photo by Christopher Hirsheimer
I was reading Tenth Muse: My Life in Food (2007) when I flew to Philadelphia back in January. Judith Jones is just one of THE finest book editor who brought out books like Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking as well as cookbooks by Elizabeth David, Madhur Jaffrey, Edna Lewis, and Lidia Bastianich. Besides bringing those women's work to a larger audience, Jones discovered The Diary of Anne Frank while working in Paris for Doubleday. She pushed to have it published in America and we have her to thank for promoting the manuscript.
Her memoir was not so heavy on her personal life. We learned a few details of her childhood and marriage, but the book's focus was on her career and the food circles she traveled in. I learned a fabulous trick that I hope never to use. And I've forgotten the exact details except for what notes I jotted down. At some point Jones's friends had a dog who swallowed a razor blade. She recommended feeding the dog asparagus because it's fibrous composition would pillow the razor in the dogs stomach/intestine, thus allowing it to pass the razor without killing itself.
Another fun anecdote she shared was while she worked with Julie Child. Child was working with a whole pig and she recommended covering its ears and tail with aluminum foil. Or better yet, to tuck the tail into the hole beneath it. What a hoot!
At the end are recipes that I have not tried. They were classics. English and French, I believe. Must return to the back of that book and select a few to try.
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