Quotes from Jacques Pepin

Paul Child came on stage and made two batches of one of his famous drinks, which he called, whimsically, à la recherche de l'orange perdue. It was delicious, and we consumed both batches. The ingredients give a fair idea of our mental condition afterward: 6 tablespoons dark Jamaican rum 9 tablespoons dry white vermouth 2 teaspoons bottled sweetened lime juice Juice of 1 lime 1 tablespoon orange marmalade 1 whole seedless orange, quartered 5 shakes orange bitters 1 cup ice cubes

The ingredient list for our standard veal stock recipe called for roasting 3,000 pounds of veal bones, to which we added 200 pounds of onions, 150 pounds of carrots, 100 pounds of celery, 12 gallons of canned tomatoes, a couple of sacks of salt, and a pound of black peppercorns.

A thin, firm, crackling ficelle (a skinny loaf of French bread) with a bar of dark chocolate works like a madeleine for me, taking me back to my youth and the French quatre heure, or small snack,

Then there is the small, twisted potato that we call ratte in French. Similar to fingerlings, these yellow, waxy, and dense potatoes are best sautéed in butter and peanut oil in a skillet.

rémoulade, a light mayonnaise with a lot of chopped onion, garlic, herbs, hard-cooked eggs, capers, and pickles.

light sauce américaine, with butter, tomatoes, garlic, and cognac.

I simply cooked the way I felt, based on the ingredients at my disposal. That became my definition of American cuisine.

Despite my professional status, I had to pass the official navy cook's exam. True to the spirit of bureaucracies everywhere, the test was given by a petty officer (petty being an especially appropriate word) who fancied himself a professional cook.

The French say, "L'éxactitude est la politesse des rois" (Punctuality is the good manners of kings).

We had a rib roast with a red wine Chambertin sauce that we served with a stew of rice and a jar-dinière of vegetables.

Bollinger Champagne, one of my favorites.

Autumns in Hunter were dedicated to a critical endeavor that enhanced our revelries year-round: the fermenting and bottling of apple cider.

After 45 years of marriage, when I have an argument with my wife, if we don't agree, we do what she wants. But, when we agree, we do what I want!

When I wrote 'Fast Food My Way' in 2004, I hoped that my friends would prepare my recipes. Now, more people cook from that book than any other I've written in the past 30 years.

You can't escape the taste of the food you had as a child. In times of stress, what do you dream about? Your mother's clam chowder. It's security, comfort. It brings you home.

I taped my first series for PBS in 1982 at WJCT-TV in Jacksonville, Florida. The show, called 'Everyday Cooking with Jacques Pepin ' was about saving time and money in the kitchen - and it was a celebration of simple and unpretentious food.

I cooked at the White House for Easter, last year, with Michelle Obama. But it more had to do with cooking from the organic garden, and her message. I took my daughter and granddaughter there, and they were really charming, it was great.

This June, I'll travel once again to the Food and Wine Magazine Classic in Aspen, Colorado. For many years, my dear friend Julia Child and I have teamed up to teach classes together at the event for the past seven years, my daughter, Claudine, has been my cooking partner on stage.

I say: If you don't know how to cook, I'm sure you have at least one friend who knows how to cook. Well, call that friend and say, 'Can I come next time and can I bring some food and can I come an hour or two hours ahead and watch you and help you?'

When I pair food and wine, I start with the food. If I have a beautiful roasted bird, I might choose a Cabernet or Pinot Noir, or maybe a Syrah, depending on the sauce and what is in my cellar.

This is what a family is all about - one another, sitting around the table at night. And it's very, very important, I think, for the kid to spend time not only around the table eating with their parents, but in the kitchen.

Probably a mistake, you know, that people make in America, to think that all great chefs are a male... I'm still the only male in the family who went into that business.

When I pair food and wine, I start with the food. If I have a beautiful roasted bird, I might choose a Cabernet or Pinot Noir, or maybe a Syrah, depending on the sauce and what is in my cellar.

When you become a good cook, you become a good craftsman, first. You repeat and repeat and repeat until your hands know how to move without thinking about it.