- Scholars at Radcliffe, where Julia Child’s archives are held, share five recipes to try.
- These dessert recipes range from a simple chocolate-almond cake to classic peanut brittle.
- Make Child’s plum pudding a week before serving for the best flavor.
Looking to make a new dessert this holiday season? Why not turn to the woman who taught so many to cook and transformed Americans’ relationship to French cuisine: Julia Child. A longtime resident of Cambridge, many of Julia Child’s papers are held at the Schlesinger Library at Harvard Radcliffe Institute. Last year, Radcliffe curators sifted through their extensive collection of correspondence, documents, books, photos, audio and videotapes, publishing a list of Julia’s best festive desserts in the Harvard Gazette.
As the woman who famously said “if you’re afraid of butter, use cream,” we know we can count on Child for a mouth-watering bite.
These time-honored recipes are sure to bring cheer this holiday season, whether you’re planning to welcome guests, contribute to the menu at someone else’s home or have a cozy celebration with your immediate family.
Here are Julia Child’s best holiday desserts, according to scholars:
Apple Turnover
What’s better than sitting by the fire with a warm apple turnover and a dollop of vanilla ice cream? Child’s recipe is flexible: You can choose between several varieties of apples, like Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty and Newton. The cinnamon and lemon in the filling are optional, and you can form the turnovers into whatever shape you want, be it round, rectangular or square (though she recommends the latter two options). For a quicker version, ditch the homemade sweet pie dough and use store-bought puff pastry or pie crust.
Souffle au Chocolat
Julia Child wouldn’t be Julia Child without a souffle recipe. Her chocolate souffle is ideal for small families, making exactly four servings. She ensures the instructions don’t become overwhelming: each step in the recipe has the corresponding ingredients and equipment written out next to it. Try serving with homemade bourbon whipped cream.
Peanut Brittle
Brittle is a classic Christmas treat that will never go out of style. Though it requires only four ingredients, it’s the trickiest of the five recipes, requiring jelly roll pans, fast action and a lot of focus. Child also offers variations on the classic brittle, like using toasted hazelnuts instead of peanuts or breaking up small pieces of the brittle to sprinkle over ice cream. Presented in a nice box, the brittle makes a wonderful, budget-friendly gift. Plus, you’ll only need peanuts, sugar and baking soda—plus a touch of butter to coat your pans.
Plum Pudding
Even if you’re a Francophile like Julia Child, don’t skip out on this classic British Christmas dessert. She keeps her recipe traditional, filling her pudding with raisins, currants, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace and rum. The cake is best made a week in advance to let the flavors develop and allow it to cure—if you start it this weekend, you’ll be all set for a New Year pudding.
Chocolate and Almond Cake
This holiday cake is perfect if last-minute holiday guests are on their way, taking only 20 minutes in the oven. It includes 2 tablespoons of coffee, which brings out the chocolate flavor. The recipe also employs almonds in three different ways: pulverized almonds for texture, almond extract for flavor and sliced almonds sprinkled on top for decoration and crunch. If there’s a nut lover in your house, this cake will surely be a hit.
