Review: Julie & Julia

Julie & Julia, Nora Ephron’s latest movie, is actually the story of three separate books. Combining Julia Child’s memoir “My Life in Paris” with Julie Powell’s memoir “Julie & Julia,” the story cuts back and forth between the two women’s lives.

Critics have said that the film lacked a uniting thread, since the two women never meet. But it’s right there, in all it’s glory- Julia Child (and Simone Beck)’s own opus, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Even before Julia becomes involved in creating it, the book is there. We know that she’ll write it, and we know that it will help define her career. And through Julie’s project of completing all the recipes in the book within a year- it’s impossible to ignore The Book’s presence.

Meryl Streep gives another amazing performance as Julia Child, embodying her so fully that even when watching one of Child’s most famous television appearances being re-enacted by Streep, that it wasn’t jarring in my mind. Amy Adams, as Julie Powell, gives a terrific performance as well. Few articles have said much about the performance, save that they felt Powell was too self-absorbed to embrace as a heroine. Yet, that’s the point. Julie Powell, the real Julie Powell, has a reputation amongst the food community as being self-absorbed and not entirely personable.

That said, the movie is about two very different (and yet similar) women seeking to find themselves through food. Through plenty of beautifully prepared, gorgeously shot food.

As a food enthusiast, a fan of Julia (and Julie Powell’s blog), and as someone who enjoys movies, I highly recommend it.

Originally published at The Fabulous Whitney Drake. You can comment here or there.

Pan-fried Crostini w/ Bruschetta

Recipe time! After seeing the movie- I prepared the first meal that we see Julie Powell make (pre-Project, for those wondering). Bruschetta with a pan-fried bread. It’s quite a simple recipe (I made it in practically no time at all- even after I accidentally burnt the first batch of bread)

Bruschetta ala Julie and Julia
from The Hungry Novelist

Ingredients

For the crostini:
French bread (the wider loaf, not a thin baguette- though if you’re doing a party, those are great, too)
Olive oil
One clove of garlic

For the bruschetta:
Tomatoes (good quality)
Fresh Basil
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

The simplest part of the recipe is the bruschetta. Simply roughly chop your tomatoes, removing the core and seeds if they don’t look edible. Toss them in a little bit of olive oil (the original recipe called for 16 oz of tomatoes, and 1 T of olive oil) and sea salt. I added a tiny bit of pepper as well. Then, tear the basil into bite size pieces and set aside for the moment (to make sure that the basil doesn’t get soggy, it’s added at the last minute)

The crostini is pretty easy, too. But as I mentioned, you might want to keep an eye on the bread- I did burn mine the first time. In a non-stick skillet, heat 3 T of olive oil. Add in your bread (don’t overcrowd the pan) and cook until one side is a golden brown. Flip the bread and add more olive oil, if necessary – the bread will soak up the oil as it cooks. Remove as soon as they’re golden brown to a paper towel. Take your clove of garlic and rub the toast (both sides).

When all your toasts are done, top with the bruschetta and enjoy!

Originally published at Whitney Drake. You can comment here or there.