The premise of this savvy, stylish cookbook is that French chefs can teach us a thing or two about fast food. Young (The Paris Café Cookbook
) trains his investigative palate on Paris's sophisticated but informal eateries: wine bars, bistros and brasseries. In his well-researched introduction, he distinguishes the three types of establishments, offering a short history of each (all three, it happens, have evolved in a similar direction, so that classifications like "gastro bistro" and "brasserie du luxe" are less descriptive than they used to be). Cooking in such places elevates local, seasonal and often cheap ingredients into inventive concoctions, like a chicken roasted with crushed hazelnuts and cauliflower florets, or Nectarine Gratin with Mango Coulis. Many of the recipes are simply classic: Cheese Puffs (Gougères
),Warm Lentil Salad, Onion Soup Gratinée, Pan-Grilled Rib Steak with Béarnaise Sauce, Choucroute
and Chocolate Profiteroles. For a somewhat experienced chef with a willful disregard for cholesterol, these are easy to make at home. For the more casual cookbook browser, Young has also included a dining guide of the essential bistros, brasseries and wine bars he so temptingly describes. B&w photos. (Feb.)
