The art of Jacques Pépin A life in recipes and paintings

A charming foreword about painting, art, and cuisine frames the legendary Pépin's latest contribution to aesthetic cookbooks. In the more recent of his 30-plus oeuvres, Pépin has inserted a handful of his water acrylic paintings. This collection is split about 50/50 between Pépin's art and recipes, with a mix of mosaics, sculpture, and painting illustrating his 100-ish recipes. Readers may also be surprised by the French chef's advocacy here for quick-cook dishes and store-bought ingredients (puff pastry, pound cake, and leftover takeout rice) as he helps home chefs create sophisticated soups, entrées, and desserts for family and guests. A sampling of the easy elegance: fish crudo (aka ceviche), ziti with sausage and vegetables, chocolate treats, raspberry delight. Take in Pépin's great advice with a soupçon of gratitude for this true culinary genius.

"Happiness is in my kitchen and painting studio," writes legendary chef Pépin (Cooking My Way) in this dazzling volume that brings together his loves of cooking and painting. Dishes like cream of mushroom soup, steamed scallops on spinach with hazelnut dressing, and chicken breast sautéed with tomato and chives, come together quickly. For something more elaborate, Pépin offers veal shank printaniere, pork roast with ratatouille, and flan à la vanille with caramel-cognac sauce. Much of the cheery, vibrant artwork that accompanies the recipes features produce, farm animals, and chefs at work, though there are also pieces that feel wholly unrelated to the recipes. The abstracted pastel "Serenity Landscape," for example, follows a recipe for chili-garlic baked cod, while the expressive nude "Lying Model" precedes a yellow pepper soup with asparagus garnish. Still, the infectious joy Pépin takes in both pursuits shines through. Throughout, Pépin also offers money-saving tips and encourages readers to experiment with substitutions. ("If good-quality cauliflower is less expensive than broccoli, use that instead," he writes for the ziti with sausage and vegetables.) This celebratory collection will delight newcomers and longtime fans alike. Agent: Doe Coover, Doe Coover Agency. (Sept.)