French Classics Made Easy: A 10-Minute Souffle, a Contemporary Bouillabaisse, a Lighter, Quicker Cassoulet%E2%80%94250 Great Recipes Updated for the Modern Kitchen

This author took cooking classes with James Beard, served as the U.S. representative for Le Cordon Bleu from 1969 till 1985, and is the founder and president of the nonprofit Careers Through Culinary Arts Program. In short, he knows what he's doing (and how to teach others to do it, too), and that's reflected in this book's 250 recipes for accessible versions of French classics, including slow-scrambled eggs with truffles, mousseline-stuffed trout, cassoulet, beef Burgundy, and duck %C3%A0 l'orange. Though the prose feels a tad condescending and out of touch, it does include helpful instruction on everything from washing and storing salad greens to solving common souffl%C3%A9 problems. Perhaps most valuable of all is the section on the sauces (velout%C3%A9, bechamel, beurre blanc, demiglace, and more) that make French cooking what it is. Anyone who's been schooled mainly in the 30-minute meals tradition would benefit from the education this book offers. (June)