Taste With The Eyes

10 Julia Child Birthday Tributes, Stories & Recipes

Julia Child's Coquilles Saint Jacques

10 Julia Child Birthday
Tributes, Stories & Recipes

Celebrating Julia Child’s birthday has become an annual tradition here on Taste With The Eyes. Every August, I find another reason to return to Julia—to cook one of her recipes, revisit a story from her remarkable life, or simply celebrate the joy and curiosity she brought to the kitchen. After so many years of birthday tributes, it seemed like the perfect time to gather some of my favorites together in one place.

Julia changed the way Americans thought about French cooking, but her influence went far beyond recipes and technique. She made ambitious cooking seem possible, mistakes seem perfectly acceptable, and the kitchen a place for learning, laughter, and a good appetite. Her enthusiasm for food was irresistible, and decades later she remains just as much fun to cook with. Here are ten Julia Child birthday tributes from over the years—recipes, stories, memorable meals, and a few adventures inspired by the incomparable Julia Child.

Click the link in each title to visit the original post, where you’ll find the complete story, recipe, photographs, and all the delicious details.

Julia Child Tributes

Continue reading “10 Julia Child Birthday Tributes, Stories & Recipes”

Poached Halibut Cheeks with Julia Child’s Beurre Blanc and Ikura

Poached Halibut Cheeks
Julia Child’s Beurre Blanc
Ikura & Chives
And
Julia Child Floribunda Roses

Celebrating Julia Child’s birthday has become a cherished tradition here on Taste With The Eyes. Each August, I return to her recipes, her stories, and her extraordinary influence on American cooking—and this year is no exception.

For Julia’s birthday, I’m serving tender poached halibut cheeks with her classic beurre blanc, finished with jewel-like salmon roe and fresh chives. Simple, elegant, and very much in the spirit of Julia: start with wonderful ingredients and treat them well. And as she famously said, “With enough butter, anything is good.”

Poached Halibut Cheeks with Julia Child’s Beurre Blanc and Ikura

ANNUAL JULIA CHILD BIRTHDAY TRIBUTES

2025

Julia Child’s Escargots à la Bourguignonne at a Parisian Bistrot (here)

2024

A Ladies Birthday Luncheon in Paris and Julia’s Coquilles St. Jacques Recipe (here)

2023

Chicken Liver Pâté at a Birthday Luncheon with Jacques Pépin (here)

2022

Julia and Jacques Prepare Gravlax Together (here)

2021

Julia’s Cambridge Kitchen and Recipe for Vichyssoise (here)

2020

Julia’s Upside-Down Martini (here)

Julia’s First Meal in France and Her Famous Recipe for Sole Meunière (here)

Figs and Sabayon à la Julia Child (here)

Poached Halibut Cheeks
With Julia Child’s Beurre Blanc
Recipe

Continue reading “Poached Halibut Cheeks with Julia Child’s Beurre Blanc and Ikura”

Sockeye Salmon with Hatch Chile Corn

Sockeye Salmon with Hatch Chile Corn
🌶️ 🐟 🌽

Fresh corn and Hatch chiles are two of the best flavors of late summer, and they pair beautifully with wild sockeye salmon. Here, the corn is sautéed in butter with roasted chiles, tomatoes, garlic, and lime, then served alongside pan-seared salmon with divinely crispy skin.

If you’re not familiar with Hatch chiles, they’re grown in New Mexico’s Hatch Valley and are prized for their earthy, slightly sweet flavor and wonderful smoky character when roasted. Depending on the variety, they can range from mild and mellow to quite hot. I roast mine over the flame on my backyard grill until the skins are blackened and blistered; see my Hatch Chile Tuna Melt for the roasting method.

Sockeye Salmon with Hatch Chile Corn Recipe

Continue reading “Sockeye Salmon with Hatch Chile Corn”

Edamame Pasta e Fagioli

Edamame Pasta e Fagioli
With Bacon and Carrots

This easy, satisfying soup takes a cue from pasta e fagioli, the Italian combination of pasta and beans. Here, the beans are edamame—young soybeans—which pair surprisingly well with smoky bacon, carrots, garlic, and rosemary in a rich savory chicken broth. Small elbow macaroni completes the pasta-and-bean combination, while a finishing drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and red pepper flakes brings everything together.

I use the refrigerated, shelled edamame from Trader Joe’s. They come vacuum-packed, fully cooked, and ready to eat hot or cold, making them especially convenient for this soup. Since they only need to be heated through, they go in toward the end. Edamame are also a good source of protein and fiber, adding a nutritious boost to this simple soup.

Edamame Pasta e Fagioli Recipe

Continue reading “Edamame Pasta e Fagioli”

Hatch Chile Tuna Melt

🌶️ Hatch Chile 🌶️
🐟 🥪 Tuna Melt 🐟 🥪

Every August, big displays of fresh Hatch chiles begin taking over the produce departments at my local Las Vegas supermarkets—a sure sign that Hatch chile season is in full swing. I bring mine home and roast them over the flame on my backyard grill until the skins are blistered and smoky, then peel and chop them for recipes throughout the season. One of my favorite ways to use them is in this Hatch Chile Tuna Melt.

Hatch New Mexico Green Chile

Instead of mixing the chopped Hatch chiles into the tuna salad, I layer them between the tuna and the cheese so their flavor stands on its own. As the American cheese melts, it envelops the roasted chiles, creating a creamy, smoky layer that transforms an everyday sandwich into something memorable. Crisp, buttery grilled sourdough provides the perfect contrast to the cool tuna salad, made simply with Duke’s mayonnaise, crunchy celery, diced red onion, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

Served with a few tangy pepperoncini on the side, this sandwich captures the best flavors of late summer. The bright acidity of the peppers cuts through the richness of the tuna and melted cheese. If you’ve been waiting for the perfect way to celebrate Hatch chile season, this golden, crispy tuna melt is a delicious place to start.

Hatch Chile Tuna Melt Recipe

Continue reading “Hatch Chile Tuna Melt”