Julia Child's Last Meal Was One Of Her Favorite Foods, A Classic French Dish

Have you ever wondered what culinary legends ate for their last meals? A bit of morbid curiosity doesn't hurt. One of Julia Child's 14 favorite foods of all time — French onion soup — was her very last meal before she died at 91. For about a month, she had been experiencing kidney failure and ate meals her assistant cooked for her. It just so happened that the meal she ate before she died in her sleep was French onion soup. While the moment was coincidental rather than intentional, it feels rather fitting and poetic. After all, what better tribute for the grand dame of French cooking than to savor a steaming, comforting classic French dish? 

Luckily, you don't have to wait to be on your deathbed to enjoy delicious soup as we've got a simple and easy French onion soup recipe you can make this week. But if you're curious about how Child made her dish special, her technique was all about patience and layering ingredients and flavors. Onions would simmer in butter and oil until they reach a deep caramelization. Beef stock, dry white wine, and cognac add flavor and build depth. Her dish was a heavy soup that she thickened and enriched with roux made from flour. 

Toasted French bread and plenty of Gruyère cheese topped Julia Child's French onion soup. Prior to serving, the soup would go into the oven so the cheese would broil until it's bubbling and golden. For even deeper flavors, Child would allow the soup to rest overnight. 

And just like that, Child transformed simple ingredients such as humble onions, flour, and butter into a rich and soul-warming dish, one that comforted her before she passed away in her sleep. It appears that at the end of a long and extraordinary life, the simplest of ingredients can often bring one the greatest solace.

Aside from using simple ingredients and employing techniques that home cooks could easily learn, Child also used versatile tools in the kitchen. Be sure to check out our list of the six Julia Child-inspired kitchen gadgets to buy on Amazon to bring touch of her legendary charm and magic into your own cooking this week. And if you have a slow cooker, try our double French onion soup recipe. Child wouldn't have chided you, as she did use slow cookers in her time.