Jacques Pepin's Heart & Soul

[Smithy]

I have that one; I refer to it as my Ace of Wands. It was my Very Cool Christmas Present last year.  

 

We got it because it's cordless, comes with a number of blades and accessories, has 2 different wand attachments and 5 speeds. I don't think its food processor function is quite as effective as that of a true food processor, but for our purposes it works well and has replaced the food processor for trailer use. So far the battery has never let me down.  I use it for the typical immersion blender applications (soups, mayonnaise, salad dressing, cream whipping) but I've also used it for chopping vegetables when I didn't feel like doing all the knife work.

 

 

One of its beauties is that it can stand up by itself.  I wouldn't take it down the road that way, and it might tip over in an earthquake, but otherwise I never worry about it falling over.

 

Awkward?  Maybe, but I haven't had a problem with it.  My only complaint, and it's a small one, is that the 'go' button that must be depressed is stiff enough to be tiring to hold after several minutes.

[rotuts]

thanks   

[Deryn]

I watched Claudine with her dad years ago when she was young and enjoyed his interaction with her - and now with his granddaughter (who is truly adorable). Claudine has never seemed as comfortable on camera as Jacques is - but they do a nice kitchen dance together with him as the main focus. I noticed particularly in these latest shows however that she certainly can't match his quick, calm, precise knife skills. There was one scene which was a bit painful to watch as both were cutting things up side by side.

[rotuts]

Claudine did not seem to inherit the CookingGene.  

 

in the very early shows   Cooking w Claudine, I wondered if her lack of skill was staged.  It wasn't it seems

 

I think she concentrated on a career in Wine.

 

good enough !

[LindaK]

For anyone in the Boston area, on November 2 Boston University is hosting an event with JP in honor of his 80^th birthday and new cookbook.  A who’s who of local chefs (including some all-stars) will be cooking and a signed copy of JP’s new cookbook is included. Pricy at $150 but perhaps worth it to meet the man himself.

 

www.bu.edu/foodandwine/seminars/special-events/

 

[MelissaH]

One thing I noticed, watching Claudine and Jacques cut food side by side: Jacques uses a "pinch" grip on his knife blade, whereas Claudine prefers to make a fist around the handle of the knife and extend her index finger over the top of the blade.

[rotuts]

for those who do not know, Boston University believed in him a zillion years ago 

 

and allowed him to study for a PhD in the Culinary Area when other institutions scoffed at the idea

 

he would have gotten the degree but he never finished his thesis as other work called him away.

 

He and Julia Child help found a MA in the Food Arts

 

http://www.bu.edu/met/programs/graduate/gastronomy/

[gfweb]

Amazing guy.  As far as I know he's never been a head chef anywhere. Odd considering he's done everything else.

[rotuts]

not being picky here  I know what you are getting at.

 

 

 

He was the personal chef to three French Presidents, including de Gaullie

 

and ran a 'soup restaurant' very briefly

 

this is a book worth reading several times :

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Apprentice-My-Life-Kitchen/dp/0618444114

 

of note :  his wife ran a small restaurant in CT for a short time :  he advised her against it

 

a local no-nothing  wrote a bad review in the local , very local ( weekly ? ) paper.

 

she shut the restaurant down almost immediately.

 

a possibly highly censored response from her to JP about that review is included in the book

 

good reading.

 

would have made a World-Class YouTube clip to have seen and heard that conversation !

Edited October 13, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[naguere]

Rotuts, just for interest I have watched your link and i am in England... what a pleasure he is.

[kc2rock]

I just had my copy of "The Apprentice" signed by the man himself, last night in SF! (I'm nearly finished with my third reading...)

KQED (where he has filmed his last I-don't-know-how-many series) had a bash for him at the Herbst Theater; sort of a birthday party/launch party for the new series, as well as selling and signing books. He and the chief content (?) person for KQED sat on stage in arm chairs (with a table, a bottle of wine and 2 glasses between them). There was a small jazz combo playing live on the other side of the stage.

Some conversation, some live birthday wishes from Bay Area chefs, an omelet cook off between two local chefs (JP very diplomatically refused to say which was best). A series of video birthday wishes from everyone...here are the ones I remember (and there were many more):

Eric Ripert

Daniel Boloud (sp?)

Ming Tsai

Rachel Rey

Tony Bourdain

Jacques Torres

Mario Batali

JP sang a song (and he's got a pretty good voice!)

He got an award from the Alliance Francaise.

We were sung out by one of the stars from Beach Blanket Babylon (a long running SF theater institution).

The wine and munchies beforehand started at 5:30; the event itself started at 7:30 and ran about 2 hours. I know there was more that happened and I don't remember, but it was fun.

JP seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself, and going with the flow; interrupting only a few times to mention that his wine glass was empty!

ETA: I went with a friend, who brought her first edition of "La Technique", complete with torn dust cover, and nearly 40 years of accumulated food stains. I think she got a little extra comment when he signed...

Edited October 14, 2015 by kc2rock (log)

[rotuts]

I have the book :

 

http://www.amazon.com/Jacques-P%C3%A9pin-Heart-Soul-Kitchen/dp/0544301986/ref=sr_1_1/182-6488427-0487018?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1445108350&sr=1-1&keywords=heart+and+soul

 

from the Library of course.

 

Ive looked it over.   its quite nice.

 

if you are New to JP  Id look for some of his earlier books

 

including :

 

http://www.amazon.com/Essential-P%C3%A9pin-More-All-Time-Favorites/dp/0547232799

 

because he includes a DVD so you can see him work.

 

he is the current master of Showing You how to cook

 

but back to the book :

 

on pp: 331

 

he tells you how to me "Potatoes Rachael Ray "

 

no need to visit the Vomitorium.

 

he mentions the Rx he made, and was invited to the RR's show

 

they both made this dish

 

RR added a few tweaks that make it a bit easier

 

so  he now calls it PRR

 

 you may or may not be a fan of RR

 

fine

 

but she pulled herself by her own boot straps out of the Great Cold Snow-ey  Upper New York State

 

[ ed. : I've lived there  :  Burrrrrrr ]

 

and worked hard

 

BTW   as far as I know   RR is not a convicted Felon, nor under indictment, nor a target for a Grand Jury Probe  etc   etc

 

but JP is an unusually gracious person'

 

 

I do know people in CT that know him,

 

and he is everything a gracious person might be

 

FD:  Im so temped to motor into BOS to that BU

 

fiesta

 

well

 

Parking ?  etc

[Deryn]

RR to me these days means 'rotuts ramble'. Were you talking about Rachael Ray?