Inspired by the movie “Julie and Julia,” our dinner group tackled Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon.

The five-hour preparation time encouraged us to cook the day ahead of our dinner. The instructions promised the dish would only get better for having a day to steep in its juices.

We had as much fun attempting to pronounce the name of this signature dish as we did muddling through the dozens of preparation steps. My friend who is traveling to Quebec next week worked on the pronunciation with her instructor.

In true Julie Child fashion, we were assisted in our efforts by glasses of wine. I may have gotten better – but probably worse – with the pronunciation as the afternoon progressed.

As we agonized over whether we were doing things exactly according to Julia’s directions, (you will notice there are exactly 24 onions – just as the recipe calls for) my friend shared what her French instructor had said: “Remember, it’s really beef stew.”

Yes, beef stew. But as with all such things, the experience made it more. Cooking with friends. Sharing a glass of wine. Laughing over our fractured pronunciation. 

When we sat down to eat, we toasted our efforts and enjoyed both the meal and the conversation. In honor of our muse, I wore pearls. Thank you Julia!