kind as to give me a thumbs up that would be awesome.
Top 25 Foodie Moms – help me win!

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