Julia Child's All-time Favorite Dessert:Â Chocolate Almond Cake

I was lucky to attend the premiere party for Julie and Julia hosted by Kalyn of kalynskitchen fame yesterday.

Hanging with a group of fellow food bloggers is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, let me tell you.  And the food . . . these women can cook!!!

I had read the book awhile ago and liked it, but to me the real star of this story was Julia, and there was not enough of her in the book. Not so, it turns out, with the movie. This is one of those rare, RARE occasions when I liked the movie much better than the book.

Meryl Streep was, of course, amazing. She was more Julia Child than the actual larger-than-life Julia Child. She portrayed Julia’s playfulness and charm without doing a caricature – a fine tribute to her memory.

What struck me about the movie was the tribute to married love. Too often Hollywood glorifies lust and fleeting attraction. Traditional marriage and lifelong devotion is too ho-hum, too blah, unworthy of any acknowledgment whatsoever, it seems, by Hollywood.

Not so with this film. The life-long love affair between Paul and Julia was the most moving aspect of this movie. Without his love and devotion Julia Child, the real person, never could have achieved the status of Julia Child, the icon. I was moved to tears several times by their love and devotion to each other and am still awe-struck as I write this post.

I have fond memories of  watching The French Chef with my mom when I was little.  Julia had a wonderful way of conveying her genuine joie de vivre through every word and gesture. Her  approach to life was so inspiring to women and young girls everywhere – she made you feel like you could live joyfully and fearlessly in the kitchen or anywhere else your life might take you. She took what life gave her and she made it enough!

My contribution to the party was Julia Child’s “all-time favorite” dessert (so she says in the introduction of Mastering the Art of French Cooking): Chocolate Almond Cake. I don’t often think myself competent to make one of Julia Child’s recipes. But, this recipe makes even a non-baker like myself into an instant French Pastry Chef. It is unbelievably flavorful – creamy in the center and crispy on the outside.

One way we can honor Julia is by participating in the Julia Child Birthday Event sponsored by the blog Champaign Taste by making one of her recipes. What a fabulous tribute to her legacy to have bloggers and foodies everywhere making her recipes!

Thank you, Julia. And Paul.

– posted by Donna