Nancy Silverton’s Crème Fraîche Brioche Tart (That Made Julia Child Cry Happy Tears)

Today’s guest is Nancy Silverton, the renowned chef, baker, and cookbook author behind some of Los Angeles’ most beloved restaurants, including Osteria Mozza, Pizzeria Mozza, and Chi Spacca. Back in the ’80s, Nancy founded La Brea Bakery and helped revolutionize the artisanal bread movement in the U.S.

Nancy joins host Jessie Sheehan to talk about her early baking memories and how she discovered her love of pastry while working at Michael’s, a restaurant in Santa Monica. She also shares the story behind her 1997 appearance on Julia Child’s PBS series “Baking with Julia”—where Nancy made the French Chef a crème fraîche brioche tart with wine-poached fruit and sabayon, and it brought Julia to (happy!) tears, exclaiming it was “a dessert to cry over.”

Nancy walks through the tart’s recipe, which can be found in the book “Baking with Julia,” and explains the techniques behind the brioche, why the dough needs to stay cool, and why Julia’s emotional reaction remains one of the greatest compliments of her career.

Watch the special moment on “Baking With Julia” here.

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More on Nancy: Instagram, “The Cookie That Changed My Life”
More on Jessie: Instagram, Substack, “Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes”