If you happen to find yourself wandering about in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, then you will undoubtedly stumble upon Julia Child's Kitchen. And yes, it is actually her kitchen — not a replica — which she donated, in whole, several years before her death.
As you stare through the plexi-glass at Julia's pegged walls, wooden counter-tops, bon appetit! plaque, and her bookcase filled with not much more than a copy of 'Miss Joy', her own cookbooks, and the local telephone directories; you begin to notice the more museum-like features in the room. Outside of the kitchen, photographs, quotes, and various memorabilia line the walls. A television screen plays either a perpetual biography/tribute to Julia Child or an episode of The French Chef. Incidentally, if you happen to sit and watch The French Chef for a minute, you see that it is her Omelette episode. And if you actually sit and watch this episode, you are struck by how effortless and easy it appears to make an omelette. (Shall we laugh now, or shall we laugh later?)
It requires skill to make an omelette. And I have never in my life seen anyone do it as beautifully as Julia Child. As she works, she is talking and yucking it up for the camera, and all the while the viewer (me) is astounded by how she was almost able to mask the level of her skill with her funny and down-to-earth personality. The whole experience is mesmerizing. You walk away from it thinking, 'Shooot, see if I don't give that a try!' (Meanwhile, even my dried beans were flying across the kitchen...)
Toward the end of this episode Julia recommends two books on omelette making. (See, it must be hard to make an omelette if you have to read books on the subject before actually attempting to make them in your own home.) One of those is The Art of Cooking Omelettes by Madame Romaine de Lyon, originally published in 1963. Let me be the first to tell you — this book is a gem. Shocking, perhaps. But truly — this book is fabulous, and here is why.
Thus begins The Art of Cooking Omelettes. It is an extraordinarily well-written book, and I found Madame Romaine's biography to be fascinating. And at times the book is hilarious. However, I don't think that is ever the intention. Rather, I have to remind myself how very important (and serious) omelette-making can be, for goodness' sake!
The Art of Cooking Omelettes is broken down into four sections: Madame Romaine's personal journey (becoming 'the Queen of the Omelette Makers, as they sometimes call me'); instructions on how to cook an omelette; over 500 recipes for making her omelettes; and what to serve with an omelette (salad and wine), and who she has served them to. Apparently she has served many a famous face and is not afraid to let you know this.
Madame Romaine was born in Lyon and grew up working in her parents' restaurant. She learned everything from her mother who was 'an instructive cuisinère, and saw to it that I learned in proper order: first principles; then recipes; and, finally, style.' Madame Romaine lived in Lyon until she married, at a very young age, and moved to New York City with her new husband. She spoke no English whatsoever when she arrived in the US and took a bit of time building up confidence to do so. While still very young, her husband tragically suffered a heart-attack and died. Madame Romaine was then left wondering what to do and eventually opened a Salon de Thé in Manhattan. Her eventual location was at 156 East 56th Street, and I have been very curious to see what is there today. (After looking around a bit, I discovered that Madame Romaine's restaurant is now closed. Switching locations a few times after her death, the new owners were forced to close in 2003 on account of not paying taxes...)
Anyway, the instructions for making an omelette, as per Madame Romaine, are very simple. However, she acknowledges right off the bat that the only way to learn it properly is to do it over and over and over again. According to Madame Romaine, it takes exactly 2 minutes to make an omelette — not including the 25-30 seconds required for beating the eggs. She uses nothing fancy at all in her preparation and claims that 'everyone who cooks should know how to do an omelette.' I daresay she is right. And I daresay that this book is marvelous — whether you use it for a cookbook or just a good read involving many useful tips. May God bless Madame Romaine de Lyon, and of course, Julia Child. (The Art of Cooking Omelettes by Madame Romain de Lyon, Doubleday Publishing, 1963.)
As you stare through the plexi-glass at Julia's pegged walls, wooden counter-tops, bon appetit! plaque, and her bookcase filled with not much more than a copy of 'Miss Joy', her own cookbooks, and the local telephone directories; you begin to notice the more museum-like features in the room. Outside of the kitchen, photographs, quotes, and various memorabilia line the walls. A television screen plays either a perpetual biography/tribute to Julia Child or an episode of The French Chef. Incidentally, if you happen to sit and watch The French Chef for a minute, you see that it is her Omelette episode. And if you actually sit and watch this episode, you are struck by how effortless and easy it appears to make an omelette. (Shall we laugh now, or shall we laugh later?)
It requires skill to make an omelette. And I have never in my life seen anyone do it as beautifully as Julia Child. As she works, she is talking and yucking it up for the camera, and all the while the viewer (me) is astounded by how she was almost able to mask the level of her skill with her funny and down-to-earth personality. The whole experience is mesmerizing. You walk away from it thinking, 'Shooot, see if I don't give that a try!' (Meanwhile, even my dried beans were flying across the kitchen...)
Toward the end of this episode Julia recommends two books on omelette making. (See, it must be hard to make an omelette if you have to read books on the subject before actually attempting to make them in your own home.) One of those is The Art of Cooking Omelettes by Madame Romaine de Lyon, originally published in 1963. Let me be the first to tell you — this book is a gem. Shocking, perhaps. But truly — this book is fabulous, and here is why.
'No one comes into the world an instinctive maker of omelettes, and I would not
have you believe that as soon as I could walk, I toddled into the kitchen,
seized an egg and a frying pan, and began at once what was to be my life's
work.'
Thus begins The Art of Cooking Omelettes. It is an extraordinarily well-written book, and I found Madame Romaine's biography to be fascinating. And at times the book is hilarious. However, I don't think that is ever the intention. Rather, I have to remind myself how very important (and serious) omelette-making can be, for goodness' sake!
The Art of Cooking Omelettes is broken down into four sections: Madame Romaine's personal journey (becoming 'the Queen of the Omelette Makers, as they sometimes call me'); instructions on how to cook an omelette; over 500 recipes for making her omelettes; and what to serve with an omelette (salad and wine), and who she has served them to. Apparently she has served many a famous face and is not afraid to let you know this.
Madame Romaine was born in Lyon and grew up working in her parents' restaurant. She learned everything from her mother who was 'an instructive cuisinère, and saw to it that I learned in proper order: first principles; then recipes; and, finally, style.' Madame Romaine lived in Lyon until she married, at a very young age, and moved to New York City with her new husband. She spoke no English whatsoever when she arrived in the US and took a bit of time building up confidence to do so. While still very young, her husband tragically suffered a heart-attack and died. Madame Romaine was then left wondering what to do and eventually opened a Salon de Thé in Manhattan. Her eventual location was at 156 East 56th Street, and I have been very curious to see what is there today. (After looking around a bit, I discovered that Madame Romaine's restaurant is now closed. Switching locations a few times after her death, the new owners were forced to close in 2003 on account of not paying taxes...)
Anyway, the instructions for making an omelette, as per Madame Romaine, are very simple. However, she acknowledges right off the bat that the only way to learn it properly is to do it over and over and over again. According to Madame Romaine, it takes exactly 2 minutes to make an omelette — not including the 25-30 seconds required for beating the eggs. She uses nothing fancy at all in her preparation and claims that 'everyone who cooks should know how to do an omelette.' I daresay she is right. And I daresay that this book is marvelous — whether you use it for a cookbook or just a good read involving many useful tips. May God bless Madame Romaine de Lyon, and of course, Julia Child. (The Art of Cooking Omelettes by Madame Romain de Lyon, Doubleday Publishing, 1963.)
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteI'm a bookseller in Boston, MA, and I recently came across a signed first edition of de Lyon's Art of Cooking Omelettes, signed by the Madame herself. I was shocked to realize the prices being asked for the book, and I wanted to thank you for the informative post that explains why it's so desirable.
Signed?! I'm so jealous. Although that would just give me more reason to swat everyone's hands away from it!
ReplyDelete