Julie, Julia and Me

Drawn in by my adoration of Julia Child and a mild interest in the Julia/Julie blog a few years ago, but mostly by the chance to see an American movie in V.O. (version originale), we zoomed into Sarlat this afternoon to see the new movie, "Julie & Julia."

I loved it. Yes, maybe Meryl was a little over the top with her hoots and high heels, but I found myself teary-eyed, reminiscent and nostalgic. I've always adored Julia Child. When she died, I felt a little like when John Lennon was shot...shocked that someone who was part of my world was gone.

We stopped at the supermarket on the way home, picked up beef cut for bourguignon, some smallish white onions, mushrooms and a bottle of cheap Bourgogne, hustled back to the house and I threw myself into making Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon. It's 8:30 p.m. now, and the beef has another half-hour to go before I assemble the dish with the braised onions and sautéed mushrooms. We won't be eating until 9:30 tonight...but we'll be raising a glass to Julia.

dot...dot...dot...

The boeuf bourguignon was delicious, despite my not having any beef broth or bouillon in the house. I improvised with chicken broth plus Worcestershire sauce and a few drops of soy sauce...and it was just fine. Not sublime. Just fine.

And it's all about who you share the meal with, anyway. We ate in front of the TV, watching "Mystery Men." I'm not sure Julia would've appreciated the film, but her recipe made it all the better. And she's my own SuperHero.