A Grandfather’s Lessons – Recipe and giveaway

In my conversation with Jacques Pépin last month, one of our topics was A Grandfather’s Lessons and the joy he experienced creating this book with Shorey. The recipes or lessons contained in this book range from fast but elegant, easy to sophisticated that young and old can both appreciate. The recipe for Arctic Char that we are sharing with our members today takes a few minutes but presents beautifully. On the other end of the spectrum is something playful, a curly dog which is a hot dog with slits that fries up in a pan.

To accompany some of the recipes in this beautiful book are 36 videos – each 10 to 12 minutes long – that can be found on Sur la Table – the links are set forth below each recipe in the book. Jacques, Shorey and Claudine will be touring for A Grandfather’s Lessons and you can find their scheduled events on our calendar.

Special thanks to the publisher for sharing a recipe today with our members and for offering three copies of this special book for our members in the US. Please scroll to the end of this post to enter.

Arctic Char with Tomato
Add this recipe to your Bookshelf (click the blue +Bookshelf button).

Serves 2

In this recipe I cook a fillet of Arctic char on the skin side only in a nonstick pan. This recipe also works well with trout. The sauce is a raw tomato puree made in a blender and seasoned with salt, pepper, and olive oil. (It can also be used for pasta or as a summer soup, in which case it should be doubled.)

The pan should be preheated for about 1 minute so it is hot when the fish is placed in it.

Covering the fish during cooking creates steam, which allows the char to cook on top without being turned, and the hot pan delivers a crusty skin without the addition of oil or butter. This dish should be prepared at the last minute because the fish takes only a short time to cook.

Sauce

1 ripe tomato (about 6 ounces), stem and core removed, cut into 1-inch pieces
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ tablespoons best-possible olive oil 

Fish

1 Arctic char fillet (about 12 ounces and ¾ inch thick at the thick end)
1 teaspoon olive oil teaspoon salt

For the sauce: Place the tomato pieces in a blender and process for 15 to 20 seconds, until well pureed. Add the salt, pepper, and oil, and process for another 10 seconds. Set aside.

At cooking time, cut the fillet into 2 pieces. Rub the skin with the oil and sprinkle with the salt. Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over high heat for about 1 minute. Place the fish pieces skin side down in the skillet, cover, and cook over high heat for about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and continue cooking the char in the residual heat for about 1 minute.

Meanwhile, heat the sauce in the microwave until warm, about
1 minute. Divide it between two dinner plates, and place the fish skin side up in the sauce. Serve immediately.

To see how it’s done, go to www.surlatable.com/jacquespepin

 

The publisher is offering three copies of this book to EYB Members in the US. One of the entry options is to answer the following question in the comments section of this blog post.

Which recipe in the index would you try first?

Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won’t be counted. For more information on this process, please see our step-by-step help post. Be sure to check your spam filters to make sure you receive our email notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on November 14th, 2017.

Post a comment

59 Comments

  • lgroom  on  October 7, 2017

    Bow-tie pasta in garden vegetable sauce sounds good.

  • ravensfan  on  October 7, 2017

    Creamy tomato soup

  • sgump  on  October 7, 2017

    I'd try the swiss chard gratin!

  • DJM  on  October 7, 2017

    Creamy tomato soup.

  • Rinshin  on  October 7, 2017

    Hot pâté in puff pastry

  • LaurenE  on  October 7, 2017

    Creamy tomato soup.

  • Scotsman61  on  October 7, 2017

    Hot pâté in puff pastry

  • mjes  on  October 8, 2017

    Curly dogs with pickle relish seems appropriate to try with grandchildren although I'll have to borrow a grandchild of the appropriate age.

  • kmn4  on  October 8, 2017

    Macaroni, spinach, and ham gratin

  • southerncooker  on  October 8, 2017

    Spicy ribs for Shorey

  • traculart  on  October 8, 2017

    I would make the Mushroom & Scallop Toast—sounds delicious and right up my flavor palette. After that I'd like my grandsons to peruse and choose!

  • matag  on  October 8, 2017

    Little rolls

  • cookshelf58  on  October 8, 2017

    Bow-Tie Pasta in Garden Vegetable Sauce

  • Siegal  on  October 8, 2017

    I want to make hot pate in puff pastry!!

  • JJWong  on  October 8, 2017

    We would love to try the creamy tomato soup. The kids and the grandparents would love to eat this together.

  • stargirl  on  October 9, 2017

    grilled cheese sandwiches and creamy tomato soup

  • sarahawker  on  October 9, 2017

    Chicken grits soup and chicken salad

  • djoh437938  on  October 9, 2017

    love jauques pepin

  • skipeterson  on  October 9, 2017

    Mushroom and scallop toasts

  • ktwalla  on  October 10, 2017

    Hot Pate in Puff Pastry.

  • bstewart  on  October 10, 2017

    Cottage cheese pancakes

  • laffersk  on  October 11, 2017

    Cucumber-dill sandwiches

  • jezpurr  on  October 13, 2017

    I'd probably try this first: Hamburgers a la plancha on ciabatta rolls!!!^_^

  • annieski  on  October 13, 2017

    Cottage cheese pancakes with blueberries

  • AnneOther  on  October 13, 2017

    I'm really curious to see Jacques Pepin's take on stuffed green peppers, so I'd try that recipe first.

  • mpdeb98  on  October 13, 2017

    Croque Shorey

  • Kelos  on  October 14, 2017

    Hummus with feta and sunflower seeds 🙂

  • JenJoLa  on  October 15, 2017

    Chocolate, nut, and fruit treats

  • ladybrooke  on  October 15, 2017

    Twice-baked potatoes with sour cream sauce

  • rivergait  on  October 16, 2017

    Curly hot dogs (with the killer zucchini I just canned this week). I would share it with my 12yo autistic grandson, because cooking with him is one of the few ways to reach his mind beyond his video games.

  • katehill  on  October 16, 2017

    Cucumber dill sandwiches sound amazing!

  • kitchenclimbers  on  October 18, 2017

    creamy tomato soup

  • linmin  on  October 20, 2017

    Quinoa with Dried Cherries and Almonds

  • davisesq212  on  October 20, 2017

    Glazed carrots because I need a new recipe for a veg for Thanksgiving.

  • sallansd  on  October 20, 2017

    Caramel Flan looks yummy!

  • lisambb  on  October 20, 2017

    Swiss chard gratin.

  • sequoia55  on  October 20, 2017

    Cottage cheese pancakes

  • Joy001  on  October 21, 2017

    Fish fillets in caper sauce

  • RSW  on  October 21, 2017

    Creamy tomato soup

  • jim.windle  on  October 21, 2017

    Artichokes with mustard sauce

  • tararr  on  October 21, 2017

    Mushroom & Scallop Toast

  • dusksunset  on  October 21, 2017

    Crunchy chicken thighs with zucchini

  • Jenamarie  on  October 22, 2017

    Quinoa with Dried Cherries & Almonds – sounds great for the holidays

  • lhudson  on  October 24, 2017

    I cook with my grandchildren all the time, cupcakes being the family favorite. I would love to up their game and try the Lemon sole with butter and lemon.

  • Julia  on  October 25, 2017

    Mushroom and scallop toast.

  • t.t  on  October 25, 2017

    Hummus with feta and sunflower seeds

  • jc214a  on  October 26, 2017

    The creamy tomato soup sounds delicious.

  • Uhmandanicole  on  October 30, 2017

    Arugula pasta pesto

  • RickPearson54  on  October 30, 2017

    Creamy tomato soup

  • bibliophile02  on  October 31, 2017

    Radishes with butter

  • fiarose  on  October 31, 2017

    mm, marinated chinese mushroom salad!

  • ltsuk  on  November 2, 2017

    pickle relish

  • RoseMGenuine  on  November 3, 2017

    Fish filets in caper sauce. This looks like a good book to enjoy with my daughter

  • Katiefayhutson  on  November 4, 2017

    Chocolate, nut, and fruit treats

  • dna  on  November 6, 2017

    arctic char with tomato

  • Shana.  on  November 10, 2017

    Beet and apple salad!

  • VeryVigario  on  November 13, 2017

    Cottage cheese pancakes with blueberries- they look delicious!

  • AnnaZed  on  November 13, 2017

    Radishes with butter (Radis au beurre)

  • orchidlady01  on  November 14, 2017

    Salmon for grandma and Fish tacos

Seen anything interesting? Let us know & we'll share it!