641.5944 French: The French Culinary Institute's Salute to Healthy Cooking

The other night, the Husband decided to make me dinner. A nice piece of fish, actually. I'm not the best fish cooker, but the Husband is great with the proteins. I offered to make a nice salad to go along with it. We have a great cookbook at home, one that masterfully balances flavor with virtue, that I decided to use for this. It's called The French Culinary Institute's Salute to Healthy Cooking. I was hooked long before I got to the word "French." Jacques Pepin's cute little face graces the cover, for crying out loud. That lovely man would never steer me wrong. With him stand Alain Sailhac, Jacques Torres, and Andre Soltner. Admittedly, I had to Google these guys to get the particulars on them, and let's just say they know their food. They're all big shots at the French Culinary Institute (Executive Vice President/Dean Emeritus, Dean of Pastry Arts, and Dean of Classic Studies, respectively), and have won numerous awards, accolades, and honors.

You won't find this book on the shelves at the Avon Library, but just give us a call (860-673-9712) or go to our online catalog to place a hold and we'll borrow it from another library and have it for you here in just a few days.

The book starts out by discussing the "French Paradox," the confusing fact that the French don't shy away from ample quantities of lard, butter, and other saturated fats, yet they have far lower rates of heart disease than their American counterparts. The point is that such rich foods are merely one component of the French culinary experience - fresh vegetables, whole grains, and high-quality ingredients are at the foreground of a truly French meal. Meat is used to flavor meals, not as the predominant ingredient. And perhaps most importantly, French meals are a savored, relaxing, leisurely experience. Shopping is done almost daily to ensure the freshest ingredients. The food is honored and shared with friends. It's almost never eaten standing up, on-the-go, or in the car. Sounds great, right? Try suggesting a 2-hour lunch break to your boss, and let me know how it goes.

There's a chapter covering the chef bios, one on "Mastering the Basics," and one that offers "Menus for Easy Entertaining." The bulk of the book organizes the recipes by season. Each season offers 10 or so menus: each with a starter, a main course, and a dessert. At home we tend to mix and match based on what we're in the mood for and what we have on hand. This book is a go-to for us at home for a lot of reasons. The calories, fat, etc are all included with the recipe, so when you're trying to show a bit of restraint, it's easy to know just what you're dealing with. A few of our favorite recipes include Tomato Tarts, Sea Scallops with Fresh Ginger Sauce (and leeks!), and the Two-Celery Soup.

To accompany our nice piece of fish (a grilled salmon fillet topped with a crabmeat-dill sauce), I thought the FCI's recipe for Warm French Potato Salad sounded great. I imagined some fresh, simple greens, topped with freshly cooked potatoes and a nice vinaigrette. But it turned out to be...well, potato salad. As in potatoes. With dressing. Just like the picnic variety, only warm. And with a mustardy dressing, not mayo. Okay, so not exactly like the stuff you get at the deli counter. But definitely more potato than salad, according to my arbitrary distinction. I read the recipe and decided it would be perfect served on some nice greens (arugula, perhaps), and with a few green beans (haricots verts, of course) as well.

It was super simple and easy. I boiled 3 medium-sized new red potatoes until they just started to get tender, let them cool a bit, and cut them in to eigths. While they were still warm, I tossed them with a sherry-mustard vinaigrette and some shallots and parsley. I also threw in some blanched green beans and tossed it all with a handful of arugula. We sat down at the table, resolved to be relaxed and reverent about our dining experience. The lovely, simple salad went perfectly with our grilled salmon and creamy crab and dill sauce. The potatoes added a heartiness to the salad, the green beans provided a mild crunch. The dressing was slightly tangy, but not overpowering. The meal as a whole was flavorful, satisfying, and thoroughly enjoyable.