This Dessert Made Julia Child Tear Up On Live Television

Beloved television chef Julia Child was known for her enthusiastic approach to cooking. One of her most important kitchen tips was encouraging home cooks to embrace accidents and have the courage to learn from their mistakes. Never one to embrace lofty terms like 'gourmet,' Child was as down to earth as possible, inviting burgeoning chefs to be guests on her shows and yielding the spotlight to showcase their work.

In the third season of her show, "Baking with Julia," Child had invited Nancy Silverton, then-owner of Los Angeles' La Brea Bakery, to share her recipe for a crème fraîche brioche torte with fresh fruit poached in a white wine sauce. A decadent and laborious effort, the most memorable moment was when Child took her first bite and was nearly brought to tears, proclaiming it, "a dessert to cry over."

The act of sharing food can be considered a love language for many people, and it was certainly so with Julia Child. Giving a then lesser-known chef like Nancy Silverton the opportunity to share her signature dessert made the picture-perfect pastry seem within reach for beginner chefs just getting into the art of cooking and baking. What's more, Child's own vulnerability and genuine response to the triumphant torte reminded viewers that good food won't just fill your tummy but your heart and soul, too.

Nancy Silverton's crème fraîche brioche torte will go down in TV and foodie history as the dessert that made Julia Child tear up on live television, and with good reason. The process of bringing the delectable torte to life takes skill, time, and patience to get everything just right.

As eggs and butter are what truly make an authentic brioche, it's important to give the butter-rich dough ample time to rise twice and achieve the optimal consistency. After the crust is prepped, the custard filling is made by combining crème fraîche and an egg and pouring it into the dimpled brioche dough. Finally, the torte is topped with a thin layer of regular sugar before baking. 

For Silverton's dessert, the fruit accompaniment involves sliced stone fruits such as plums, peaches, and nectarines, which are poached in a caramel-wine syrup. These poached fruits should be gently spooned over the top of a slice of the freshly baked torte. When you take your first bite of the tasty dessert, you'll truly grasp the beauty of the dish. It will have made all of the time and effort worthwhile and you may just find yourself experiencing a similar sentiment as Julia Child.