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Jacques Pepin
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Five Minutes of Effort Yields a Rustic Tomato & Bread Gratin
At his seminar in Aspen, French cooking authority Jacques Pépin had a lot to say about boiling the world's most perfect eggs. While doing so, he also managed to make six stunning tomato dishes, using a number of in-season varieties, including a stacked Greek tomato salad, tomato-laced spaghetti with anchovies, and a tomato-bread gratin.
I just so happened to return from the neighborhood farmers market bearing a loaf of fresh-baked bread and vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, so I combined those with Parmesan to make Jacques's gratin.
A Look at the Food & Wine Classic Quickfire
The final event at the Food & Wine Classic features the current winner of Top Chef on Sunday morning. Normally it's a cook-off between the cheftestant and an acclaimed chef like Jacques Pepin. However, this year they decided to do something different and pit two Top Chefs, Stephanie Izard and Hosea Rosenberg, against each other.
Jacques Pepin on the Perfect Boiled Egg
One of my favorite seminars at this year's Classic was a cooking demo performed by French luminary Jacques Pépin along with his daughter, Claudine. On this sunny Saturday in Aspen, you'd never have guessed that Jacques, who's cooked for Charles de Gaulle and with Julia Child, turns 74 this year: the ebullient chef and his witty daughter exchanged lots of lively banter, and managed to make a whopping six tomato dishes in 45 minutes!
Although I can't wait to make the pair's appetizing tomato dishes, the most useful facts were his tips on boiling eggs, which they used in a harlequin tomato salad.
Top Chef Quiz: The Last New York Supper
Last night's Top Chef was the final episode filmed in New York City. The remaining five cheftestants created glorified egg dishes and cooked for the culinary elite. Famed French chef Jacques Pepin was the guest judge.
Top Chef Recap 5.12: The Last Supper
We were down to the wire on last night's episode of Top Chef. With only 5 cheftestants left, they were truly put to the test in the final New York City elimination. Each had to make a special dish for a world-renowned culinary figure.
Yummy Links: From Jacques Pepin to Parmesan Fondue
- Jacques Pepin on cooking for Obama. — 7x7
- Looking for an indoor composting system? Choose one of these composters.
A Peek at the Food and Wine Classic Cook-Off
The most hyped part of the Food and Wine Classic is the culinary competition that takes place on the last day of the festivities. The Classic Cook-Off pits the reigning Top Chef winner — this year it was Hung — against master French chef Jacques Pepin and his BFF Jean-Claude. The chefs were given a whole salmon, a bunch of ingredients leftover from the previous day's demos, and 18 minutes to create a dish and a cocktail.
Inspired Side: Salad With Zucchini & Pecorino
The French are known for creating characteristically simple dishes that highlight the natural flavor of a distinct ingredient. In this case, zucchini is the shining star. Crisp greens, ripe cherry tomatoes, and shaved pecorino cheese act as the backdrop in this delicious, quick salad.
Colorful Side: Garlicky Cherry Tomato Bread Gratin
When you hear the word gratin does a calorie/fat packed, decadent, cheesy, creamy potato dish come to mind? That's what used to pop into my mind until I realized that a gratin can be baked with all sorts of vegetables and minimal amounts of cheese. Now my preferred type of gratin is a tomato one rather than the classic potato version.
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