In Pursuit of Authentic French Cooking

I (along with everyone else who had not already done so) fell in love with Julia Child after seeing the 2009 film, Julie and Julia.  The movie inspired me in more than just cooking; it was the inspiration to start my blog!  Even though I knew it would be silly to copy Julie Powell's idea of cooking through Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I was intrigued about how easy or difficult Mrs. Child's recipes truly were.

A few years later, I decided to try cooking through her TV series, "The French Chef."  While her recipes didn't seem necessarily difficult, they were all rather time-consuming.  I started saving them for weekend entertaining, when I would have the luxury of a few hours to cook a meal.  While I didn't cook through every episode (sadly, Amazon gradually removed the Prime Instant Video of "The French Chef," first seasons 2-10, and ultimately all of the seasons), I did find a few "go-to" recipes that I knew were fool-proof and would always turn out tasty.

"Casserole Roast Chicken"

I was quite disappointed when I discovered Amazon no longer had any of the episodes available on Prime and decided to read Mrs. Child's biography, My Life in France.  It starts just like the movie, with her and her husband, Paul Child's arrival in Paris.  It did take me a little while to get in to it, as most of it is written as she would speak: not always coherently, and sometimes jumping around from thought to thought.  About half-way through, I started to really get into it.  I enjoyed reading the back stories of the different French Chef episodes- I could read about her traveling to to visit Professor Raymond Calvel and learning proper techniques to make French bread and follow it with the episode she filmed covering her lesson.  This was especially fun to do with the "Pressed Duck Dinner" recipe, where in the book she documented traveling to Rouen to film the ritual at one of her favorite restaurants, La Couronne.

Most recently, I was listening to a podcast of The Splendid Table's 20th anniversary show where Lynne Rossetto Kasper replays an interview of Julia Child from their first episode.  The topic is summer barbecue meals, and Julia shares her recipe for Potato Salad along with a tip about most importantly making sure the potatoes are cooked correctly.  She also expresses her preference for Ground Chuck as her hamburger meat of choice and exclaims that she "Hates fake food- you can't have any fun with that!"  Lynn and Julia then have a brief conversation on the importance of moderation and their dislike of low-fat and fat-free products. Julia proclaims
that, "People are nutty who want to watch their fat or give it up entirely.  You can't have any fun eating that kind of a diet- all you can eat is vegetables and legumes and to hell with that is what I say!"

In Pursuit of a Signature Scent, Part 4

This week I tried the remaining samples in my collection: Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt (a "Woody" scent), Dark Amber & Ginger Lilly, and Oud & Bergamont (both "Cologne Intense" category).  I also decided to do a little write-up of my beloved Coco Mademoiselle and share the scent notes on that fragrance as well.

Wood Sage & Sea Salt: "Escape the everyday along the windswept shore. Waves breaking white, the air fresh with sea salt and spray. Alive with the mineral scent of the rugged cliffs. Mingling with the woody earthiness of sage. Lively, spirited, and totally joyful."

This is yet another scent that has grown on me. Almost to where I would wear it were I not doing this experiment. The "Woody" scent seems to have some floral in it. I would completely agree with the beachy-description given by the company. The beachiness is not the typical beachy scent that would first come to mind but a more organic scent that actually brings you back to walking along the waves at sunset.

Dark Amber & Ginger Lilly: "Rare Kyara wood. Prized in the Kahdo ceremony, the highly ritualized Japanese art of incense appreciation. Enriched with amber and black orchard. Illuminated by the clean sensuality of black cardamon, ginger, and water lily. Calm and relaxing."

I'm sure the fist thing you noticed about this scent was the bottle. It is in the "Cologne Intense" fragrance category, and like the other scents in this category have a dark bottle. I had heard about Jo Malone having unisex fragrances, but can really see how this one (along with a few others I've already written about- Pomegranate Noir, Blackberry & Bay, Lime Basil & Mandarin, Earl Grey & Cucumber) would be suited for a man.  Maybe it was growing up during the CK One revolution (I adore Kate Moss), but I've always found wearing a man's cologne very mysterious and extremely empowering.  While I don't necessarily get that feeling of empowerment from Dark Amber & Ginger Lilly, I definitely feel it when wearing this next one:

Oud & Bergamont: "Precious oud, reframed. This mysterious, smoky character of the revered wood, central to Middle Eastern fragrance traditions, radiates with the clarity of crisp bergamont and an orange granite accod. Hypnotic. Alluring."

"Alluring" is definitely my favorite word to describe this scent. Putting a few dabs on my throat and behind my ears transports me to a Middle Eastern cafe, sipping spicy tea while watching rich foliage dance in a breeze. The citrus notes do help it to not feel too exotic or over-powering. Every scent is very subtle. I would definitely enjoy wearing this scent, especially in the evening, going out for drinks or dinner.

Coco Mademoiselle: "Inspired by the irrespressible spirit of the young Coco Chanel, the modern oriental fragrance entices with an utterly feminine composition, expressing refined sensuality and incredible freshness. Top Notes of Sicilian Oranges, Calabrian Bergamont, Sicilian Grapefruit; Floral Heart of pure rose extract and pure jasmine extract, along with a fruity touch of litchi; Base Notes of Indonesian Patchouli, Haitian Vetiver, Bourbon vanilla and white musk. Dedicated to courageous, brave, and modern women who prefer luxury and elegance."

I will admit, one of the reasons I wanted to explore other scents before recommitting to Coco Mademoiselle was because of its popularity- if everyone wears your scent, is it truly your signature scent? After spending some time with the slew of Jo Malone fragrances, I applied some of my beloved Coco and remember why I loved this scent so much. "Luxurious," Feminine," and "Sensuous," are the three words I would pick to describe this scent. It also has the Rose I crave and adore, along with delicate bergamont I fell in love with in the Jo Malone Oud & Bergamont.

 One aspect of Jo Malone that is very appealing (but I did not incorporate into my writing) was her patented "Fragrance Combining," which allows you to truly create a "Signature Scent," by selecting your favorite fragrance and then choosing to make it "Warmer" or "Fresher." Using this technique, I decided to make Coco Mademoiselle "rosier," by adding the Jo Malone "Red Roses," on top of it. The result was a warmer, more floral version of Coco; one that I could definitely see becoming my Signature Scent. I do believe I will save the Oud & Bergamont for some evening wear, as well.

Thank you for joining me on this pursuit of a signature scent. While there are so many other scents I would have liked to try and write about (Jo Malone herself now has a line of scents I am anxious to try- check out Jo Loves ), I am happy I took the time to very purposely go through the scents that I had. I feel as though I can confidently invest in the quality scents I chose and wear them knowing they truly embody the essence of me.

I would love to know if you have ventured on the journey of a signature scent, what the journey entailed, and what scent you choose to represent you. Please comment below and share this blog with your friends!