Cooking with the master

With the new movie Julie and Julia, Child is back in the spotlight. The Way to Cook is one of my favourite cookbooks by her. It is more accessible that Mastering the Art of French Cooking, but Child continues her tradition of teaching the details that make the dish successful. One of Child’s goals is for cooks to learn a “master recipe” which then spins off into other dishes.

It is that attention to detail that is important. My mother was an excellent, intuitive cook with a great mastery of formal cooking technique. That gift is not genetic. With Child guiding me through the step by step, I have created any number of dishes from this book that are actually beyond my skills. :)

Some cookbook experts consider this her finest cookbook.