Dîner Ce Soir: Sole Meunière à la Julia Child and La Perrière Blanc Fumé de Pouilly 2018

Who doesn’t remember Julia Child!? Boasting personality and wit, Julia Child demystified French cooking and became a celebrity while doing so. When her first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, was published in 1961, she was in her late forties. And when her incredibly popular television cooking program, The French Chef, was aired in 1963, men and women across the world embraced French cooking as part of popular culture. Julia Child was a hero.

The #Winophiles group, who adore all things French, are pairing a recipe of their choice from any of Julia Child’s cookbooks with a favorite French wine. Anything goes with this creative mission and Julia is most likely proud of everyone’s articles linked below!

This month’s theme was inspired by one of my favorite books, Provence 1970: M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard and the Reinvention of American Taste by Luke Barr (1974). It chronicles a moment in time when culinary greats James Beard, M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, Richard Olney, Simone Beck and Judith Jones gathered in the South of France. As they cooked, conversed, gossiped, argued and ate, the future of food in America as it related to taste and pretention was always a hot topic. The conversations were journaled by M.F.K. Fisher in letters and diaries – her great-nephew Luke Barr discovered her writings which became the core of this book.

My choice of a Julia Child recipe and wine pairing was inspired, however, by My Life in France written by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme (2006). (Prud’homme was her husband Paul’s grand-nephew.) The book recounted Julia and Paul’s first meal in France at La Couronne in Rouen in November 1948. The book is an entertaining read that I highly recommend!

In Julia’s words…

“The Guide Michelin directed us to Restaurant La Couronne (“The Crown”) which had been built in 1345 in a medieval quarter timbered house. Paul strode ahead, full of anticipation, but I hung back, concerned that I didn’t look chic enough, that I wouldn’t be able to communicate…” My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme.

“The first smell was something oniony – “shallots,” Paul identified it, “being sauteed in fresh butter.” (What’s a shallot?” I asked, sheepishly. “You’ll see,” he said.)/ Rouen is famous for its duck dishes, but after consulting the waiter Paul had decided to order sole meunière. It arrived whole: a large, flat Dover sole that was perfectly browned in a sputtering butter sauce with a sprinkling of chopped parsley on top. The waiter carefully placed the platter in front of us, stepped back, and said: “Bon appetit!” I closed my eyes and inhaled the rising perfume. Then I lifted a forkful of fish to my mouth, took a bite, and chewed slowly. It was a morsel of perfection.” My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme

“Along with our meal, we happily downed a whole bottle of Pouilly-Fumé, a wonderfully crisp white wine from the Loire Valley. Another revelation! Paul and I floated out the door into the brilliant sunshine and cool air. Our first lunch together in France had been absolute perfection. It was the most exciting meal of my life.” My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme

At the conclusion of her book, My Life in France, Julia Child wrote, “A careful approach [to cooking] will result in a magnificent burst of flavor, a thoroughly satisfying meal, perhaps even a life changing experience. Such was the case with the sole meunière I ate at La Couronne on my first day in France, in November 1948. It was an epiphany. In all the years since that succulent meal, I have yet to lose the feelings of wonder and excitement that it inspired in me. I can still almost taste it. And thinking back on it now reminds me that the pleasures of the table, and of life, are infinite – toujours bon appetit!”

Merci, Julia Child! May all of you experience the “feelings of wonder and excitement” when you pair wine with food… and life.

Bon appetit! ~ Cindy

For more food and wine inspiration, join me on AmaWaterways’ Colors of Provence cruise along the Rhône River from April 7-14, 2022. Together, our group will wine, dine and explore this beautiful part of the world. Click here for the luxurious details.

For more Julia Child recipes and French wines for pairing, enjoy the following articles from my #winophiles colleagues.

Wendy Klik tempts with Supremes de Volaille a l’Ecossaise and a Chardonnay from Burgundy – A Day in the Life on the Farm

Terri Oliver Steffes pairs A Julia Child Omelet and Meyer-Fonne Riesling – A Good Life |

Jane Niemeyer presents Coq au Vin à la Julia Child and Savigny-Lès Beaune Pinot Noir – Always Ravenous

Nicole Ruiz Hudson surprises with Julia’s Rôti de Porc Poêlé and Couvent des Thorins Moulin-à-Vent – on Sommstable.com

Gwendolyn Lawrence Alley entices with Julia Child’s Braised Short Ribs with a Bordeaux Petit Verdot #Winophiles – Wine Predator