How to do Valentine’s Day the Jacques Pépin Way: 13 Recipes from the French Master
Black Olive Tapenade with Figs and Mint
What makes this tapenade special is the clever mix of oil- and brine-cured olives and the surprise of sweet, fresh and tangy notes from the dried figs, mint and capers.
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Fromage Fort
Fromage fort是the ultimate way of using leftover cheese. Jacques Pépin's father used to combine pieces of Camembert, Brie, Swiss, blue cheese and goat cheese together with his mother's leek broth, some white wine and crushed garlic. These ingredients marinated in a cold cellar for a week to a week-and-a-half (he liked it really strong). Now Pépin's wife, Gloria, makes a milder version in a food processor that takes only seconds. It is delicious with crackers or melted onto toasts. It also freezes well.
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Salmon Trout Tartare with Pressed Caviar and Tomatoes
Salmon trout has a mild, delicate taste, but regularsalmonis also delicious in this bright-flavored tartare.
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Brandade de Morue au Gratin (Whipped Salt Cod Gratin)
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Gruyère Cheese Soufflé
To get the most crust with the cheesiest flavor, Jacques Pépin uses a wide, shallow gratin dish, then creates a lattice on top with thin slices of American cheese. A souffle ramekin would work, too.
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Roast Capon with Mushroom-Armagnac Sauce
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Quick-Roasted Chicken with Mustard and Garlic
For this delicious, mustardy chicken,Jacques Pépinsplits the chicken and cuts between the leg and shoulder joints to halve the cooking time.
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Beef Stew in Red Wine Sauce
This is the quintessential beef stew. Jacques Pépin's mother served it at her restaurant, Le Pelican, where she made it with tougher cuts of meat. Jacques likes the flatiron—a long, narrow cut that's extremely lean but becomes tender and stays moist. He doesn't use stock, demiglace or even water in his stew, relying on robust red wine for the deep-flavored sauce.
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Duck à l'Orange
Because a singleduckrarely has enough meat to feed more than two or three people,Jacques Pépinprepares two ducks side by side when serving this classic dish to guests. And because he's roasting whole ducks, he cooks them until they're well done, which results in the crispiest skin and best flavor.
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Coffee Rum Truffettes
Pépin flavors truffles with many ingredients, but he is especially fond of the coffee-rum combination in this recipe.
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Crêpes Suzette
While restaurants traditionally make the buttery,orange-flavored sauce for this famous dessert tableside from start to finish, Pépin finds it easier to prepare largely in advance when entertaining. He flambes the liquor in front of his dinner guests and pours it over the platter of crepes while still flaming.
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Rothschild Soufflé
This souffle features preserved fruits and kirsch (cherry brandy). "The base for a sweet souffle is traditionally pastry cream," says Jacques Pépin. He substitutes bechamel here—it's "basically the same thing, but easier."
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Warm Chocolate Cakes with Apricot-Cognac Sauce
These moist cakes get a richness boost from butter and extra egg yolks. Topped with a fruity, booze-y sauce, this warm dessert hits all the right notes for Valentine’s Day.