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Jo Procter
Baltimore
Worked for Julia Child; studied with Madeleine Kamman. Added a few pounds.
Interests: reading, writing, thinking, cooking, politics, art, jokes in almost any order.
Recent Activity
Jo Procter added a favorite at Ruth Reichl
Aug 12, 2015
Before Gourmet's test kitchen remark reminds me of Julia Child's original way around that problem. She used her early TV shows as her "test kitchen" when I worked for her at WGBH. The recipes were given out on the program recipes as well as in mailed copies. Following the broadcast my job was to answer listener complaints and corrections and compile these so that "correct" recipes could be included in "The French Chef Cookbook." I suspect this crowd sourced test kitchen was one reason why Julia was not unhappy to be paid a lowly fee for her TV programs.
Italy in America, Circa 1951
Some early issues of Gourmet were absolutely stellar. This one, April 1951, was one of those issues. Yesterday we looked at a few Chinese recipes. Today I'm adding a few recipes from an article on produce in the Veneto by a writer named Dorothy Giles. I haven't been able to find any informat...
I'm so glad to read ItalianDish's comment. But I didn't know about the book. Anything you write is delightful to read and your recipes are super. Maybe it's because people don't like apples much any more - now that they can buy all kinds of fruit, especially through the winter?
A Book and its Cover, Part II
Comfort Me With Apples This is the book that's sold least-well of anything I've written. I've always wondered if it was because of the contents, which some people find risque, or because nobody's nailed the cover, in any language. Original hardcover. Current paperback Korean version...
I love your words but not your photos. How about a few lessons with Mr. Sung? I've been bothered for a while that your food photos are unappetizing because of your color reproduction. However, we do have your words. Those are jewels.
My Dinner at Dill
This was probably my favorite course at Dill. It doesn't look like much - but Icelanders are understated, so that's typical. It tastes like it looks - bland as snow - until you encounter intense little bursts of flavor that are the best version of butter you've ever eaten. And if you admire...
HI - The Alice Toklas book is a good read, but her recipes (followed to the T) are pretty bad. I think your readers should be wary. You're such a good cook that you could make anything taste good. The rest of us mortals are another story. ajp
Recipe for a Snowy Day
I've been reading Alice B. Toklas a bit, and just came across this funny recipe. Seems perfect for a snowy winter day. (Should you be fresh out of mutton, plain old lamb will do.) Toklas writes: The recipe for the Roast Beef of Mutton is by no less a person that Alexandre Dumas, senior, a...
Your journal is a wonderful to-read now present. You have my 2014 thanks and that I look forward to more in 2015. I especially appreciate your sharing your recipes. Two possibilities? for your take on or information about: "River Cottage Veg" cookbook and the chance of you getting your hands on and sharing Nora Ephron's cookbook that it was report she sent to her friends before her death. Thanks.
Pleasing a Crowd
Great Garlic Bread A fragrant loaf of garlic bread is the best way I know to please a crowd. While it bakes it perfumes the neighborhood, broadcasting such deeply nostalgic signals that it can send the staidest grownup straight back to childhood. It is both easier and harder to make a great lo...
OK, Day 5 is the BEST yet. Can I assume you're doing the Twelve Days of Christmas or is this an Advent Calendar?
2014 Gift Guide, Day Five
The barbecue expert was skeptical when I told him I'd ordered the pulled pork online. Even when I said that is came from Elizabeth Karmel, who was responsible for some of the food at Hill County, he lifted an eyebrow. "She's a baker," he said. "Makes great peanutbutter and jelly cupcakes....
I love everything you write; always have. But can't say the same for your photography. I know you're not trying for a professional food photo but wonder if there is a small camera that might do a better job with the colors than what you're using? Color and texture are important. Sorry to complain. I'll keep reading.
Paris Notes: Ledoyen
Napoleon, it is said, met Josephine at Ledoyen. I don't know if that's true, but it certainly could be. For years I've stared longingly at the lights of this grand old building, set in a park just off the Champs Elysees, and thought it looked like the most romantic restaurant in the world. The...
Jo Procter added a favorite at Ruth Reichl
Jun 2, 2014
I can't wait to read your novel and to see you at Politics&Prose. Your presence has been (too) long missed from the publishing scene. I ask myself, "Am I eating more poorly with Gourmet gone?" Afraid, the answer is, "Yes, my meals are not as good." Happy to hear I don't have to try this eggplant thingey - eggplants always make me cross anyway because they are so needy for liquid.
Another Weird WW II Recipe
I found this recipe in a group of war time recipes torn from a magazine. The page had a date, but the name of the magazine is lost to history. I tried it because I imagined Lulu, the little girl in my novel Delicious! finding this recipe and thinking she would try it. "Mother will love this d...
The sitting pig looks more like a frog. Thumbs down on this pair unless they were all you could find.
Gift Guide: Pigging Out
An Enchanting Pair of Porkers A pig product of some kind has become de rigeur for my gift guide. (In year one it was the gilt piglet bank, above, from Moss in New York. The late, much-lamented shop was as much museum as store.) Although this year’s offering is not quite so grand, I can’t...
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Nov 21, 2010
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