In praise of today’s lighter French cuisine and its distinctive flair

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This article was published 20/04/2009 (5984 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For Laura Calder, French cuisine isn’t so much what the people of that country eat “but how they eat.”

“It’s this caring about things which is cultural, and for me French food is representative of something larger,” says the host of Food Network Canada’s program “French Food at Home.”

“It is a whole value system that thinks beauty, fun and good taste in all things that matter.”

That show was inspired by a cookbook of the same name published in 2003. Her second, “French Taste: Elegant Everyday Eating” (HarperCollins), is out this spring and contradicts assumptions that the country’s cuisine is too rich, complicated and time-consuming to prepare.

Since the native of New Brunswick went to France over 10 years ago to pursue studies at L’Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne in Burgundy with renowned culinary teacher Anne Willan, she has seen a sea change in French cuisine.

Calder’s book focuses on modern French cooking, which she insists and demonstrates is lighter, simpler, fresher but keeping all the flavour and flair of classic cuisine.

“In my experience that’s how French food is going now in modern kitchens and how people cook at home,” she says. “All of these recipes are ones people gave me or I ate at a friend’s home or I got out of French magazines and they are all from France.”

Calder’s gift and obvious love for the written word shines in the little essays dotted between recipes throughout “French Taste.”

In one “How To Eat,” she writes: “No matter how antisocial we seem to make it these days (in North America) it’s easy to eat with relish in France because ‘everybody is doing it’ (and because the country doesn’t run on the mind-boggling belief that unnecessary deprivation is somehow a virtue).”

Calder has praise for the French for their dinner parties.

“They can easily have seven courses and last five hours and everyone at the table will eat and drink everything in sight with unbounded glee,” she writes.

Other essays or pensees deal with the act of cooking, how to shop and entertain and a lesson on buying cheese.

Season 3 of “French Food At Home” will begin airing on Food Network Canada in October.

As fresh local homegrown asparagus is soon to be available, here is Calder’s recipe that bypasses the grill and uses a saute pan instead.

Sauteed Asparagus

2 bunches asparagus, about 500 g (1 lb)

Olive oil

Fleur de sel

Fresh ground pepper

Trim tough ends from asparagus and discard. Heat a few tablespoons of oil (30 to 45 ml) in a saute pan over medium-high heat. When very hot, add asparagus in batches, not overlapping. Saute, turning occasionally with tongs until slightly golden and tender, but still maintaining a bit of bite, about 5 minutes depending on how thick asparagus is. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange on a platter and serve.

Makes 6 servings.