For this book, the late Pierre Franey---originator of the popular "60-minute Gourmet" column for
The New York Times, author of thirteen books, and star of the popular PBS cooking shows "Cuisine Rapid," "Cooking in America," and "Cooking in France"--traveled throughout Europe, cooking with seventeen friends. All are top chefs or restaurateurs who have recognized the need to cook in a lighter, healthier way, both for their costumers and for themselves. In France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, these chefs combine moderate amounts of butter, cheese, and oil with fresh local produce and masterful combinations of herbs to create healthy, satisfying, and delicious food.
Among Franey's friends were Paul Bocuse, Michel Guerard, and Marc Meneau in France; Fredy Girardet in Switzerland; Pierrs Wynants of Comme Chez Soi in Belgium; and Antonio Belles of the tapas bar in the Hotel Arts in Barcelona. These world-famous chefs provide both classic and innovative recipes, such as Bocuse's Black Bass with a Potato Crust, and Guerard's Pan con Tomate, a staple of Catalonian cuisine. Franey contributed some one hundred of his own health-conscious recipes, inspired by watching his friends cook and visiting their local markets. These include such tempting dishes as Spicy Shrimp and Squid Salad, Penne with Baby Spinach and Fresh Peas, and Sauteed Apples in Calvados.
The result of Franey's journey is an international sampling of delicious health-conscious cooking from great European chefs and from Graney himself, who was one of America's most loved culinary figures.
In Pierre Franey Cooks with His Friends--the companion volume to "Pierre Franey's Cooking in Europe," his fifth public television cooking series--one of America's most loved culinary figures travels through Europe, visiting and cooking with top chefs in France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. In recent years, these chefs have begun to cook in a lighter, healthier way--not only for their customers but for themselves as well. By combining fresh local produce and masterful combinations of herbs with moderate amounts of butter, cheese, and oil, these chefs are creating healthful, satisfying, and delicious food. They have reduced the fat and sugar in some of their favorite recipes and have developed new dishes that are naturally lower in fat and calories.
Franey has collected classic and innovative recipes from these world-famous chefs--such as Paul Bocuse, Michel Guerard, Fredy Girardet, and Pierre Wynants--and has visited their gardens and local markets. Inspired by these experiences, he has developed some one hundred delicious, health-conscious recipes of his own.
Among the tantalizing recipes are Paul Bocuse's Black Sea Bass With a Potato Crust, Paola Cavazzini's Pork Tenderloin with Prosciutto, Roger Souvereyns' Belgian Endive with Sea Scallops, and Fredy Girardet's Passion Fruit Souffle.
Franey's contributions include Medallions of Lamb with Basil, Monkfish and Scallops in Bouillabaisse Sauce, Baked Striped Bass Fillets with Vegetables, Spicy Shrimp and Squid Salad, and Bittersweet Chocolate Sorbet. These delicious dishes represent the happy marriage of traditional European cooking and the new health-conscious cuisine.
Sadly, Pierre Franey died on October 15, 1996, shortly after completing work on this book. Pierre Franey Cooks with His Friends, his only illustrated cookbook, is a warm tribute to his many friends in the food world and a fitting culmination to his multi-faceted career.
