Julia Child's Final Homecooked Meal Couldn't Have Been More Perfect

By the time she died in August 2004, Julia Child had lived a brilliantly full life. She attended the Cordon Bleu cooking school in France in 1949, played basketball at Smith College, worked as a spy during World War II, and became a culinary legend through her cookbooks and long-running cooking show, "The French Chef." Child taught home cooks how to prepare classic French dishes like beef bourguignon, cheese soufflés, and crepes Suzette. But as her time on earth came to a close, it was a bowl of warm, comforting French onion soup that she wanted.

Child's personal assistant made Julia's own recipe for her to enjoy, so she would have caramelized plenty of onions with salt and sugar in butter, thickened the base with some flour, and simmered everything in beef stock and white wine. To serve, Child's recipe calls for adding a bit of cognac to the soup and topping each bowl with a piece of toasted bread and melted parmesan and Swiss cheese (Gruyere and mozzarella are also great choices). The choice couldn't have been more appropriate since French onion soup is a classic comfort food in France, the country where she lived and which shaped and nurtured her love of cooking.

On the first season of her public television show, "The French Chef," Julia Child described her own French onion soup as exactly the type you'd be served in Paris. She also gave some tips on how to masquerade store-bought onion soup as homemade (egg yolk, cornstarch, and Worcestershire sauce play roles in this method). During the episode, Child gave advice on how to keep your knives sharp (which is extremely helpful when you're chopping a lot of onions) and also how to hold your knife.

The episode is a perfect example of Child's cooking style. That is, she didn't take herself too seriously. At one point, she drizzles oil into her pot to sauté the onions only to discover she's drizzled in vermouth instead. No matter, she just proceeds to add some oil in. Later, she tips over a bottle of brandy on the counter to which she says, "There goes the brandy, too bad."

Child prepared her French onion soup in a way which she said is popular in France and works great as a main course. For this version, she placed a piece of toasted bread at the bottom of a soup bowl and topped it with a poached egg, then ladled the onion soup on top with a sprinkling of cheese. It's not clear whether or not the egg was part of her final meal. According to Julia Child, French onion soup made a wonderful Sunday lunch when served with rose wine, a vegetable salad, sliced French bread, and cold meats plus cookies and fruit for dessert.