Chez Jacques: Tradition & Rituals of a Cook

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Jacques Pepin has earned the title of chef many times over and yet he gives his new book, Chez Jacques (Stewart, Tabori & Chang 2007), the subtitle " Traditions and Rituals of a Cook." In the same vein, this is several books in one. Chez Jacques is a grand coffee table book with lavish photographs of Jacques and his paintings and food. It is also a look at food in his private life, more rustic than refined. Further, it shares private thoughts about his career and the changes in cuisine that he has witnessed. Essays range from "The Anatomy of a Recipe" to "The Food Critic". This is a thoughtful work equal to its weight. All these elements together make it the companion of his earlier masterpieces, La Technique and La Method (now available as a single edition, Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques). Will he write more recipe books? No doubt yes, but here is a collection of his personal favorites, presented in a style that is more conversational than formulaic. Chez Jacques is in many ways a companion to his memoir, The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen. Read both. Give both to young people aspiring to be chefs -- but keep your own copy of Chez Jacques to create memorable meals. The book is divided into sections following a meal, starting with First Courses which includes the complex Parfait of Rose Mushrooms with Sherry-Truffle Sauce (p. 87): For the sauce, I use black winter truffles, Tuber melanosporum from France. I keep in my freezer the truffles that I foraged for and smuggled through customs when I returned from France. (p. 86) One hopes customs officials are not reading the book to confiscate the precious fungus next time he is in the smuggling business. There is also a marvelous Saucisson of Pork Tenderloin (p.98) based on a dried saucisson that he saw in a market in Provence and copied. It is dried whole, rather than ground, with cognac and herb de provence. In his essay on "The Legacy of Nouvelle Cuisine" (pp. 101-103) he remarks about the excesses and misapplication of nouvelle cuisine and it's great positive influence. He also clearly demonstrates how knowledgeable he is on the subject: It is interesting to realize that there was a nouvelle cuisine that flourished at the end of the seventeenth and the beginning of the eighteenth centuries, with man similarities to the nouvelle cuisine that erupted onto the scene in the early 1970s: "shorter" sauces (less complicated, thinner, and a smaller amount served); the reduction of cooking times (particularly for fish and vegetables); the combining of fruit and meat; a certain preoccupation with health; and a great emphasis on novelty and creativity. Great books were written by the chefs of that time, among them Menon, who wrote La Cuisine Nouvelle in 1742, and Marin, author in 1739 of The Gift of Comus. (p. 101) It won't be surprising to anyone who has read The Apprentice that Jacques is a well educated, erudite chef who offers scholarly analysis of what he does. For Jacques Pepin fans -– and who isn't? -- Chez Jacques is indispensable. For restaurant critics (who may or may not be fans) Jacques offers an essay entitled "The Food Critic" (pp. 179-184) with instructions on how to be a good critic. Take heed. Previous articles: Ode to Jacques Pepin Julia Child: The Queen is Dead [Cookbook Reviews - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to Super Chef