Jacques Pepin is an amazing cook and so fun to watch. A huge culinary presence for decades, he actually started as a chef's apprentice when he was just 13!! His cooking shows are informative and interesting, especially when they feature the luscious dishes of his native France. He deftly shares his vast knowledge of numerous cooking techniques and delicious combinations of fresh foods.
The program I caught the other day was no exception. Jacques was whipping up Shrimp Pane on Watercress. Now shrimp is one of my favorite foods. I love it any way, shape or form - just like Bubba says to his friend Forrest in the movie Forrest Gump as he rattles off all the different shrimp preparations - shrimp cocktail, fried shrimp, shrimp scampi, whatever!! So, when Jacques started making shrimp pane, it really caught my eye. Such a unique way to make it - basically position four shrimp together to form a pane (patty), spread some shrimp mousse on the outside and then coat it in breadcrumbs. Simple yet tasty and flavorful. The crunchy outside is a nice complement to the juiciness of the shrimp - the mousse layer helps it stay tender and moist. He fried the patties but I sprayed them lightly with some olive oil and baked in the oven at about 400 degrees for a few minutes on each side and they turned out perfectly.

Jacques plated the shrimp over a watercress salad, but I had some arugula that worked just fine, as well as some fresh radish greens I decide to saute along with some purple onion and plump sunny-colored cherry tomatoes and mix in with the fresh arugula for the salad. Some quinoa rounded out the meal nicely, complemented by a bottle of The Huguenot Chenin Blanc 2012.





Shrimp Pane on Watercress


Serves 4

20 extra-large shrimp (16–20 per pound), shelled and deveined
1 large egg
1 small garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves
3 slices white bread (3 ounces), processed to crumbs in a food processor (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

SALAD
1 bunch watercress (8 ounces)
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons walnut oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cut off about 1 inch from the lower tail segment of each shrimp and put these tail pieces, along with the 4 smallest shrimp (total weight about 6 ounces) in the bowl of a food processor. Add the egg, garlic, salt, and pepper and process for about 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the parsley, and process for another 15 to 20 seconds, until the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a bowl. (You should have about 1 cup.)

Divide the remaining 16 shrimp into 4 portions. Arrange them on a tray so that each group of 4 shrimp is clustered together to form a flat patty. Coat the top surface of each patty with about 1½ tablespoons of the shrimp mousse. Sprinkle half the fresh bread crumbs over the mousse on the patties and press the crumbs gently into the mousse. Using a spatula, gently turn the patties over. Spread the remaining mousse over the patties and coat as before with the remaining bread crumbs. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.

At serving time, heat the canola oil and butter in a large skillet until hot. Carefully transfer the patties to the skillet and cook them gently for 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn carefully (they are delicate) and cook for 3 minutes on the other side. Cover and set aside.

FOR THE SALAD: Cut off the bottom 2 1/2 inches from the watercress stems (reserve, if you desire, in the refrigerator or freezer for use in soup). Wash the watercress well and dry it in a salad spinner.

Combine the sherry vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in the bowl in which you will toss the salad.

Just before serving, add the watercress to the bowl and toss to coat with the dressing. Divide the salad among four plates, place a shrimp patty on top of each, and serve.

Copyright © 2011 by Jacques Pépin. Used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
See more at: 
http://blogs.kqed.org/essentialpepin/2011/09/17/shrimp-pane-on-watercress/#sthash.qOR7sS8V.dpuf

I first discovered Susan Branch and her unique "Heart of the Home" books while staying with my husband at the lovely Artists Inn in Terre Hill, PA (the heart of Amish country). It was December, and as a surprise for his birthday I had "kidnapped" him after work, then drove us out there from Central NJ in a chilly, pouring rain. I had picked up sandwiches and desserts from our favorite local restaurant - Fedora Cafe, and packed them up in a picnic basket with a bottle of wine. 
When we finally arrived, hungry and white-knuckled from the drive, we were greeted by the kind and friendly owners of the Inn - Jan and Bruce. The Inn was beautifully decked out for the winter holidays, and our Christmas-themed room was just perfect. Jan set us up with our picnic supper in one of the adjoining rooms with a table and chairs. It was delicious - and the combination of the completed journey and the fantastic setting made it even tastier.
The next day we enjoyed some shopping and sightseeing and then came back to relax and bask in the inn's cozy ambiance before dinner. I had a cold and was feeling tired and stuffy and Jan doted on me by bringing up  a tray of tea and cookies for us. As a was resting and enjoying the steamy, fragrant tea, I noticed a book called Girlfriends Forever by Susan Branch on a bookshelf. The cover was beautifully illustrated and the lettering looked handwritten. I stared reading through it and was entranced by the colorful, intricate drawings, stories, and advice woven in among recipes, menus and household tips. It was a fun and poignant celebration of the bonds formed between women through friendship and family. I read it cover to cover during our stay and then Googled the author when we got home, discovering her "Heart of the Home" website and books and putting a bunch of them on my Amazon wish list. I can't even really put a label on these books - each page is decoratively painted and hand-written in Ms. Branch's beautiful cursive - they really are works of art. 
To add to the delightful look of these books, the recipes are creative and delicious, incorporating fresh, seasonal produce and interesting flavor combinations. One of the first recipes I tried from Girlfriends Forever is Broccoli Salad. It is great when you want a tangy-saucy type of salad, and you can experiment by add your own preferences, such as bacon and/or red onion. Here is the version I usually make:

The freshest of summer vegetables came together to create an incredibly flavorful sauce for some al dente bow-tie pasta. All the veggies were sourced locally from farms nearby, which was reflected in the garden-fresh taste. For the sauce, I sautéed one chopped white onion and two cloves of garlic in a little olive oil until they started to brown; then added one zucchini cut into dice. After cooking for a few minutes, I mixed in some beautiful miniature cherry tomatoes - they were so tiny that I didn't even need to chop them. So sweet and delicious - like candy! Towards the end I added one ear of cooked sweet corn that I had removed from the cob, as well as some oregano, basil and thyme from my garden. Some freshly grated pepper and seasoning salt and a few shakes of shaved parmesan were the final garnish. Paired nicely with a crisp Kora Sauvignon Blanc.