Remembering Julia Child with the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor

I've just joined a group I should have belonged to ages ago: the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor.  Long on my "to do" list, real life just kept getting in the way.  I was often unable to attend monthly meetings, and I could read the newsletter online.  And so, procrastination and inertia ruled ... I never got around to connecting with these wonderful people who share my passion - to degrees that others sometimes consider to be overly zealous (a polite way of saying "boring!") - for all things food-related.

But this is my year to reach out, to try new things, to accomplish goals, to meet new people, to move beyond my comfort zone, and to have excellent adventures.

So, I'm now a dues-paying member of the group and attended my first meeting recently!

Jan and Dan Longone, esteemed and revered in the food world for their knowledge of antiquarian cookbooks and wine (among many other talents and gifts), presented their personal remembrances of their dear friend Julia Child.  I had met Jan just a few days earlier, while doing research, and she has graciously offered to continue working with me as I delve into my work.  She personally invited me to attend this meeting and to join the group ... how could I refuse such a welcome???  The right moment had come.

I grew up watching "The French Chef" with my mother.  And when the Smithsonian Institution opened a permanent exhibit of Julia's kitchen in 2002, Jeremy was inordinately patient as I stood gawking, remembering, reminiscing, and just communing with the famous space that had been completely rebuilt at the museum. So if my first meeting with the Culinary Historians was one dedicated to Julia Child, this was most fitting!

Julia - at the meeting, everyone referred to her by her first name alone, as though we were all personal friends despite most of us having had no relationship other than holding her dear in our hearts - was represented by a cutout (pictured above) that one of the group's members had acquired many years ago.  She brings Julia out for special occasions, like this meeting that paid such loving tribute.

Dan and Jan both spoke with such love for Julia, and told wonderful stories about her.  Julia Child was truly an icon, and yet was so generous of spirit and "a lady," according to Jan.  Despite being very famous, she would introduce herself to groups rather than waiting for them to approach her worshipfully or expecting that they already knew who she was; she identified herself by name in greeting new people.  Julia also wrote "thank you" letters - a lost art these days - personally offering gratitude for gifts or work on her behalf ... she showed appreciation for any and all kind gestures.

Julia even maintained a listed phone number, of all things!  And if someone called her directly with questions about recipes, particularly on holidays like Thanksgiving (before the days of the Butterball hotline), she would answer patiently with genuine and sincere concern.

One interesting quirk that Jan told us about is that Julia didn't like to share dishes; instead, she felt you should simply order something yourself if you wanted to try it.  And she gently chastised Jan at one point, when Jan felt she was too busy to sit on the board of the then-forming American Institute of Wine and Food; Julia pointed out that she, herself, was busy, but that this was a cause worth dedicating the time to.  Needless to say, they both became board members!

At the end of her life, Julia wasn't able to eat much.  But someone made a batch of onion soup from Julia's own recipe, to encourage her to eat.  According to Jan, this turned out to be Julia's last meal.

Julia was so wonderful, so haymish (a Yiddish word meaning "warm, welcoming") that everyone loved her.  In fact, Jan noted that not liking Julia Child was "like not liking ice cream or chocolate!"

Lovely desserts were also brought in Julia's honor, prepared by group members from recipes in Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Malakoff Tortes with either strawberries or raspberries, as well as a Queen of Sheba cake made with lots of chocolate, butter and rum ... a perfect way to remember Julia and her fondness for such rich ingredients!

The Culinary Historians take the summer off from meeting, but then gather in August for an annual picnic - the theme of which will be a celebration of Julia Child's 100th birthday, featuring a potluck filled with dishes prepared from Julia's own recipes - before another year of monthly programs.

My heart will still be with them, though, as I prepare an article for the group's quarterly newsletter, Repast, about The Molly Goldberg Cookbook. I was even able to finally meet Randy Schwartz, Repast's esteemed editor, with whom I've been corresponding for a few months.

This was a lovely afternoon in so many ways!

Molly Goldberg's Lemon Meringue Pie

I've started work on my very exciting assignment to write about The Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook for Repast, the newsletter of the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor.  I'm doing research to place the work into its historical context among other Jewish cookbooks.  And I'm watching DVDs of the "The Goldbergs" - the t.v. show featuring the character of Molly - to get a feel for the Goldberg family whose matriarch is the "author" I'll be writing about.

I'm also making some recipes from the cookbook.  As they say, "It's a tough job ...."

In its earlier episodes, The Goldbergs began with the exceptionally friendly (and somewhat meddlesome, but in a kind-hearted way) Molly calling out, "Yoo hoo" - a phrase which caught on with viewers who then called that out to their friends and neighbors, as well, when greeting each other.

In later seasons, though, the show's opening was changed to feature this introduction:

"There she is, folks - that's Molly Goldberg, a woman with a place in every heart and a finger in every pie."

So, of course, when perusing the cookbook and trying to determine what to sample from it, it only made sense to bake a pie.  And what better option than the Lemon Meringue Pie that Molly herself was so proud of?

"This pie is my specialty.  Not by me, but by Simon.  When My Rich Cousin was just struggling, he used to eat with us, and his favorite dessert was this pie.  He said that if he ever got rich he would have a cook and the only thing the cook had to know was how to make this pie.  So when Simon got rich he hired a cook and he had her make a lemon meringue pie.  It didn't turn out so so-so, and he sent the cook to me for lessons.  I showed her this recipe and she's been with Simon for fifteen years now, and would you believe it, Simon still says mine is better.  It's the exact same recipe as this one.  Some people are just stubborn.  The Passover lemon filling is so good that I use a pastry crust the rest of the year with the same filling."

Since it isn't Passover, I decided to simply use a standard pie crust rather than the matzah meal crust that the recipe gives instructions for.  But the filling really is so good that this could definitely overcome the very bad reputation that Passover desserts have!  (The prohibition against leavened products has traditionally led to very heavy, dense dishes that are not known for their allure.)

The pie has a wonderfully vivid flavor, and the filling is almost pudding-like rather than being a somewhat translucent gel that seems to be more common now.  It's not a "mile high" pie as we've grown accustomed to these days, thanks to super-sizing and "kicking it up a notch"; it's just a simple dessert showcasing both the vibrancy of the lemon and the secret ingredients - love and care - with which Molly would have made the pie for her family.

The recipe isn't difficult to follow at all, but it presumes some knowledge of baking rather than giving very specific step-by-step instructions.  For example, there is no explanation of a critical technique specific to meringue pies: spreading the egg whites over the edge of the crust to keep the meringue from shrinking while the pie bakes.

Also, the recipe calls for 3 whole eggs in the filling and 3 egg whites for the meringue.  But in whisking the filling as it cooked, I found that it simply wasn't thickening.  I was tempted to add some cornstarch, but instead added the leftover yolks.  The filling set up very quickly after that, so I included the yolks in the recipe below even though that isn't precisely Molly's version.  (Don't think about your cholesterol levels, just enjoy the treat!)

This pie is very easy to make and is a really lovely dessert to brighten a cold, dreary winter day.  I'm tempted to say "Yoo hoo, Mrs. Goldberg!  Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe!"

Don't forget to read about my "Chopped" challenge: dare me to use ingredients you suggest, and I'll post about my creations!  Click here for the terms ....


 Lemon Meringue Pie (slightly adapted from The Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook)

1 crust for a 9" pie

Filling:
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
7/8 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
grated zest from 1 lemon

Meringue:
3 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350F.

Place the crust into a 9" pie pan.  Line the crust with a sheet of foil and fill with dry beans to help the crust keep its shape and not shrink while pre-baking.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden.  Remove foil and beans and set aside.

Prepare filling: Place 1" water into the bottom of a double boiler and set the double boiler onto a burner.  Bring water to a boil, then turn heat down to simmer.

Place the filling ingredients into the top of the double boiler and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens - 10 minutes or so.  When it's ready, the mixture will coat the back of a spoon: you can dip the spoon into the filling and run your finger through the coating, but the mixture won't seep back in to fill the space.  Pour the filling into the prepared crust and set aside while making the meringue.

Too thin - doesn't coat the spoon well, and the filling bleeds into the space

Perfect - filling is thickened and the space remains clear

Prepare meringue: Place the egg whites into a large mixing bowl.  With an electric mixer, beat until the whites hold soft peaks.  Add the sugar slowly and continue beating until the whites hold stiff peaks.  Spread the meringue over the lemon filling, being sure that the meringue adheres to the crust or else the meringue will shrink and not cover the filling.  Bake for 5-10 minutes until lightly golden.

Let the pie cool to room temperature before serving.  Store in the refrigerator.

Makes 1 pie.

Reaching ....

As I wrote in both of my New Year posts - the one for Rosh Hashanah and the one featuring my word of the year - the past years (5771 on the Jewish calendar and 2011 on the English one) were wretched. Really, truly, they brought some bad juju!

But the fall and early winter have brought a bit of an upswing, a pretty good lead-in to a new year with fresh hope.    And I always want to share good news with my friends, who've supported me through all the bad stuff and kept me going.  In many ways, it was the professional invitations I received at the end of the year that helped me to choose REACH as my word for 2012; but these are helping me to extend my reach on a personal level, too.

I was the entertainment at Temple Beth Emeth's annual Sisterhood dinner, speaking about how I meandered from Catholic school to Jewish food.  I had a marvelous time - and without embarrassing myself!  (I'm not a natural public speaker by any means.)  I made wonderful new friends, I've been invited to judge the temple's annual brisket cook-off in March (what a great gig that will be!), and I had a lovely time as Cinderella at the ball.  I've also got judging duties at the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre's chili cook-off in February, so my taste buds are going to be busy!

An excellent opportunity to write for the Washtenaw Jewish News, Ann Arbor's Jewish newspaper, was offered to me - reviewing the cookbook Ma Baseema with its fabulous Chaldean/Iraqi recipes.  I recently finished work on that, and the piece will appear in the February issue; another article I'm working on for the WJN has a publication date yet to be determined.

And then I received the most incredible email inviting me to a brand new project; even re-reading it, I'm still in shock!  Let me edit/shorten it for you, and cut to the proverbial chase:

Allow me to introduce myself as editor of Repast, quarterly publication of the Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor.

I'm beginning to plan a Fall 2012 issue of Repast on the theme of "American Cookbooks and Cookbook Writers, 1900-1945". I'm writing to see if you might be able to contribute an article? What I had in mind is a piece on The Molly Goldberg Cookbook, which you wrote about briefly in your 10/29/09AnnArbor.com column. I think this topic would greatly interest our readers ....
   
We feature stories about the history and culture of food: its production, its preparation, its enjoyment, regional culinary traditions, the evolution of gastronomy and of food discourse, kitchen lore, etc.... Your article would make a valuable contribution to the culinary history community of scholars, writers, and readers. Thank you for your time and interest.

OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG!!!  I've been invited to write for a respected journal devoted to the history of food!  Me - the flaky chick who takes pictures of everything she eats (with an adorable little pink camera, no less) and then babbles and blathers about it (after taking notes in an equally adorable pink notebook)!

I'll be writing about a Jewish cookbook and the amazing woman, Gertrude Berg, who created the character of Molly Goldberg whose name the book was written in - does it get any better than that???

I'll get to reach back into history, reach out to friends both old and new as I do my research, reach deep into my skill set ... keep reaching and, most importantly, growing ....


For today's recipe - Roasted Fennel and Mushrooms - go to the Food and Grocery page of AnnArbor.com ....