Search - Jacques Pepin Fast Food My Way on DVD

Why Jacques Pépin has the best cooking show on TV (this set

Patrick W. Crabtree | Lucasville, OH USA | 03/22/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, the full season of this terrific program is NOT included on these DVDs. If you're okay with that (as I was) then keep reading.

Jacques Pépin, (along with the late Julia Child), has been in the cooking show business since before the producers of The Food Network were out of their diapers. He's also been cooking since he was a child while his father served in the World War Two French Resistance while his lovely mother operated one restaurant after another, each becoming bigger and better than the previous one.

Jacques enhanced his knowledge and his career by working in the best of European restaurants and subsequently coming to America where he turned down the Kennedys for the head chef's job at The White House to go to work for Howard Johnson. You can read all the details in: The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen.

This master chef's most recent series (I'm also including Jacques Pepin: More Fast Food My Way in that statement) is the best I've ever seen and I've been cooking and watching cooking shows my entire life. From my view, the only other programs which come close were The Frugal Gourmet's [Jeff Smith] PBS show and also the more recently produced programs featuring Julia Child, some of which include Jacques Pépin.

In the series under review here, you get two discs (200 minutes total time) which include eight lessons (programs) -- there are usually four dishes featured during each 1/2-hour program. In addition to the recipes themselves Jacques focuses quite a lot on culinary techniques and table presentation. But the key point is that you can make every one of these recipes yourself if you have any cooking experience at all and they will turn out perfect the first time. And these are not crazy dishes that no one will eat -- these are all very nice meals for the family. The following information is on the product page but, for convenience, I'll repeat it here:

Disc 1

Lesson 1:
* thirty minute cassoulet
* zucchini & tomato salad
* smoked salmon timbales
* orange & cream cheese

Lesson 2:
* mock tiramisu
* smoked trout salad with horseradish cream
* chicken breast on mashed cauliflower with red hot salsa

Lesson 3:
* salmon tartare on cauliflower salad
* chickpea ragout
* breaded pork scaloppine with mushroom sauce
* caramelized peaches

Lesson 4:
* pasta, ham & vegetable gratin
* romaine & radicchio with salsa dressing
* crab cakes in red sauce
* big almond macaroons with apricot filling

Disc 2

Lesson 5:
* egg & tomato gratin
* stuffed scallops on mushroom rice
* greens with quick cream dressing
* pineapple wedges in caramel

Lesson 6:
* sausage & potato packets
* devil shrimp
* mushroom & walnut salad in sour cream dressing
* apple peel granite with apple puree

Lesson 7:
* asparagus custards
* slow-cooked tuna steaks with tomato relish
* apple skillet cake

Lesson 8:
* tomato tartare with tomato water sauce
* rigatoni & mussels with saffron
* puree of peas with mint & cilantro
* strawberry shortbread panachee

The video quality of these programs is nothing short of crystal sharp. They serve as a companion video to Pépin's cookbook: Fast Food My Way. The book includes the recipes from the entire season of the series.

Of course nothing is without flaws, no matter how slight. Even though PBS production costs dwarf those of commercial television, they can't seem to hire technicians who have the slightest vestige of common sense, ergo: you have to click "play" on every one of these episodes as there is no "play all" function. The navigation is also a bit jumbled but you'll figure it out eventually. Also, the editor failed to cut out the witless commercials at the beginning of each program and that was a huge mistake -- few people want to see this and it badly dates the programs. It's all a shame but I can hardly hold Jacques Pépin responsible for all this nonsense. The programs were produced by KQED.

In summary, these "lessons" will boost your cooking skills and the recipes are really just great, not difficult at all.

Highly recommended!
"