Pierre Franey Cooks With His Friends: With Recipes from Top Chefs in France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium & the Netherlands [Anglais] [Relié]

Pierre Franey's fourteenth and final cookbook marries low-fat preparation techniques with European tastes. His collaborations with top continental chefs result in delightful menus, made up of recipes to inspire cooks of every skill level, from sea scallops cooked in their own shells to baked rice with red peppers. Franey's "low-fat" often translates to less--rather than no--butter, making it clear (and rightly so) that he values taste above all else. Each of the more than 150 easy-to-follow recipes is accompanied by a brief story or serving recommendation, and all reflect Franey's love for the flavors of haute cuisine and his understanding of the American home cook.

Sadly, Franey, perhaps best known as the "60-Minute Gourmet," died shortly before this book was finished. His daughter Claudia, who'd been working as his collaborator, completed the book, which now stands as a tribute to the popular and personable chef. Filled with stunning color photographs, this volume is the companion to the upcoming PBS series Pierre Franey's Cooking in Europe. Franey visited and cooked with some of Europe's best chefs?e.g., Fredy Girardet in Switzerland and Michelin stars Marc Meneau and Michel Guerard in France?in search of low-fat dishes. There are several recipes from each chef, along with those Franey developed for the series and other favorites, 125 in all. A pleasure to read and to cook from, this is highly recommended. [BOMC selection.]
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Until his death in October 1996, Franey ranked as one of the chief exponents of French cooking in the U.S. His final book, produced with his daughter's collaboration, addresses Americans' current preoccupation with fat reduction. A luxuriantly illustrated volume, it chronicles Franey's 1990s excursions through Europe's most notable restaurants to uncover the impact of fashionable fat consciousness on classic cuisine. Franey presents featured chefs' recipes, then creates his own dishes both to demonstrate further ways to use the chefs' ideas and to round out a menu. Zealous dietitians will be dismayed by the absence of nutritional analyses for each recipe, but Franey's concern is not calorie counting but applying the lower-fat approach to otherwise classically informed cooking. Mark Knoblauch

This tribute to chef Franey is co-written with one of his daughters and represents travels to the restaurants of 17 top chefs in France, Italy, Spain, and other countries. Some recipes are the direct contributions and inventions of these chefs: others are Franey's embellishments and inspirations. Color photos of the restaurants and finished dishes blend with dishes which require some preparation, but which produce excellent, polished results.

Written by the daughter of the late Pierre Franey, this vividly illustrated cookbook is the result of Franey's journey through the kitchens of Europe--an international sampling of delicious health-conscious cooking from the world's greatest chefs. TV tie-in.

Pierre Franey came to the United States to work in the restaurant of the French Pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair and stayed on to become the executive chef of two great French restaurants in New York: Le Pavillon and La Cote Basque. He originated the "60 Minute Gourmet" column for The New York Times in 1976. This is his fourteenth book, "Pierre Franey's Cooking in Europe," his fifth television series, will be broadcast on public television beginning in April 1997. He collaborated on this book with his daughter, Claudia Franey Jensen. Pierre Franey died in October 1996.

Martin Brigdale is a well-known British photographer specializing in food. He has photographed many cookbooks in England and the Untied States, including Foods of Greece, The Mediterranean Pantry, Michel Roux Desserts, and French Country Cooking. He is an enthusiastic home cook and loves to travel.

Jean Cazals was born in France and lived in Paris and Geneva before settling in London. His photographs have appeared in many magazines, including Elle, Vogue Entertaining Australia, and The Independent Magazine.

Potatoes Au Gratin

Yield: 8-10 Servings

These potatoes are traditionally made with milk and cream. Instead, I use chicken broth, which has almost no fat.

2 1/2 pounds Idaho potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups sliced white onion
2 1/2 cups fresh or canned chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup Comte or Gruyere cheese, grated

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1/8-inch slices with a slicer--they must be of uniform size. Place them in a mixing bowl with cold water to remove the starch. Drain thoroughly.

3. Rub the bottom of a large flameproof gratin dish with the oil and add the potatoes and onion. Spread out evenly. Pour the broth over the potatoes. Place the bay leaf in the center of the potatoes and sprinkle with several gratings of nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil on top of the stove. Turn off the heat and add the cheese, spreading it evenly over the top. Place in the oven for 40 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove the bay leaf and serve.

Scallop and Shrimp Salad

Yield: 4 servings

This recipe calls for tiny cooked and shelled European shrimp, but tiny Maine shrimp can be substituted. If not available, use other small shrimp. It is important that the scallops be very fresh, because they are not cooked and are placed in the marinade only briefly.

FOR THE MARINADE:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup basil leaves, loosely packed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon aged red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
16 large, very fresh sea scallops, cut crosswise into 4 even slices
4 cups small, tender mixed salad greens, such as mesclun and mache
3 cups coarsely chopped mixed herbs, such as parsley, dill, tarragon, chervil, and a few mint leaves
1 pound small shrimp, cooked and peeled

1. Make the marinade: Heat the oil to lukewarm in a small saucepan, add the basil, remove, remove from heat, and let stand 1 hour. Strain. Add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Blend well.

2. Make the vinaigrette: In a large bowl, combine the mustard and vinegar and blend well with a wire whisk. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. Place the scallop slices in a large bowl and add the marinade. Toss well, making sure they are well coated. Let stand 15 minutes.

4. Just before serving, add the salad greens and fresh herbs to the vinaigrette. Toss well.

5. To serve, divide the salad greens among 4 large serving plates by piling up the greens in the center of each plate. Place 16 scallops in overlapping slices in a circle around each mound. Place the shrimp around the edges in small mounds, dividing them equally among the 4 plates, and pour the leftover marinade over.

Note: If you need to cook the shrimp, here's an easy way to do it: Put the shrimp in a pot of water with a little thyme, a bay leaf, a few parsley sprigs, a dash of Tabasco sauce, salt, and a few peppercorns. Bring to a simmer and turn off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Drain and peel when they have cooled down.

Baked Rice with Red Peppers

Yield: 4 servings

I prefer to use converted (parboiled) rice. After cooking, the grains remain slightly firm, retain their shape, and do not stick together or become gluey.

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup converted rice
1 1/2 cups fresh or canned chicken broth or water
2 sprigs parsley
1 sprig thyme, or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1/2 bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy ovenproof saucepan and cook the onion, red pepper, and garlic, stirring with a wooden spoon until the onion is translucent. Add the rice and stir briefly over low heat until all the grains are coated with oil.

3. Stir in the broth, making sure there are no lumps in the rice. Add the parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and cayenne. Cover with a close-fitting lid and place in the oven.

4. Bake the rice exactly 17 minutes. Remove the cover and discard the bay leaf, parsley, and thyme sprigs. Stir with a 2-pronged fork and serve.

Excerpted from Pierre Franey Cooks with His Friends. Copyright (c) 1997 by The Estate of Pierre Franey. Reprinted with permission by Artisan.