Jacques Pépin: A Legacy of Technique

In this unit you will receive an overview of Jacques Pépin | A Legacy of Technique: the structure of this course, an introduction to our instructors and a walk-through of the course platform. We hope you will take a moment to complete a welcome survey.

In this unit you will gain insight and understanding into Jacques’ core principle that food is precious and worthy of respect. You will learn how to organize yourself mentally and physically to cook, that practice and repetition are necessary for mastery, the importance of knowing and cooking for an audience, and that food is a powerful force for community, health and well-being.

In this unit you will learn knife basics, gain an understanding of Jacques’ interpretation of mise en place, and get an overview of Jacques’ pantry and his approach to selecting ingredients.

In this unit you will begin to discover the enormously diverse world of tender and green vegetables, some of the fundamentals of vegetable preparation and cooking techniques. The unit introduces categories of techniques including raw, sautéed, blanched and roasted preparations. As in every unit, each preparation is supported with recipes and videos demonstrating the techniques and illustrative descriptions explaining the underlying cooking principles and food science.

In this unit you will learn preparations for firm vegetables, such as potatoes and other root vegetables, squashes and firm aromatic vegetables. Recipes, videos and discussion focus on select vegetables as exemplars for a variety of techniques ranging from raw and pickled to sautéed to shallow braised to roasted.

Jacques loves eggs! In this unit you will discover the versatility of eggs through a collection of Jacques’ techniques and recipes. You will build your own repertoire of preparations and techniques by exploring examples of eggs cooked simply with direct heat in a pan, with water, or with dry heat, and of course Jacques’ signature French omelet.

In this unit you will learn the skills needed to effectively take apart a whole chicken and cook its pieces in a variety of techniques. You will learn techniques for cooking chicken in a sauté pan or pot with liquid, as well as how to best roast a whole turkey or chicken.

In this unit you will be exposed to the wide variety of aquatic life that makes up the complex category of seafood. The unit provides background to aid you in making good, sustainable seafood choices. Jacques offers excellent ideas to stimulate your appetite and appreciation, while offering the best paths to excellent results.

In this unit you will learn some basic handling and cutting techniques for fruit, as well as simple methods for raw and cooked fruit presentations. Throughout the unit, emphasis will be placed on evaluation of the ripeness of the fruit and the application of appropriate techniques to simply exalt the end of a meal.

In this unit you will apply all you have observed and practiced to complete a meal for the most appreciative of guests, Chef Jacques Pépin.

In this unit, the primary objective will be to review the course and to complete a final knowledge check. You will also be afforded the opportunity to explore the legacy of Jacques Pépin including his cookbooks and video series, as well as further readings about the Jacques Pépin Foundation. Thank you for being our guest.