Synopses & Reviews
Roger Verge's Vegetables in the French Style is a collection of vegetable recipes that sing with the flavors, colors, and aromas of Provence. Although the classic French culinary tradition frequently consigns vegetables to a supporting role--as an accompaniment or garnish to meat or fish--Roger Verge, proprietor of the world famous Moulin de Mougins restaurant in the south of France near Cannes, has loved them since he can remember--in fact his first memories are of the tiny spring vegetables grown by his father.
Roger Verge's Vegetables in the French Style is not a treatise on vegetarianism--although vegetarians will find many enticing recipes in this book--or a collection of restrictive recipes for dieting. It contains 150 recipes for sauces, soups, salads, gratins, terrines, and other ways of bringing out the natural goodness of high-quality produce--from an earthy Eggplant Gratin to elegant Scrambled Eggs with Asparagus and Truffles; from traditional Braised Leeks to the exotic Jamaican Roasted Pumpkin; from Potato, Artichoke, and Olive Salad to Carrot Cake with Apricots (a tasty dessert). Recipe headnotes and sidebars add scores of exciting cooking and serving ideas, encouraging improvisation, and Verge also suggests the perfect wine to serve with each dish. Section introductions provide advice on how to choose the best vegetables in the market. An extensive appendix details the classic methods of vegetable cookery--poaching, sweating, braising, frying, or baking--as well as today's favored methods--steaming, stir-frying, and grilling. One hundred color photographs show elegant and simple finished dishes as well as succulent fresh vegetables.
Synopsis
Roger VergT's first memories were of the tiny spring vegetables grown by his father. Former proprietor of the world famous Moulin de Mougins in the south of France near Cannes, a restaurant with two stars in the Michelin guide, he was not content to leave vegetables where they are so often consigned by classical French cuisine--as a garnish to accompany meats or fish--but explored all their culinary possibilities.
The result is Roger VergT's Vegetables in the French Style, a tribute to his love affair with vegetables. It contains 150 recipes for sauces, soups, salads, gratins, terrines, and other ways of bringing out the natural goodness of high-quality produce. Recipe headnotes and sidebars add scores of exciting cooking and serving ideas, encouraging improvisation. Section introductions provide important advice on how to choose the best vegetables in the market. An extensive appendix details the classic methods of vegetable cookery--poaching, sweating, braising, frying, and baking--as well as today's favored methods--steaming, stir-frying, and grilling. One hundred color photographs show elegant and simple finished dishes as well as succulent fresh vegetables.
About the Author
Roger Vergé opened Moulin de Mougins in 1969. His cooking and hospitality have received the highest awards in gastronomical guides. He operates a cooking school at Mougins that attracts a growing number of students each year, and he developed the menus for the restaurants at the French pavilion at the Epcot Center at Disney World in Florida and runs a restaurant in Tokyo. Bernard Touillon, a French photographer who is equally at home photographing houses and food, has worked closely with Roger Vergé to show the radiance, flavor, and wonderful simplicity of fresh vegetables and vegetable dishes.
Table of Contents
A Passion for Vegetables
Sauces and Coulis
Sun-Drenched Vegetables
Green Vegetables
Vegetables of the Earth
Vegetables from Afar
Vegetable Medleys
All-Vegetable Menus
The Right Way to Cook
Index
Acknowledgments