Julia Child Makes Cucumbers In A Way You've Probably Never Tried

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Julia Child was not just a chef; she was an innovator, making French cuisine accessible to — and dare we say, fun for? — home cooks. From her favorite stew, beef bourguignon, to her four-ingredient scalloped potatoes, Child's recipes have stood the test of time with their deliciousness (and occasional skill-stretching technique, like her trick for custardy scrambled eggs). And then there are her less popular recipes, some of which sound completely strange to modern audiences. For example, raw cucumbers are a refreshing treat, but have you ever considered baking them? Probably not, yet Child includes a recipe for just this dish in her legendary tome "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," which she wrote with Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck.

The dish, referred to as concumbres au buerre, calls for cucumbers, cut into eight-inch-long strips, salted and left to sit for a minimum of 30 minutes. The reason for this step is two-fold: It removes the bitterness, leaving the vegetable's natural flavor more prominent, and then it also draws out moisture, so when the cucumber pieces are baked, they have less water to release, and the dish doesn't come out mushy. Child's baked cucumbers also notably include white wine vinegar, butter, dill, and even a pinch of sugar, among other ingredients, all of which create a surprisingly sumptuous side that looks somewhat suspect, but tastes divine.

Cucumbers might not be the first vegetables that come to mind when you think about baking, but they are some of the most delicious. First of all, a lot of credit has to go to Julia Child's recipe — namely, the white wine vinegar, which imparts a puckery, sour flavor, as well as the pinch of sugar, which pairs beautifully with the savory elements. Those, combined with the butter, give the dish an herbaceous and pickle-y, yet surprisingly comforting, vibe. It helps, too, that rather than cooking the cucumbers into a soup, baking them after drawing out their moisture instead makes them impossibly supple, a tender bite with just a hint of snap.

If you want to add a bit of zhuzhing to your baked cucumbers, you could do as Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" suggests and toss the cooked vegetables with a handful of minced parsley, or any other herb you really enjoy, like thyme or basil. Or really up the decadence and turn them into what "Mastering" calls concombres de la creme, with the addition of boiled, reduced cream folded into the hot-from-the-oven cukes. The inclusion of garlic in the cream would also not go amiss.