The Dish: Chef Jacques Pepin shares recipes from his new book and PBS cooking series

Jacques Pepin has authored more than 25 cookbooks, including his 1976 book, "La Technique," which is still used in culinary schools today. He first brought his cooking skills and French charm into our living rooms with TV shows like "Julia and Jacques cooking at home."

Now, at almost 80-years-old, he's back on public television with his new series "Jacques Pepin heart and soul in the kitchen." The companion book by the same name has just been released.

Corn Soufflé

Serves 4

For this soufflé, corn kernels are pureed in a blender with Gruyère, eggs, half-and-half, a chili pepper, and chives, then cooked in individual ramekins or a gratin dish. It makes a great first course for dinner or accompaniment for grilled meat or fish.

The soufflé can be assembled a few hours ahead and baked when needed. It will come out of the oven puffy and should be eaten as soon as possible, since it tends to deflate.

2 large or 3 smaller ears sweet corn, as young and fresh as possible, husked

½ cup diced Gruyère cheese

½ cup half-and-half

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons diced poblano or jalapeño pepper, or to taste

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for the soufflé molds

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Using a sharp knife or mandoline, cut the corn kernels off the cobs. (You should have 2½ to 3 cups corn kernels.)

Put the corn, Gruyere, half-and-half, eggs, chili pepper, salt, and pepper in a blender (a blender makes a smoother mixture than a food processor) and blend for about 1 minute, until smooth. Add the chives and pulse to mix them in.

Butter four ¾- to 1-cup soufflé molds or a 4-cup gratin dish. Fill with the corn mixture and place on a baking sheet. (The soufflé can be refrigerated for several hours before baking.)

Bake the soufflé for about 25 minutes, until puffy, golden, and set. Serve right away.

Fried Eggplant Fans

Serves 4

For this recipe, I use the long, thin, deep red or bright purple eggplant variously called Japanese, Chinese, or Asian eggplant. They are firm with small seeds. Each eggplant is split lengthwise in half and then the halves are cut into thin slices still attached at one end; when spread out and fried, they look like beautiful crisp brown fans. The fans are good as a garnish for grilled meat or poultry, as an appetizer, or on a salad. They are best eaten right out of the skillet, but you can keep them for 10 or 15 minutes if you arrange them in one layer on a wire rack, so they don't get soggy underneath, and put them in a warm oven. The batter should be very cold to produce the crispest coating.

2 Japanese or Chinese eggplants (about 6 ounces each, 8 to 10 inches long and 2 inches thick)

Batter

2 large egg yolks

½ cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup ice-cold water

About ½ cup canola oil, for frying

Salt

Cut each eggplant lengthwise in half on a diagonal on a cutting board, so one end of each half eggplant is thicker than the other end. To make the fans, turn a half eggplant cut side down with the thick end toward you and cut lengthwise into thin slices (about ¼ inch thick), cutting from the thin end to the thick end and leaving the slices attached at the thin end. You should get 7 or 8 slices. Press on the slices to spread them out to create a fan about 6 inches wide at the wide end. Repeat with the remaining eggplant halves.

For the batter:

Mix the egg yolks, flour, and ¼ cup of the ice water with a whisk in a bowl to make a thick, smooth batter. Add the remaining ½ cup ice water and mix it in. (If making the batter ahead, refrigerate.)

At cooking time, heat the oil in two large nonstick skillets (or fry in two batches, using half the oil for each one). Dip each fan into the batter so it is well coated on both sides, place 2 of them, in one layer, in the hot oil in each skillet, and press lightly to make the fans spread out. Cook over high heat for about 4 minutes on the first side, then turn over and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on the other side, until cooked through, crisp, and well browned on both sides.

Using a spatula, transfer the eggplant to a wire rack. Sprinkle with salt and serve. Or keep warm on the rack in a 145-degree oven for a few minutes, until ready to serve.

Cherry Crumble

Serves 4 to 6

Gloria loves cherry pie and the classic French clafoutis, and so do I, but when time is short, I'm happy with this simple cherry crumble. Serve it warm with ice cream, crème fraîche, or sour cream. I often buy frozen pitted cherries for this dessert.

1 pound dark sweet cherries, pitted, or frozen pitted sweet cherries

2 tablespoons sugar

Dough

¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Ice cream, crème fraîche, or sour cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the cherries and sugar in a bowl and mix well, then transfer to a 4- to 5-cup gratin dish.

For the dough:

Mix the ingredients by hand or in a food processor just until the mixture comes together. Crumble the dough over the cherries.

Bake the crumble for 45 minutes. Serve warm, topping each portion with a heaping spoonful of ice cream, crème fraiche, or sour cream.

Hibiscus Flower Cocktail

Makes 4 cups of tea, enough for 8 cocktails

I made this cocktail often in Mexico during our vacations there. The first time I bought jamaica, or hibiscus, flowers at the local market, I did not know what they were, but they looked and smelled wonderful. I soon learned from local friends how to transform them into an aromatic and refreshing bright red tea. Then I graduated to a cocktail by adding lime juice and tequila. If you can't get dried hibiscus flowers, use 3 Red Zinger tea bags.

For the tea

4 cups water

1 cup dried hibiscus (Jamaica) flowers (see headnote)

For each cocktail

½ cup Hibiscus Tea (above)

2 tablespoons Mexican jarabe or other simple syrup, grenadine, or sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1½ to 2 ounces tequila

A dash or more of habanero hot sauce

Plenty of ice

For the tea:

Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the dried flowers, bring back to a boil, and boil for 1 minute. Cover and let steep for 15 minutes. Strain the tea and cool.

For each cocktail:

Combine all the ingredients in a large glass, mix well, and serve.

Chicken Jardiniere

Serves 4

My mother made this type of stew from the carcass of a raw chicken and its gizzards; I use pancetta instead of gizzards for additional flavor and chicken legs, which stay moist during the cooking. Jardini.re means "gardener" in French, and the vegetables change according to what is in season or in my garden. The stew is easy to put together, and it gets better every time you reheat it.

2 ½ ounces lean pancetta, cut into lardons (strips about 1 inch long and½ inch thick)

1 ½ tablespoons peanut oil

4 chicken legs (about 2 3/4 pounds), left whole or cut into 2 pieces each, ends of the drumsticks and skin removed (about 2 1/4 pounds trimmed)

1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¾ cup fruity dry white wine

¾ cup water

12 small red potatoes (about 8 ounces), peeled

8 small baby bella or cremini mushrooms (about 5 ounces), washed

12 small pearl onions (about 4 ounces)

1 ¼ cups diced (1-inch) carrots

1 ½ tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic

1 fresh thyme branch

1 cup frozen baby peas

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Saute the lardons in the oil in a large saucepan or a Dutch oven (the pan should be wide enough to hold the chicken in a single layer) over high heat for 2 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and sauté them, turning once, for about 8 minutes, until lightly browned. Sprinkle with the flour, salt, and pepper and move the chicken around to distribute the flour evenly. Cook for 1 minute, then add the wine and water and mix well.

Add the potatoes, mushrooms, onions, carrots, garlic, and thyme and mix well. Bring to a full boil, making sure that the stew is boiling throughout, then cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 45 minutes. (The stew can be prepared ahead to this point and reheated to serve.)

At serving time, add the peas to the stew, bring to a boil, and boil for 2 minutes.

Transfer the stew to individual plates or a large platter, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve.

Red Cabbage, Pistachio, and Cranberry Salad with Blue Cheese

Serves 4

The crunchiness of the cabbage and nuts in this substantial salad goes well with the chewiness of the sweet dried cranberries. A topping of crumbled blue cheese--I use Stilton or Roquefort--adds depth.

1½ pounds red cabbage (1 small to medium head), wilted leaves and big ribs removed and discarded (about 1 pound trimmed)

½ cup pistachio nuts

½ cup dried cranberries

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 tablespoon walnut oil

6 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese, such as Stilton or Roquefort

3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Shred the cabbage on a mandoline or cut it into thin strips with a sharp knife. Transfer to a bowl and add the pistachios, cranberries, salt, Tabasco, vinegar, and both oils. Mix well and let marinate for about 1 hour.

Divide the salad among four plates. Sprinkle with the blue cheese and chives and serve.

Excerpted from Heart & Soul in the Kitchen, © 2015 by Jacques Pépin. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.