Contents 1. Title Page 2. Table of Contents 3. Copyright 4. Dedication 5. Acknowledgments 6. Epigraph 7. Introduction 8. SOUPS 9. SALADS 10. EGGS AND CHEESE 11. PASTA, RICE, GRAINS, AND POTATOES 1. Pasta, Noodles, and Gnocchi 2. Rice 3. Grains 4. Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes 12. BREADS, SANDWICHES, AND PIZZAS 1. Breads 2. Sandwiches 3. Pizzas 13. SHELLFISH AND FISH 1. Shellfish 2. Fish 14. POULTRY AND GAME 15. MEAT 1. Beef 2. Veal 3. Lamb 4. Pork 16. CHARCUTERIE AND OFFAL 1. Charcuterie 2. Offal 17. VEGETABLES AND SIDE DISHES 18. FRUIT DESSERTS 19. PUDDINGS, SWEET SOUFFLÉS, AND CREPES 20. CAKES, COOKIES, AND CANDIES 1. Cakes 2. Cookies 3. Candies 21. TARTS, PIES, AND PASTRIES 22. FROZEN DESSERTS 23. BASICS 1. Seasonings 2. Stocks 3. Sauces, Butters, and Oils 4. Relishes and Pickles 5. Drinks 24. Producer’s Acknowledgments 25. Index Videos Clarifying stock: consommé (4:24) A classic omelet (2:06) Forming and marking breads: baguette, gros pain, épi (5:10) Shucking oysters and clams (2:23) Killing a live lobster & Removing the meat from a cooked lobster (6:26) Trussing a chicken (3:38) Cutting, boning, and preparing a chicken for galantine (9:54) Cutting a whole chicken: for stew, boned wings, lollipops, boned legs (9:57) Cleaning and cutting a rabbit (3:32) Prepping and cooking artichokes (4:14) Peeling and julienning orange skin & Segmenting an orange (3:50) Making, rolling, and forming pie dough (5:25) Making and working with puff pastry (10:01) Chocolate balloons (1:56) Copyright © 2011 by Jacques Pépin Illustrations copyright © 2011 by Jacques Pépin All rights reserved For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10003. www.hmhbooks.com Book design by George Restrepo and Lisa Diercks The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover version as follows: Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Pépin, Jacques. Essential pepin : more than 700 all-time favorites from my life in food / Jacques Pépin. p. cm. ISBN 978-0-547-23279-9 (hardback) 1. Cooking, French. 2. Cooking. 3. Cookbooks. I. Title. TX719.P4578 2011 641.5944—dc23 2011016057 Enhanced ebook ISBN 978-0-547-60738-2 v4.0315 Acknowledgments The making of a book is a complicated project, with many people involved in writing, editing, and designing. This book of many books was particularly complicated and goes back many years. I have always counted on my wife, Gloria, for food advice and ideas. Norma Galehouse, my longtime assistant, has worked on this book in various ways for the last twenty-five years, and I continue to rely on her patience and talent to make something readable out of my handwriting and notes. Thank you to Doe Coover, my agent, who came up with the idea for the book, and to Rux Martin, my editor, for her confidence and enthusiasm for the project and her willingness to listen to my grumbling. Thank you, too, to the copy editor, Judith Sutton, for her faithful attention to details; to George Restrepo, for his splendid design; to Jacinta Monniere, for her accurate typing; and to Rebecca Springer, for overseeing the production of the book. With the book comes videos of techniques filmed at the home of my friend Susie Heller. Her friendship, dedication, and knowledge made it possible. Thank you to my friend and talented director Bruce Franchini; to Paul Swensen, the DVD editor; and to Amy Vogler, David Shalleck, Jean- Claude Szurdak, and the whole technical crew. Your hard work and professionalism made me look good. Merci! After nearly twenty-five years of working at KQED, I feel I am coming home when I get to Mariposa Street in San Francisco. Although it’s not possible to thank everyone at the station who has worked on my shows, I want to thank John Boland, the president of KQED and my supporter and friend; Michael Isip, the director of KQED and executive producer, for his confidence, enthusiasm, and friendship; and Jacqueline Murray, for raising the money. More than anyone else, I want to thank Tina Salter, my series producer, for her professionalism, insight, patience, humor, and devotion. Thanks, too, to the genial Bruce Franchini, our director, whose keen eyes made the food look incredible; Christine Swett, the culinary producer, for her kindness and talent; Elizabeth Pepin, the competent associate producer, among many others. And thank you to the back kitchen: first, to my dearest friend, Jean-Claude Szurdak, who appeared on the show with me, and to David Shalleck and his crew, including Michael Pleiss, as always. Thank you to my daughter, Claudine, and granddaughter, Shorey, for appearing on the series with me, as well as to Roland Passot, Loretta Keller, and Emily Luchetti. A big thank-you to the operations/technical crew for their efficient, skilled work on my behalf. Last, but importantly, thank you to Wendy Goodfriend, the website genius, whose work I know I do not appreciate enough, because of my limited knowledge of the Internet.