The French Dish Stanley Tucci And Meryl Streep Once Made Together In Her Apartment

When preparing for a role, actors will choose among various methods to get into character. Whether it's method acting and extreme physical transformations or internal perspective, different types of roles require different preparation. Although neither Stanley Tucci's nor Meryl Streep's characters in either "The Devil Wears Prada" film are known for their culinary prowess, their characters in "Julia & Julia" were much more centered around food, appropriate for a movie involving Julia Child. In an interview with The Guardian, actor Stanley Tucci describes a dish he cooked with his co-star in multiple films, the incredible Meryl Streep, blanquette de veau.

In the interview, Tucci states that before they were both set to film "Julie & Julia," Tucci gave Streep a call to get some hands-on practice in the kitchen. "I said, 'I don't mean to get too methody on you, Meryl, but we need to cook together'," says Tucci. "So we went out shopping, then made blanquette de veau and a tarte tatin at her apartment," which sounds like a dream scenario if you ask us. If you're unfamiliar with blanquette de veau, it's a rich French stew made with veal and a sauce that's purposely lacking color, thickened with a roux and heavy cream. If you're squeamish about consuming baby calves, you can still make blanquette de veau with one of these affordable alternatives for veal that are still tender.

Blanquette de veau features tender chunks of veal bathed in a rich, creamy sauce, dotted with the classic French combination of vegetables of onions, carrot, and celery, known as mirepoix. Other than the cream, a roux is used to build both creaminess and thickness in the broth, transforming it from a simple stew to a rich, decadent sauce-like texture. Traditional recipes usually also contain at least one egg yolk to add even more richness to the stew. For those interested in trying blanquette de veau at home, you can make a more approachable version of French chef Daniel Boulud's recipe for a stylish at-home dinner.

The second dish that Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci made together was tarte tatin, another classic French dish. Tarte tatin is a sweet or sometimes savory dish that's frequently made with apples that have been caramelized in a pan, then topped with puff pastry before baking. Once it's finished cooking, the tarte is flipped out of the pan and served upside down. Between the blanquette de veau and tarte tatin, a dish that Julia Child would often make, the two actors couldn't have prepared themselves better for a movie involving French culinary classics.