Directed by Nora Ephron and starring Meryl Streep as Julia Child and Amy Adams as Julie Powell, Julie & Julia follows Powell's journey of curating her cooking journey from Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The movie beautifully portrays how in cooking, Powell and numerous other home cooks find a sense of purpose and a therapeutic outlet.
It beautifully captures a genuine passion for cooking, capturing the exact essence and purpose behind Child's motivation to compile her book of recipes. Child wanted to demystify French cuisine, making it more approachable for everyone. Her attempt was wildly successful, as she is fondly remembered for making a significant mark in the culinary world.
So, why not try your hand at some dessert recipes from the movie? We've also shared a bonus recipe from Child's recipe book that is easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Raspberry Bavarian Cream
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup orange juice or raspberry juice
- 2 pints raspberries (plus more for garnish)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons gelatin
- 5 eggs, whites separated from yolks
- 1 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cup whole milk
- A pinch of salt
- 1 cup cool whip (plus more for garnish)
Instructions:
- Thaw the frozen raspberries. Take half a cup of water and mix it with ½ tablespoon gelatin or agar-agar powder.
- Keep aside ¾ cup of berries for the main dessert and puree the rest with the gelatin water.
- Whip the cream until it doubles in volume and set it aside.
- Whip the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then add 1 tablespoon of sugar and whip until firm peaks form. Set this aside.
- For the custard, beat the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch.
- Boil the milk in a saucepan. Take it off the heat so it cools down a little.
- Gradually pour the milk in the egg and sugar mix, whisking continuously to prevent any curdling.
- Transfer it to the saucepan on medium flame till you get a luscious, thick custard.
- While the custard is hot in the saucepan, swiftly mix in the remaining gelatin until fully dissolved.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Using a spatula, fold in the egg whites. Set the bowl over ice, folding the mixture often to prevent separation. Then fold in the raspberry gelatin puree.
- Pour the mixture into dessert bowls and refrigerate. To remove the dessert from the bowl, briefly dip it in hot water, then flip it onto a plate.
Chocolate Cream Pie
Ingredients:
Crust:
- 6 tbsp of melted butter
- 1 ½ cups of crushed tea biscuits
- ¼ cup of sugar
Filling:
- ¾ cups of sugar
- 3 tbsp of cornstarch
- ¼ tsp of salt
- ½ cup chopped or grated chocolate
- 4 beaten egg yolks
- 2 tbsp of soft butter
- 1 tbsp vanilla
Whipped topping:
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1 tsp of vanilla essence or extract
- 2 tbsp of sugar
- Cocoa powder to dust
Instructions:
- Create the crust with the crushed biscuits, butter and sugar. Line your baking the bottom and sides with this crumb. Chill in the fridge.
- Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
- Give the milk a boil, then reduce the heat and stir in the chocolate until melted.
- Mix the milk and sugar mixture and cook over medium flame. Continue stirring as the wooden spoon thickens.
- Reduce the heat, add the yolks and stir vigorously for 30 seconds to prevent the eggs from scrambling.If eggs do scramble, just sieve the custard through a strainer.
- Remove from heat and add the vanilla and butter.
- Cover the pudding’s surface with parchment paper or cling film to prevent a skin from forming.
- Then begin working on the topping by whipping cream, vanilla and sugar until you get soft peaks.
- Assemble the layers of pie. Dust with cocoa powder.
Crème Renversee au Caramel
Ingredients:
- Caramel: ⅔ cup of sugar
- ⅓ cup of water
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups of milk
- ½ cup of sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Combine sugar and water in a saucepan, cooking over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. As it browns, swirl it around so it gets an even light brown color.
- Once you achieve the desired color, take it off the heat and pour into molds. Ensure that the sauce coats the bottom of the molds evenly.
- Heat the milk in another saucepan on low heat. Then assemble all your other ingredients for the custard and preheat your oven to 350 F.
- In a bowl, mix sugar, egg and egg yolks.Continuously whisk and slowly pour in the warm milk to prevent curdling. Also add the vanilla extract to this mix.
- Sieve the mixture to remove any curdled egg and lumps. Pour into the caramel molds.
- Place these molds in a large baking tray with warm water on the bottom most shelf of the oven. Bake at 350F.
- After five minutes, turn down the heat to 325 F and bake for about 30-40 minutes.
- Refrigerate and invert them into your serving dishes before eating.