Jacques Pépin More Fast Food My Way

I can't argue with cookbook publishers' recent trend of "healthy fast food" books. Most of us have limited time to fuss in the kitchen, particularly on a weeknight when there's something else to do. Happily, one participant in this batch of books is Jacques Pepin, who's been a professional chef and teacher for as long as I've been alive. (That would probably make him feel old. Sorry.) "More Fast Food My Way" accompanies a PBS series of the same name, which as it implies is the second such series. The book has chapters on soups; eggs; salads; fish and shellfish; poultry and meat; vegetables; potatoes, rice, pasta, pizza and bread; and desserts. Most of the hundred-or-so recipes have photos (which I know matters to some people). After watching one or two of the PBS episodes and saying, "Yum! That looks delicious!" I grabbed the book from my local library. And I soon discovered an oddity in this collection: The recipes aren't incredibly appealing until you see Jacques make them. For example, his "roasted split chicken with mustard crust" seemed just slightly weird when I read the recipe. The chicken is coated with a paste of garlic, Dijon mustard, white wine, soy sauce, olive oil, Tabasco, salt, and herbes de Provence -- not a combination that elicits a "Wow, I have to try that!" response. But after watching Pepin make it on TV, I reached for my grocery list and scribbled in the ingredients (which didn't take much -- you probably have most of these ingredients in your pantry, just as I do). The results were, to summarize, wonderful. And ready in an hour, during which I made his fricassee of Brussels sprouts and bacon. I had similar experiences with other recipes, such as "crusty chicken thighs with mushroom sauce" and "lamb burgers with feta cheese and yogurt-cucumber sauce" (which we made with beef, as we aren't into lamb). All really are weeknight-cooking ready, just about everything can be made from a trip to your local grocery store (no special market required), and these dishes are *so* not "same old, same old." I really like this cookbook. I think you will, too.

One typically encounters a diminution of quality in "follow-up" cookbooks, but that's not at all true in this instance. I'm convinced at this point that Jacques Pépin could cook an appetizing groundhog if he set his mind to do so. Perhaps the most important facet of this cookbook is that it's a companion volume to Jacques' terrific PBS Cooking Show. The DVDs are available too: Jacques Pepin: More Fast Food My Way. While the video is both fascinating and entertaining, it's really not essential to carrying out the details of these superb recipes. The directions in the cookbook are plenty clear. While this work is not really a foundational or general cookbook, the dishes herein will help you pull off supper when you're stumped. The book is also invaluable for those who entertain as there are some really magnificent appetizers and desserts in here. In summary, I highly recommend this one, as I do Jacques' earlier companion volume: Fast Food My Way.

As a very busy professional woman - time is a premium commodity - so cooking has in the past not been a top priority. I love excellent tasting French and Italian food and for years, like many of us, simply gave up cooking most evenings because of the time required to do the shopping, prepping and then cooking and cleaning. Yikes - it was simply more cost effective to go to restaurants - even if it meant taking it home and eating it. As many of us start to learn more about nutrition and the incredible importance of organic vegetables, fruit and meat - if we want longevity and health - we naturally realize we need to make a time investment in preparing good, healthy food. So then came how to do it without getting frustrated about the time and making sure we truly enjoy our sense of taste. As someone who has travelled so much in Europe the bar is high. So imagine my delight when I found Jacque Pepin's book - Fast Food My Way - I could not get enough - so thrilled now to have this new cook book as well. I have already hosted multiple dinner parties with real "foodies" who could not believe how easy and delicious everything tasted. So, I have probably been a major cookbook distribution channel for Jacque! I also bought the accompanying DVD's - why Because as a business person, you certainly get the importance of not just taste but presentation - so watching his preparation and presentation really made a giant difference in both my skill and confidence. On my last business trip, my airplane seatmate delivered a very quirky expression when he saw me in my biz suit - switching from updating an Excel spreadsheet to watching a DVD on how to cut and prepare smoked salmon...pretty funny. "Cooking dinner for an important client..." was my response. He smiled and nodded in sympathetic understanding. If you like butternut squash - try the soup - its is a fantastic, delicious and actually cost effective starter - as many are looking to cut costs but still want to entertain - you dont have to cut taste or quality or feel exhausted at the end of the day. Get these books and you will feel and look like a star chef! Strongly suggest practicing on dishes beffore you serve them to company however....