Julia Child vs. Blood Cholesterol Levels

Julia Child vs. Blood Cholesterol Levels

So, I've been on this Julia Child kick. For the uninitiated, JC's recipes are basically a heart attack waiting to happen.  Everything, regardless of what it is, requires at least half a pound of butter and 2 egg yolks.  Everything.  Well, maybe not everything.  I made Moelleux au Chocolate (little chocolate lava cakes); they called for a stick and a half of butter, 3 eggs, 6 oz of chocolate, sugar, and a small amount of flour.  Oh, and extra butter for the ramekins. I made 3 cakes. I then served the cakes with a healthy amount of french vanilla ice cream, because, omg, YUM!!!!  Clearly this is not health food.  (If this feels like deja vu, I posted about it a bit in my last blog. You aren't going crazy. (Well, maybe you are, I don't know, but this isn't one of the instances that proves it.)) So, my sister even made a comment about the amount of butter and fat in JC's recipes, since we had just both read the book The Julie/Julia Project, which details the author's one year of cooking every single recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  After that conversation, I realized I hadn't had my cholesterol tested in a long time, and, well, you see how I eat...

Unrelated to my cooking and eating habits, I recently went in for a doctor appointment for my asthma, and the doctor ordered a complete blood profile, including a cholesterol workup.  (OMG, I had NO idea that meant I had to FAST!!! For 12 HOURS!!!)  I went back to the doctor yesterday for the results.  I was so shocked.  My HDL Cholestorol is 90.  My LDL is 50.  You know what that means?? BRING IT ON, JULIA!!!  The rest of my test results were dismally normal, just for the record.

Since this is a holiday weekend, I am going to get a lot of cooking in. I've already made macaroni and cheese with swiss, sharp cheddar, and parmesan cheeses, and Terrine de Foies de Volaille, otherwise known as chicken liver pate. (which tastes incredibly like chicken liver. I do not know what I thought it was going to taste like, but holy cow, it's very chicken liver-ry.) I also made a meatloaf earlier in the week, with both ground beef and ground pork. I used panko for the filler, it didn't turn out as light as I would have prefered. I think next time I will go back to oatmeal.  Tonight and tomorrow, I am braising lamb shanks in white wine, shallots, and garlic; I am also revisiting the Beef Bourguignon recipe (with peas and carrots). I am going to make a fancy dessert, which has yet to be determined. I'm thinking maybe Creme Anglais with raspberries, but it just seems a bit scary; or bread pudding with chocolate and a whiskey sauce on top.

Anne, let me know if you are in for the beef bourguignon anytime this weekend. :)

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