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. 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. -- Midwest Book Review 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,