Julia Child's Pears . . .

. . . or should I say, les poires de Julia. Poires au Gratin, to be exactement.

Like every food lover in America, I went to see the Julie/Julia movie last week. And like everyone else, I love love loved it. Amy Adams. Meryl Streep. Food galore. What's not to love?

"I'd really like to make that boeuf bourguignon," said my mom after the movie. Ooooh, oooooh, a Julia dinner party! I could hardly contain myself.

Mom set a date, invited a few friends along with her always hungry daughter, and to make a long story short, we had a splendid evening. Authentic Julia recipes included a curly endive salad with a garlicky hot vinaigrette, the aforementioned boeuf, and my contribution, the Pears Baked with Macaroons, a dessert which could be served hot, warm, or cold.

Bad blogger, I forgot to get pictures of the actual event. But I did get shots of the pear dish. So here, for all of you who are dying to make a dish that's very tasty, filled with butter, and way more time consuming than most dishes made here at the castle, are the steps involved in making Julia Child's Poires au Gratin.


First you toast your macaroons. Julia doesn't mention this until step four, but they take an hour to toast. Trust me. You want to start them now.

What, you have no macaroons sitting around, waiting to be toasted? Run out to the grocery and buy a package of these. Shhhhh. Tell no one.

Butter your casserole dish. Yikes, Julia, that's a lot of butter.

Next you're going to prepare the fruit and wine sauce. You must force your jam through a sieve. Your jam will not like being forced through a sieve.

Then you will mix it with a bit of dry white wine. Is Pinot Grigio a dry wine? I have no idea. But it is white. And we had some. Bingo.

Make sure you have pg. 583 marked in your Mastering the Art of French Cooking book, along with pg. 630, because you will be flipping back and forth.

Now you're finally ready for Julia's step two (of five steps). Peeling and slicing the pears. Step one, preheating the oven, will still be undone, as your macaroons are still toasting (step four-a).

Your pears, now sliced, will be placed in your baking dish.

Your sliced pears, in your baking dish, will now be covered with your jam sauce.

Your sliced pears in your baking dish, covered with your jam sauce, are now topped with your toasted macaroons that have been pulverized in the blender (back to pg. 583).

Your sliced pears, in your baking dish, covered with your jam sauce and topped with your toasted macaroons that have been pulverized in the blender (pg. 583), are now topped with butter. Lots and lots more butter.

Then you bake it, and eat it, and have to admit that it really was awfully, awfully good.

Would I make Julia's Poires au Gratin again? Not without cutting out much of the butter, toasting, pulverizing, and sieving. I'm just cranky that way.

And now I'm curious. Have you tried any of Julia's recipes? What did you think? Would you make them again?

And if you have any pear recipes, please share.

Please.

NOTE: Want more recipes? Check out Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays over at Blessed with Grace.