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THIS MONTH'S CHEF

Julia Child
© Christopher Hirsheimer

Julia Child was born in Pasadena, California. She graduated from Smith College and worked for the OSS during World War II in Ceylon and China, where she met Paul Child. After they married they lived in Paris, where she studied at the Cordon Bleu and taught cooking with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, with whom she wrote the first volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961). In 1963, Boston's WGBH launched The French Chef television series, which made her a national celebrity, earning her the Peabody Award in 1965 and an Emmy in 1966. Several public television shows and numerous cookbooks followed. She died in 2004.

Dear cooks,

I love it when you guys are up for a challenge. A few weeks ago, I received an email from a Borzoi Cooks reader asking for a croissant recipe in an upcoming newsletter.

I can do you all one better—I'll give you not just any croissant recipe, but the croissant recipe: Julia Child's eight-page tutorial on croissants from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume Two. This recipe is not for the faint of heart, but I have a feeling that won't dissuade many of you. Do give this recipe a shot, and email me with anecdotes and pictures of the finished product! Maybe we can get a croissant gallery going on Flickr.

Thanks for the recipe request, and don't hesitate to email me with more. Whatever your yen, there's a Knopf cookbook for you.

Bon appétit,
Pam Cortland

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This Month's Recipe: Croissants From Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume Two Download and print this recipe from Scribd.com Buy the Book

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Learn From Us

I warned you this recipe wasn't easy: Two Borzoi Cooks tried their hand at Julia Child's recipe and shared their experiences. Read up and know what to do—and not to do—when you bake your own.

Joey's attempt

Amanda's attempt