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Julia Child's Minimeatballs
By Vicki McClure Davidson
The cheerful, talented woman who revolutionized television cooking shows and took the fear out of French cooking for millions of American housewives wasn't always a cook.
Julia Child, born Julia Carolyn McWilliams in Pasadena, California in 1912, had an English degree and worked for several years as an advertising copywriter before going overseas to work for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Because she was so tall (6 feet, 2 inches / 187.96 cm), she had been declined for enlisting in the Women's Army Corps (WACs). While working for the OSS in Ceylon, she met Paul Child, and even though he was ten years older, they fell in love and married. It was Paul who introduced her to fine dining and she fell in love with French foods while they lived in France. She loved food and discovered she enjoyed teaching others how to cook.
With Paul's support, Julia learned to cook French cuisine by attending the famous Le Cordon Bleu cooking school and later studied privately with Max Bugnard and other master chefs. Some time later in Paris, she and two French friends, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, taught cooking to American women while gathering recipes and experimenting with French cooking.
The three of them collaborated on a revolutionary French cookbook, a huge 734-page book titled Mastering the Art of French Cooking, that became a runaway bestseller.
The success of the cookbook helped Julia to become the first female chef on television; she had numerous acclaimed cooking shows, namely The French Chef and Julia and Friends. She was the first chef to take the intimidation out of French cooking for her American audience, and was extremely popular because of her lighthearted, easy-to-follow approach to cooking.
Child won a Peabody award and three Emmys — she was a popular television icon for decades. Her Mastering the Art of French Cooking cookbook—a meticulous, first-of-its-kind work—was hailed by critics and remains a best seller, as have been a great many of her other cookbooks. Reruns of her cooking shows are still played on PBS and other cable stations. In 1996, Julia was ranked #46 on TV Guide's "50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time." Child died in 2004, just two days shy of her 92nd birthday. Her husband Paul had passed away in 1994.
This delicious minimeatballs recipe is from Julia Child's 1978 cookbook, Julia Child & Company. While this recipe is in the "Cocktail Party" section of her cookbook and the meatballs are considered to be an appetizer, these minimeatballs would also be a hit with the family for a fun dinner with a side of rice, potatoes, or pasta. They would be a yummy addition to take on a picnic to serve cold or room temperature (sauce would be optional).
For formal parties, snacking while watching football games on TV, or at casual social gatherings of friends, these small meatballs can be made well in advance, refrigerated, and reheated when needed.
Julia Child's Minimeatballs
- 1/2 c. (4 oz. or 115 g) pork sausage meat
- 2 c. (1 lb or 450 g) lean ground beef
- 1 egg
- 2/3 c. (1-1/2 dL) fresh nonsweet white bread crumbs soaked in 5 T. dry white French vermouth
- 2 cloves garlic, puréed
- 8 drops hot pepper sauce
- 2 tsp. soy sauce
- 1 tsp. salt
- 8 grinds black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. oregano or thyme
- Flour (for dredging)
Serving Sauce
- 1 c. (1/4 L) beef stock or bouillon
- 1 tsp. soy sauce
- 2 T. Dijon-type strong prepared mustard beaten to blend with 1/2 c. (1 dL) dry white French vermouth
- Salt, pepper, and oregano or thyme
- 2 T. tomato purée or sauce (optional)
Beat meat, egg, crumbs and seasonings together, using a food procesor if you want a very smooth mixture.
Roll gobs into balls 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter; roll lightly in flour, and arrange in one layer in a lightly oiled baking dish or jelly roll pan. Bake in a preheated 450 deg. F/230 deg. C oven in upper-middle level, 7 to 8 minutes, turning once or twice, to brown nicely and just to stiffen.
Drain in a sieve or a colander. Boil down the ingredients for the sauce until lightly thickened, carefully correct seasoning, and fold in the minimeatballs.
At serving time, reheat and place in a csserole on an electric warming device, or in an electric frying pan on lowest heat. Have a jar of toothpicks close by.
Yield: 40 to 50 meatballs, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter.
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Source:
Child, Julia, Julia Child & Company, Alfred A. Knopf, NY, NY, 1978.
Wikipedia.org, Julia Child (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_child).