Jacques Pepin - See his recipe!

One of America’s best-known chefs, cookbook authors and cooking teachers, Jacques Pépin has published 26 books and numerous articles and hosted 10 acclaimed public television cooking series. His newest book and series are follow-ups to his previous PBS-TV series and companion cookbook, Jacques Pépin: Fast Food My Way. Debuting in early October of this year (2008) the new series and book are entitled Jacques Pépin: More Fast Food My Way.

Pépin’s last book, a visual biography entitled Chez Jacques: Traditions and Rituals of a Cook, was published in April 2007 by Stewart Tabori & Chang. It followed his bestselling memoir, The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen, which was published in hardcover in 2003 and in paperback in 2004 by the Houghton Mifflin Company.

Pépin was born in Bourg-en-Bresse, near Lyon. His first exposure to cooking was as a child in his parents' restaurant, Le Pelican. At age thirteen, he began his formal apprenticeship at the distinguished Grand Hotel de L’Europe in his hometown. He subsequently worked in Paris, training under Lucien Diat at the Plaza Athénée. From 1956 to 1958, Pépin was the personal chef to three French heads of state, including Charles de Gaulle.

Moving to the United States in 1959, Pépin worked first at New York's historic Le Pavillon restaurant, then served for ten years as director of research and new development for the Howard Johnson Company, a position that taught him about mass production, marketing, food chemistry, and American food tastes. He studied at Columbia University during this period, ultimately earning an M.A. degree in 18th-century French literature in 1972.

A former columnist for The New York Times, Pépin writes a quarterly column for Food & Wine. He also participates regularly in that magazine’s prestigious Food & Wine Classic in Aspen and at other culinary festivals and fund-raising events worldwide. In addition, he is a popular guest on such commercial TV programs as The Late Show with David Letterman, The Today Show, and Good Morning America.

In October, 2004, Pépin received France’s highest civilian honor, the French Legion of Honor, at a presentation in New York. He is also the recipient of two other of the French government’s high honors: he was named a Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1997 and a Chevalier de L’Ordre du Mérite Agricole in 1992.

The Dean of Special Programs at The French Culinary Institute (New York) since 1988, Pépin is an adjunct faculty member at Boston University. He is a founder of The American Institute of Wine and Food and a member of the International Association of Cooking Professionals. He and his wife, Gloria, live in Madison, Connecticut.

Recipe from PBS series Jacques Pépin: More Fast Food My Way
Premiering Saturday, October 4 at 11 a.m. on WSRE

Roasted Split Chicken with Mustard Crust 4 servings
I often make this recipe at home when I am in a hurry, because splitting and flattening the chicken and cutting between the joints of the leg and the shoulder reduce the cooking time by half. I use kitchen shears to split the chicken open at the back and to cut the cooked bird into serving pieces and a knife to cut between the joints. The mustard crust can be made ahead and even spread on the chicken a day ahead, if you like. I pour the cooked chicken juices into a fat separator with a spout and serve over Fluffy Mashed Potatoes, leaving the fat behind.

Mustard Crust
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Tabasco hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 chicken (about 31/2 pounds)
Fluffy Mashed Potatoes (optional)

For the crust: Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut alongside the backbone of the chicken to split it open. Spread and press on the chicken with your hands to flatten it. Using a sharp paring knife, cut halfway through both sides of the joints connecting the thighs and drumsticks and cut through the joints of the shoulder under the wings as well. (This will help the heat penetrate these joints and accelerate the cooking process.)

Place the chicken skin side down on a cutting board and spread it with about half the mustard mixture. Turn the chicken over into a large skillet so it is flat with the skin side up.

Place the skillet over high heat to start the cooking and spread the remaining mustard mixture on the skin side of the chicken. When the chicken has cooked on top of the stove for about 5 minutes, place the skillet in the oven and cook the chicken for about 30 minutes. It should be well browned and dark on top.

Let the chicken rest in the skillet at room temperature for a few minutes, then cut it into 8 pieces with clean kitchen shears. De-fat the cooking juices. If you like, mound some Fluffy Mashed Potatoes on each of four warm dinner plates and place 12 pieces of chicken on each plate. Pour some juice on the mashed potatoes and chicken and serve.