[.ca] Jacques Pepin Fast Food My Way (ISBN 0618393129)

On of my favorite:
Jacques Pepin is wonderful. The recipes that he propose are so simple but yet so delicious. Really in a few minutes you will be able to make a wonderful meal. I would recommend it to anyone who does not want to spend hours in the kitchen. I also have Simple and Simply Delicious by Sylvie Rocher. Those two books are great!

Superb, Fast and Elegant Recipes:
I own over 60 cookbooks (including 3 or Jacques Pepin's) and am pleased when I get one good or great recipe from a book. Thus far I've made four recipes from this book that are exceptional (Salmon with Salsa Mayonnaise, Chicken Supreme with Balsamic reduction, Crab Cakes and the shrimp in individual ramekins). The premise of the book is that fast food can be made that is nutritious, tasty and elegant. All of the recipes in this book are simple to make (less than 30 minutes prep in the ones I tried), have a limited number of ingredients (most of which are common in many people's kitchens although I did have to go out and get a tube of Wasabi paste for the crab cakes), and do not involve complex cooking techniques. None of the recipes I've tried would be out of place at a fancy dinner party. Many have suprising twists (the hazelnut and bread crumb topping on the salmon and the ketchup in the balsamic reduction). These suprises can seem odd or different, but taste wonderful. I've only tried some of the recipes in the book and look forward to trying most of the rest. If you're looking for recipes that you will love, that will impress any dinner guest, and won't take the whole day in the kitchen to make, this cookbook is for you.

Cookbook shelf FAVOURITE:
This is such a fantastic cookbook - all the recipes are easy and fast just as the title suggests but also very adjustable for one person or other ingredients depending on what's in the store cupboard when coming in after work and no time for a trip to the grocery store. The series on PBS is excellent and the cookbook is as well. Simple ingredients, no fussy prep or long-winded recipes, plus vibrant colour pictures that your own food WILL turn out like.

Big Disappointment:
I bought this book because of name recognition. But what a disappointment. The recipes are uninteresting, totally bland and uninspiring. It's certainly simple but not something my kids nor I will touch. Don't waste your money.