JACQUES PÉPIN MORE FAST FOOD MY WAY
Surprising Recipes and Techniques from a Master
The new companion cookbook to an all-new 26-part PBS series
“It amazes many cooks that a few simple and uncomplicated steps can produce such great dishes, and they often say, ‘That’s it? That’s all there is to it?’” — Jacques Pépin
Why would a man who was the personal chef to three French heads of state, including Charles de Gaulle, and who won France’s highest award, the Legion of Honor, write a book on fast food? “I cook this way all the time. My mother cooks this way, and so do other chefs. And if it’s faster and fresher, why not?” Jacques says.
Why not indeed! In JACQUES PÉPIN MORE FAST FOOD MY WAY (Houghton Mifflin; $32.00; October 7, 2008), Jacques introduces recipes that are his fastest, freshest, and most innovative to date. Featured in gorgeous full-color photographs, the more than 100 dishes are so delicious that you won’t want to wait till you’re in a rush to try them. Among the most original and inventive:
• Scallop Pancakes: A sensational first course or appetizer. They’re made with a jawdroppingly simple method: by whirring fresh scallops in the blender with flour, club soda, and fresh chives.
• Cream of Leek and Mushroom Soup: Ready in less than 10 minutes. The secret? Instant mashed potato flakes thicken a potage of chicken stock, fresh mushrooms, and leeks.
• Roasted Split Chicken with Mustard Crust: A classic for a great family dinner or when company’s coming, on the table in 30 minutes. How? Cutting between the joints of the bird reduces the cooking time by half.
• Crunchy Kale: Baking these greens makes them tantalizingly crisp and bright green.
• Crisp Pear Tart: Fear not. The “pastry crust” is a buttered flour tortilla that’s almost as flaky as the real thing, but takes a quarter the time.
Jacques will demonstrate all the recipes and time saving techniques on his new 26-part PBS-TV series:
- “Minute” recipes: Cured Salmon Morsels, Glazed Sausage Bits
- Speedy, fancy first courses: Mini Savory Cheesecakes on Arugula or Butterhead Lettuce (30 minutes)
- Fast, festive dinners: Stuffed Pork Tenderloin on Grape Tomatoes (18 minutes)
- Stunning desserts: Mini Almond Cakes in Raspberry Sauce (15 minutes)
No food snob, Jacques never hesitates to use a product if it will save time at no expense to flavor, and he emphasizes the abundance and selection of ingredients offered by grocery stores. “The supermarket is my modest, efficient prep cook,” he writes, “there to make my life easier.” Taking inspiration from around the world, Jacques paints a culinary landscape that includes Asian, Latin American, and diverse European influences, as well as his classic French background. He offers easy techniques for making international dishes such as Quick Lamb Stew, Shellfish and Chicken Paella, Tibetan Flatbread, and Tapioca Banana Coconut Pudding. Every recipe comes with easy techniques and tips — the accumulated wisdom of a master.
Today everyone is looking for healthy food that tastes great and can be savored on a busy weeknight as well as during the relaxed leisure time of the weekend. JACQUES PÉPIN MORE FAST FOOD MY WAY provides Jacques’s many admirers with an expansive choice of great dishes that will enhance any cook’s repertoire. And you don’t have to be in a hurry to love them.
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About Jacques Pépin:
Already a household name and culinary icon, Jacques Pépin has dedicated more than fifty years of his life to the culinary arts. He has hosted eleven acclaimed public television cooking series, is the author of twenty-five cookbooks, serves as Dean of Special Programs at the French Culinary Institute, and was awarded France’s highest honor—the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur. He and his wife, Gloria, are the parents of Claudine, who has appeared in several series with her father. They have lived in Connecticut for many years, where Jacques enjoys fishing and foraging for mushrooms and other wild edibles.
TITLE: JACQUES PÉPIN MORE FAST FOOD MY WAY
AUTHOR: Jacques Pépin
PUBLISHER: Houghton Mifflin • PUBLICATION DATE: October 7, 2008
PAGES: 256, with 100 full-color photographs, indexed
PRICE: $32.00 • ISBN-13: 978-0-618-14233-0
CONTACT: Lori Glazer
212-420-5840
lori.glazer@hmhpub.com
