Book Description
The companion volume to the public television series Julia
and Jacques Cooking at Home
Two legendary cooks, Julia Child and Jacques Pépin, invite
us into their kitchen and show us the basics of good home
cooking.
What makes
this book unique is the richness of information they offer on
every page, as they demonstrate techniques (on which they
don't always agree), discuss ingredients, improvise, balance
flavors to round out a meal, and conjure up new dishes from
leftovers. Center stage in these pages are carefully
spelled-out recipes flanked by Julia's comments and Jacques's
comments--the accumulated wisdom of a lifetime of honing
their cooking skills. Nothing is written in stone, they
imply. And that is one of the most important lessons for
every good cook.
So sharpen
your knives and join in the fun as you learn to make . . .
*--Appetizers--from
traditional and instant grav-lax to your own sausage in
brioche and a country p'té
*--Soups--from
New England chicken chowder and onion soup gratinée to
Mediterranean seafood stew and that creamy essence of
mussels, billi-bi
*--Eggs--omelets
and "tortillas"; scrambled, poached, and coddled
eggs; eggs as a liaison for sauces and as the puffing power
for soufflés
*--Salads and
Sandwiches--basic green and near-Nioise salads; a crusty
round seafood-stuffed bread, a lobster roll, and a pan bagnat
*--Potatoes--baked,
mashed, hash-browned, scalloped, souffléd, and French-fried
*--Vegetables--the
favorites from artichokes to tomatoes, blanched, steamed,
sautéed, braised, glazed, and gratinéed
*--Fish--familiar
varieties whole and filleted (with step-by-step instructions
for preparing your own), steamed en papillote, grilled,
seared, roasted, and poached, plus a classic sole meunière
and the essentials of lobster cookery
*--Poultry--the
perfect roast chicken (Julia's way and Jacques's way);
holiday turkey, Julia's deconstructed and Jacques's
galantine; their two novel approaches to duck
*--Meat--the
right technique for each cut of meat (along with lessons in
cutting up), from steaks and hamburger to boeuf bourguignon
and roast leg of lamb
*--Desserts--crème
caramel, profiteroles, chocolate roulade, free-form apple
tart--as you make them you'll learn all the important
building blocks for handling dough, cooking custards,
preparing fillings and frostings
And much,
much more . . .
Throughout
this richly illustrated book you'll see Julia's and Jacques's
hands at work, and you'll sense the pleasure the two are
having cooking together, tasting, exchanging ideas, joshing
with each other, and raising a glass to savor the fruits of
their labor. Again and again they demonstrate that cooking is
endlessly fascinating and challenging and, while ultimately
personal, it is a joy to be shared.
