A Julia Triumph & Culinary Bucket Lists

Several weeks ago, before it got pizza oven hot outside and we were all planning what we are grilling for the fourth of July, I had experienced a genuine Julia triumph. Since the film debut of “Julie & Julia” I’ve wanted to make Julia’s French Onion Soup. I gave it a try last year using a recipe I found on the web that touted itself as “based on Julia Child’s recipe.” (Note to self: beware of culinary disclaimers “based on,” it’s a real game changer). The resulting soup was just okay, edible, but nothing to write home about and certainly not worth repeating. This left me discouraged, wanting more and wondering…what was different about Julia’s recipe? I added “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” to my Christmas list; I now wanted the real thing in my quest for French Onion Soup perfection. With Julia’s tutelage in hand, I set about making the perfect pot of French Onion Soup…I must confess, I started to waver over 3 tablespoons of cognac, really what was I going to do with the rest of the bottle? Then those two little words drifted back into my mind “based on.” That “faux” Julia recipe didn’t have cognac…I quickly reined myself back in and committed to staying true to Julia’s recipe. With fingers crossed (ever tried to sauté onions with your fingers crossed? It’s not easy) I again embarked upon my quest for the perfect French Onion Soup. I painstakingly followed each step, carefully measured & re-measured my ingredients and waited…patiently (okay, somewhat patiently) for those onions to caramelize. People, I am here to tell you, my patience was rewarded and, yes, those three tablespoons of cognac made all the difference. After just one bite my sweet husband proclaimed this “the best French Onion Soup I’ve ever tasted.” Thank you, Julia, I will never, ever trust a “based on” recipe again and will never question whether “just three tablespoons” of something is worth it. Clearly, it is.

This Julia triumph bolstered my confidence and turned my thoughts to other dishes I wanted to cook, but had never tried for one reason of the other. These thoughts developed into a culinary bucket list of sorts, things I really want to make in my lifetime, but haven’t:

• Lobster stuffed beef tenderloin; I came across this recipe almost 20 years ago in “Dining by Fireflies,” from the Junior League of Charlotte. I immediately wanted to try it, really, how delicious must that be? Yep, been meaning to try that for 20 years. Crazy, right? All I can think is how much money I will have wasted if it doesn’t turn out well.
• Marshmallows; I find delicate confections to be daunting (this, I believe, is firmly rooted in my childhood when my sister made a batch of Divinity that went so badly our mom had to throw the pan away. Yes, that’s correct, the actual pan, not just the Divinity). Humidity is the sworn enemy of treats like marshmallows and Divinity and I do live in Florida.
• Chocolate truffles; every year I think “this Christmas, I’m making truffles” and every year, I do not make truffles.
• Hushpuppies, really great hushpuppies from scratch. I’ve made them from a mix many times and they’re fine, but not great, not a wow. I want a wow.

I’m sure there’s more to add to my list, while I'm cogitating on that, I’ve been asking those around me what dish is on their culinary bucket list. The responses have ranged from chocolate soufflé to orange chicken and everything in between. I was having a text conversation with my dear friend Sherry yesterday; when I mentioned this post she hit me with a powerful, inspiring four word response:

“Live the bucket list.” Thank you, Sherry, live it, I shall.