If the culinary world had a king, Jacques Pépin would be him. No one is more respected or more well known than Chef Pépin. Pépin has written numerous cookbooks throughout his illustrious career, but if I could own only one, Jacques Pépin’s Complete Techniques would be my first choice. Complete Techniques brings together Pépin’s two great passions: cooking and teaching. Whether you are an amateur home cook or a professional chef, no kitchen should be without this classic manual.
Complete Techniques is a revised compilation of two previous works,
La Technique (first published in 1976) and
La Methode (1979). These books have been out-of-print for several years, so the release of
Complete Techniques was truly a reason for celebration.
Complete Techniques is not just a cookbook but also a step-by-step manual on just about everything a chef does, from sharpening a knife to carving a saddle of lamb. The real beauty of this book, though, is that every recipe or task is accompanied by a series of photographs. Pépin walks the reader through every step, not only with simple and easy prose, but also with detailed photos of him performing the task at hand (yes, those are Pépin’s hands in the photos).
The recipes are traditional French cooking and some readers may find a few of them too rich or heavy (such as braised beef in aspic). The majority of techniques, however, can be adapted to a multitude of everyday cooking situations. There are over 300 techniques covered in this book with corresponding step-by-step photographs. Some of the topics covered include:
- Hollandaise sauce
- Cleaning and boning trout
- Smoking fish
- Lobster soufflé
- Chicken sausage
- Trimming tenderloin
- Carving turkey
- Ladyfingers
- Cream puff swans
At its best, Complete Techniques is a comprehensive culinary course and an inspiration to get in the kitchen and start cooking. At the very least, it’s a wonderful reference guide that would enhance any kitchen library.
Published by Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc. (2001). ISBN 1-57912-220-5.
