HardcoverI've never seen any of Pepin's television programs nor have I read any of his cookbooks, so I brought nothing to this reading other than a slight familiarity with Pepin's name. I actually don't know if that colored my opinion of the book for good or ill... I guess it's possible I would've liked it more if it felt as though I were reading the history of an esteemed acquaintance; or perhaps I would have felt a keener disappointment at its barely-scratching-surface anecdotes.
It's not a difficult book to read, but it was very episodic "when I was x, this happened" (2-3 pages), "when I was x I did this" (2-3 pages), "I worked at this place for a chef that wasn't as charming or smart or good-looking as I" (4-5 pages -- but tweaked and pressed into service for several different job situations), and on and on. He's obviously an innovative chef with an interesting career behind him, but he's also vain and petty. His "me vs. him" narratives seem to assume that readers are in his corner by default.
The recipes included are probably the best part of the book, even though the one I've tried so far (Eggs Jeannette) was just OK -- I'll probably stick with the much-less complex but more flavorful deviled eggs in future. I have copied and plan to make a couple of the other dishes, but that doesn't mean I want to hear any more about the guy behind them.
C
