How Jacques Pépin Jazzes Up Holiday Leftover Sandwiches
French chef Jacques Pépin is world-renowned for creating delicious meals and appearing on multiple cooking shows. He even starred in one series with culinary icon Julia Child that was appropriately named "Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home," which won them multiple awards, including one through The James Beard Foundation (via PBS). The critically-acclaimed show featured 22 episodes where the duo revealed their methods on how to create incredible-tasting French and American dishes, according to IMDb.
Today, Pépin continues to dazzle audiences with his magnetic personality and cooking chops while delivering practical advice on making tasty dishes. The cookbook author even gave the "Rachael Ray Show" some easy Thanksgiving recipes that only involve five ingredients each that include camembert with pistachio crust, smoked ham glazed with maple syrup, and broiled maple sweet potatoes. But we all know the real star of the holiday is the turkey and all the leftovers the next day like the stuffing, gravy, and mashed potatoes. And of course, the best way to use these up is to create the most decadent sandwich ever. If you're looking for a unique twist on this classic leftover meal, Pépin has you covered.
The award-winning chef adds flavorful ingredients
Pépin recently appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" where the pair had a competition to see who could make the best leftover Thanksgiving sandwich. While Fallon included a lot of the staple items from the holiday, the famous chef added some unusual ingredients to his like Sriracha, mustard, and olive oil. However, his ultimate secret weapon was slathering his sandwich with gratin that his mother used to make, which typically consists of lightly browned breadcrumbs or melted cheese, per BBC.
When Fallon tried Pépin's gratin he was surprised at how good it was saying, "Oh my gosh. Yeah, I want that recipe." They ultimately had Questlove do a blind taste test to determine which sandwich was the best. The musician said that while Fallon's would definitely be something he'd likely make for himself, Pépin's was the clear winner in terms of flavor and complexity. So, if you're getting a little bored with your Turkey Day leftovers, try this spin on a holiday classic, your stomach will thank you.