GBH Openvault

French Chef; Lasagne a la Francaise

Part of From the Vault. Part of The Julia Child Project: The Cold War, France, and the Politics of Food.

11/25/1970

A great way to use yesterday’s roast, be it poultry, veal or pork. Julia’s French lasagne is a delicious concoction of pasta, Italian tomato sauce, saffron threads, dried orange peel, left over turkey, veal or whatever, and an “inner sauce” that’s rich and velvety. Opens with Child exclaiming that lasagna makes a good dish for company. She then describes lasagna noodles, boils them, and adds olive oil and salt. She makes a point of noting that she is following the box’s instructions since she is not an Italian chef. Child then makes a tomato sauce with onions, fresh and canned tomatoes, and Italian seasoning as well as salt, pepper, noting that this is a “peasant dish” so she doesn’t need to chop it carefully. This segment has a discussion of difference between peasant, bourgeois and haute cuisine as well as a demonstration of how to blanche, peel, seed, juice and slice tomatoes as well as what sort of canned tomatoes to use. Child used “Italian seasoning” but doesn’t explain what it is in it. She explains noodles should be cooked to “al dente.” She encourages viewers to use leftovers in their lasagna (such as cooked chicken, spinach or poached egg). She then prepares an “inner sauce” consisting of a white sauce with chicken stock, wine, and onions in it. She adds garlic to the tomato sauce (acknowledging that she forgot it earlier). She assembles the lasagna with a little oil in bottom of dish, then noodles, white sauce, filling (spinach in first layer) then (approx. 17:30-17:50) she acknowledges she has no sense of how Italians assemble it, adds cottage cheese, mushrooms, chicken, more sauce and begins layering again. Pours more white sauce and then tomato sauce and more cheese over top. Finally, she demonstrates how to serve it. Summary and select metadata for this record was submitted by Tracey Deutsch.


License Clip

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Series
French Chef
Program
Lasagne a la Francaise
Program Number

208

Series Description

Premiered locally February 1962 and July- August 1962, nationally in Feb. 1963 - approx. 300 shows produced. 1963-1973.

Original series ran 1963 to July 1966, then went into reruns through September 1970.

In October 1970 the new French Chef 200 series was shot in color and taped on the set at WGBH. Included in the programs were footage of Julia’s summer trip to France.

The 1971-1972 season was a tour of the French Classics: 26 half hour programs designed as a refresher course for experienced cooks and as a jet-assist takeoff for beginners.

After a funding scare, Polaroid funded a full 1972-1973 season. The theme was: The French Chef Faces Life. Julia shows viewers how to cope with situations that reflect the demands of society, family and lifestyle such as Sudden Company or a three course sit down dinner and getting kids involved in cooking.

NOTE: Beginning August 6, 1972, The French Chef repeated popular shows as a captioned edition. Series release date: 2/1962

Program Description

A great way to use yesterday’s roast, be it poultry, veal or pork. Julia’s French lasagne is a delicious concoction of pasta, Italian tomato sauce, saffron threads, dried orange peel, left over turkey, veal or whatever, and an “inner sauce” that’s rich and velvety.

Duration

00:28:38

Asset Type

Broadcast program

Media Type

Video

Subjects
France-Brittany
Lasagne
Pasta
Cooking-Italian
Cooking-French
Child, Julia
Genres
Instructional
Topics
Cooking
Creators
Lockwood, Ruth (Series Producer)
Contributors
Child, Julia (Host)
Lockwood, Ruth (Producer)
Mahard, Frances (Other (see note))
Morris, John (Other (see note))
Publication Information
Posted with permission from the Julia Child Foundation for Gastronomy and the Culinary Arts
Citation
Chicago: “French Chef; Lasagne a la Francaise,” 11/25/1970, GBH Archives, accessed March 29, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_D064C8C45DA84E9FB41E959380C487C6.
MLA: “French Chef; Lasagne a la Francaise.” 11/25/1970. GBH Archives. Web. March 29, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_D064C8C45DA84E9FB41E959380C487C6>.
APA: French Chef; Lasagne a la Francaise. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_D064C8C45DA84E9FB41E959380C487C6
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