Jacques Pépin Peels an Apple

(jazzy piano music)

Well, you can peel an apple with a vegetable peeler,

but I am used to do it with a knife.

Now, if you do it with a knife,

first, you take that center here and there.

Now, make sure you put your thumb there,

otherwise that knife will go right in your hand.

So, you put your thumb there, put the knife there

and turn around to get that part of the apple

which you can use, actually, as a decoration;

same thing on the other side.

And then, now, notice that I am holding the knife,

I am holding the blade, actually, and using

only the thumb, only the part of my thumb, here,

to start cutting around.

And, we start cutting around and as you can see,

I'm right-handed and I am moving my right hand,

but I am moving the left hand

probably as much as right hand

to turn the apple into the knife,

though, turn around.

My grandmother would dry that out to make tea.

She thought that they good for your kidney.

Now, it's clean on each side, so you cut it in half.

And again, the center of your apple, the same thing,

you put your thumb here and get the center of that apple.

So, that you can do with a melon baller,

you can use a vegetable peeler,

but all of that will go faster.

You have your apple and then,

(knife tapping) slice your apple.

You get the outside slice.

(knife tapping)

And, the outside slice, which are a little bit different,

you chop it coarsely. (knife tapping)

Here is what you put in the bottom of your tart

and this you spread out like a deck of cards

in order to arrange onto your thing.

That's, basically, the way you peel an apple.