Those who have read A Jazz Odyssey, Oscar Peterson's autobiography, will know how much he enjoyed fine food. He wrote about some of his favorite restaurants around the world and the wonderful meals he enjoyed. You will also, no doubt, be aware of the great influence of Norman “The Gourmand” Granz.

What you might not know is that Oscar was himself a marvelous cook. His natural curiosity and enthusiasm for wonderful meals, not to mention his obvious gift for improvisation in all forms, led to many creative exploits in the kitchen at home.

Staples of Oscar's culinary store were the “comfort foods” he learned to prepare under the tutelage of his mother. These included red beans and rice, the best gravy you will ever taste and the dressing for the Christmas turkey. These were all parts of our traditional Christmas dinner. The only food preparation tasks I had for this meal were to make the cranberry-orange relish, green vegetables, mincemeat pie (with hard sauce) and apple pie. Oscar did the rest, with me as his sous chef. It was always a joyous time, preparing this meal together. Once Céline was old enough to help she joined in the preparations. Her job was to help stir the ingredients together, and to get whatever Daddy needed to add to the pot. With Nat King Cole's Christmas and the Singers' Unlimited Christmas albums playing, we chatted and cooked and sang along, sharing this special time together.

Oscar also taught me to prepare certain items and encouraged me to take over some of the cooking tasks. The gravy lesson was of the utmost importance. There was no “just mix some flour into the pan juices” gravy in our house. The flour needed to be browned slowly, with seasonings first, until it was a deep, rich brown. The fat was then added carefully to avoid lumps. Then water for the right consistency, seasoning adjusted before the final touch of cream. One of the secret ingredients (shhhhh….): chocolate chips. Just a few, just to add some sweetness. Then a few drops of hot sauce. Wow. It was wonderful. I must admit that there were several failed attempts before I finally achieved success. My heart would race as I carried the “tasting spoon” to the master for his opinion. The first time he said, “you got it this time!” I was over the moon with joy.

There were also times when Oscar would savor his meal at a restaurant so carefully, deciphering the ingredients that had been blended together, with the thought of recreating the dish at home. He also talked with restaurateurs and chefs about their creations, learning more each time. He was thrilled with meeting Paul Bocuse in Lyon and going into the master's kitchen. Bocuse carried young Céline into the kitchen himself, propping her up on one of the counters near the stoves!

As Christmas, 2007 approached we talked about the preparations for our Christmas meal. We usually prepared the red beans a few days ahead of time so that the flavors would blend and preparations on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day would be minimal. Oscar told me that he wanted me to make the red beans this year. “You're ready, now,” he said. “I can turn this over to you.” His confidence in me moved me greatly, although I did not know the irony of the timing until early morning on December 23.

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Readers may be curious about the gravy recipe, but it is not one that can be written and shared; the gravy is made by taste, not measurements. However, the following is one of Oscar's own recipes for a sauce for crab, shrimp or other seafood or fish.

OSCAR'S CRAB SAUCE

Start saucepan with a tablespoon of olive oil.

Add 1 - 2 teaspoons each of basil and dill to the warm oil. Continue stirring as you add _ teaspoon of onion salt, _ teaspoon garlic powder and some freshly ground pepper.

Stir continuously on medium heat as seasonings blend together.

Reduce heat to low and add 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce and 2 tablespoons chili sauce.

Add another tablespoon (or two, to taste) of ketchup. Continue stirring over low heat.

Now add 2 -3 tablespoons of salad cream dressing and then carefully stir in about 3 tablespoons of coffee cream (or heavy cream). Keep heat LOW so that this doesn't burn.

In a small bowl mix _ cup of brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Add a teaspoon of vinegar and still until smooth. Slowly add this to the simmering sauce. Add more cream or chili sauce as needed for color and taste. Simmer until sauce is thoroughly heated and becomes a rich, orangy color.

Add seafood of your choice to the sauce. When seafood is cooked, serve over hot rice, accompanied with steamed peas.

The accompanying photos are of Oscar in a playful mood while preparing his gravy. His joy was ever-present.