Jacques Pépin: Heart & Soul

Jacques and his best friend Jean-Claude work up an appetite in the summer sun playing the traditional French game of boules. Jacques cooks up a party menu of favorites to share. He begins with Crab Chips With Salmon Caviar, bursting with decadent flavors and textures. Then the freshest of eggs are whisked to become an Egg And Herb Treats appetizer. The party continues with a crowd-pleasing Camembert With Pistachio Crust, a garden-fresh Tabbouleh salad and a Tomato, Mozzarella And Onion Salad before Jacques finishes his festive menu with a grand Smoked Ham Glazed With Maple Syrup, cooked and carved to perfection!

Making memories with family is at the heart of Jacques’ kitchen, and daughter Claudine joins him at the stove to cook the classic recipes from his mother’s restaurant. Parisian potage, a simple soup with flavors of yesteryear, reminds Jacques of his beloved Lyon in France. The father-daughter duo continue with poulet á la crème paired with a perfectly pureed side of rice soubise. Granddaughter Shorey arrives just in time to make dessert, carefully watching as Jacques teaches her how to peel and segment an orange for instant orange cake, a perfect citrus ending.

Jacques raises a glass – and a fork! – to his beloved friend Julia Child as he shares recipes and anecdotes from their past. First, sole vin blanc, one of Julia’s favorites, begins with a fish filleting lesson, and a healthy pour of white wine for the sauce. Next, Jacques mixes together an aromatic assortment of spices for a pan-roasted rack of lamb with spice crust served on a crown of fried potatoes cooked to a golden brown crisp and accompanied by a stew of peas and fennel with lardons. Lastly, Jacques shows us how to finish a large menu with a light fruit dessert by making wine sherbet finale in honor of his friend Julia.

Jacques, alongside his daughter Claudine, recreates his mother’s restaurant recipes from Le Pelican, in Lyon, France. The duo begins with a country-style eggs and swiss chard gratin, including a quick step-by-step béchamel demonstration. Jacques goes on to cure his own meat for a belly-warming dish of kale, sausage, ribs and lima bean stew, followed by a springtime stew of radishes made with aromatic walnut oil. Braised veal breast with pearl onions and artichoke, a hearty medley, continues as Jacques and Claudine serve it all up with style, just as ma mère would have done. To end there’s a sweet and juicy dessert of melon and blueberries studded with sage sprigs.

A basket of fresh bread is a staple on Jacques’ dining table, so he begins the show with an easy fast fougasse. Then using seafood for a unique twist, he makes salmon rillettes to top the fougasse with a tasty bite. While working at the Russian Tea Room in New York, Jacques recalls serving a spice-rubbed poussins á la russe, now a favorite dish of his granddaughter Shorey. He prepares it today as the main course, accompanied by broiled maple sweet potatoes coated with sugary goodness. To close, Shorey arrives for a tutorial from her grandfather on how to make her favorite breakfast food, crêpes with Nutella, lemon or jam.

It’s easy to fall in love with Jacques’ seasonal menu, starting with a fresh, smooth tomato velvet soup – the name speaks for itself! Then, sliced tomato gratin made with ripe, ruby-red tomatoes and coarse rustic bread, is Jacques’ go-to late-summer dish. He continues with a tender grilled lamb shasklik that includes easy, make-ahead instructions and a colorful red cabbage, pistachio and cranberry salad with bleu cheese. Jacques goes on to transform pizza dough into an apple galette, baked to crispy perfection!