The Short-Cut Cook

William Morrow & Co. Fine in Fine Dust Jacket. 1990. First Edition: Sixth Printing. Hard Cover. 283 pages: 7.5 x 9.5 in.: 2: KB#005394: Dustjacket now protected by a new Brodart Mylar Cover. Scarce, Out Of Print, Book. Review by Publishers Weekly: "Master Chef Pepin (La Technique) , Multiple IACP/Tastemaker Award recipient, has built a considerable reputation on his teaching of classic culinary skills. Forthwith he takes a new approach. Billed as a celebration of "a cuisine that is rewarding without being demanding, " this book may shock his fans. Staples here come from cans, bottles, freezer cases and packages; some recipes are eerily reminiscent of back-of-the-box concoctions--borscht made with canned beets; split pita bread buttered and sprinkled with Parmesan before a run into the toaster oven. Regardless, Pepin achieves his aim: to cook with minimal effort while providing zesty meals. Some recipes (required) costly fresh ingredients (lobster, veal chops). More affordable yet still adventurous are black bean hummus with smoked oysters and sour cream, a salad of sardines augmented with ripe tomatoes, and Bartlett pears baked in puff pastry shells. 'If something tastes good, it doesn't matter whether it is 'authentic' or prepared 'correctly'--what works, works, ' Pepin declares. " .