Mastering (à nouveau) the Art of French Cooking

Hollywood has done the world a great public service. This summer, instead of teaching us all how to achieve that perfect beach body, Nora Ephron has reminded us all about the plaisir of eating à la française.

We are, of course, referring to Ephron’s new hit film Julie & Julia, which chronicles the loosely parallel journeys of Julia Child as she writes her epic French cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and the present-day writer Julie Powell as she tries to cook every single recipe in the tome, from deboned duck to meat gelatin. With Meryl Streep offering another award-worthy performance as Julia, not only has the film enjoyed huge success at the box office, it has given Julia Child (the brand, the icon, the cook, the book) a much appreciated coup de jeune. In short, Julia Child and French cooking are back in the limelight, despite, or perhaps thanks to, all that butter.

When Mastering the Art of French Cooking was first published in 1961, Julia Child became the face of an America hungry for the French touch. Since then, cooking in America has morphed into a spectator sport in which the chefs are often glitzier than their cuisine.

Julie & Julia has changed the conversation. In a world where diet books reign supreme, Mastering the Art of French Cooking has made a comeback. Inspired movie-goers have flocked to local bookstores and online booksellers, and the cookbook is now at the top of the New York Times’ best-seller list for advice books. The Bible According to Julia is the most popular book on amazon.com and number two on barnesandnoble.com

Americans are embracing, à nouveau, what the French have always preached: bon appétit!

Visit our Chef’s Corner!

What did you think of Julie & Julia? Tell us in the comments below!