Jacques Pépin: Fast Food My Way 3

Drawn from the public television series, the third volume of French chef Jacques Pepin's Fast Food My Way includes eight complete menus, featuring 31 different dishes. Pepin, a contemporary of the late Julia Child (as well as the former personal chef for French statesman Charles de Gaulle), is an amiable instructor for these eight 25-minute lessons. Always starting off with a super-quick appetizer, Pepin guides viewers through the creation of a variety of courses, including a banana bourbon coupe with honey, “easy” crepes (he jokes that the first one is usually for the dog), shrimp and scallop pillows (made with mousse and potsticker wrappers), mini-shrimp casseroles, brown sugar and soy sauce-glazed salmon, a cheesy vegetable soup, and hasty pudding with sour cream and apricots. While some of the dishes/ingredients seem a little outré (sautéed quail? chicken livers? turkey eggs?) for everyday fare, Pepin's relaxed approach and knack for making things look simple will have viewers believing they can do this at home. Select recipes are listed at www.kqed.org/w/jpfastfood/recipes.html. Recommended. Aud: P. (J. Williams-Wood)