Recently French chef Jacques Pépin turned 80 and retired. Over the years, he educated viewers of Public Television on how to cook and, something that no other cooking show host has done, techniques in the kitchen with wisdom, humor and a smattering of French lessons. As Gilad Edelman wrote in a Slate article, this man will teach you how to cook
Spice Up Your Life
When Claudine comes to visit, Jacques wants to be able to spend the day with his daughter and granddaughter, so he turns to his pressure cooker to prepare a speedy Lamb Curry and serves it over Rice with Raisins. To begin the meal, Jacques manages to stretch four ounces of sea scallops into a dish for four in the form of Scallop Pancakes on Boston Salad; the aroma of the cooking pancakes makes it impossible to resist tasting the first ones hot out of the pan. For the finale, Jacques transforms a tortilla and a can of apricots into a beautiful and delicious Crisp Apricot Galette.
The conventional way to eat radishes in France is to split them partially open and insert a small piece of butter in the opening, then to dip the top of the radish lightly in coarse salt and enjoy it with a piece of crunchy baguette. I sometimes prepare a variation of this French recipe.
Cut a baguette into thin slices about 3/8 inch thick. Cover each slice lavishly with unsalted butter. Thinly slice several radishes horizontally (a vegetable peeler is good for this) and cover the butter with overlapping slices of radish. Sprinkle a little fleur de sel on top and enjoy with drinks.
Recent Comments