Baste Instincts

So how did the chortling, butter-loving, not very hip Child capture Powell's imagination? ''She was this incredibly vital woman, but she was so lost, for so long,'' says Powell of Child, who did not discover her life's passion — French cooking — until she was nearly 40. ''And because she found it late, she had all the more enthusiasm for it. After you've lost all hope that you'll ever figure anything out, when you do there's this great gratitude.'' Along with a knack for flaming kidneys and savoring sweetbreads, this is something both Julie and Julia know something about.

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