July 25, 2007

Jacques Pépin, one of America’s best-known chefs, cookbook authors, and cooking teachers has published 24 books, numerous articles, and hosted nine acclaimed public television cooking series. Here, Chef Pépin shares his delicious recipe for Berry Potpourri in his own words!

Bon Appétite!

What could be more summery than a mixture of ripe berries at peak taste, smell, and color? This is the ideal dessert for a big party; it is fast to make, and everyone loves it, especially if you serve the fruit with a moist and buttery piece of homemade pound cake and some crème fraîche.

I always try to go to local markets to buy berries. Instead of mixing them with sugar, I combine them with seedless raspberry jam or apricot preserves, a little lemon juice, and a julienne of lemon peel. In my garden I have spearmint, English mint, and peppermint, and I like to add some to my berries to add fragrance, flavor, and coolness to the dessert.

The fresher and riper the berries, the better the result. Do not use frozen fruit, because all the juice is released as it thaws and the fruit becomes soft and mushy. (I use frozen berries when I make a coulis, a puree, or a sherbet, however, because frozen berries have often been picked and frozen at their peak and are sometimes more flavorful than the fresh ones.)

The raspberries should have a deep red color and the strawberries should be bright red, with no green near the stems or tips, an indication that they are not ripe. Your nose will tell you whether your strawberries and raspberries are ripe and at peak. As for blueberries, taste them and sort through them, discarding pieces of leaves and stems or any spoiled berries.

Buy 1 pint each of blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries, and, if available, 1/2 pint of blackberries or boysenberries. Sort the berries, and if they are dirty, wash them before you remove the hulls, so the water doesn’t go inside the berries. Cut the strawberries, if they are large, into 4 or 6 pieces, but leave small berries whole. Remove a dozen strips of lemon peel with a vegetable peeler, stack them up together, and cut them into a fine julienne. Sprinkle into the bowl you will use for serving the berries.

Add one 12-ounce jar of seedless raspberry jam to the bowl, and whisk in 2 or 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Make a couple of tablespoons of mint chiffonade by stacking up an assortment of mint leaves, rolling them together, and cutting them into fine shredded pieces. Add to the bowl, mix well, and then add the strawberries and blueberries (the firmer fruit), first. Toss, and at the last moment add the raspberries and blackberries, and toss again gently to avoid crushing the berries. Serve with a slice of moist pound cake and a tablespoon of sour cream, whipped cream, or crème fraîche.

—Jacques Pépin

Serves about 12.

Jacques Pépin is former columnist for The New York Times, Pépin writes a quarterly column for Food & Wine. He also participates regularly in that magazine’s prestigious Food & Wine Classic in Aspen and at other culinary festivals and fund-raising events worldwide.

In October, 2004, Pépin received France’s highest civilian honor, the French Legion of Honor, at a presentation in New York. He is also the recipient of two other of the French government’s high honors: he was named a Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1997 and a Chevalier de L’Ordre du Mérite Agricole in 1992. The Dean of Special Programs at The French Culinary Institute (New York), Pépin is an adjunct faculty member at Boston University. He is a founder of The American Institute of Wine and Food and a member of the International Association of Cooking Professionals. He and his wife, Gloria, live in Madison, Connecticut.

Pépin has published more than 20 cookbooks with millions of copies in print worldwide. His latest book, Chez Jacques: Traditions and Rituals of a Cook, is available online here.

Visit Chef Jacques Pépin on the web @ hnabooks.com.