The Elegance Of French Cuisine

Growing up in France, Jean-Pierre Brehier spent a lot of time in the kitchen. Now, the cookbook author and PBS host wants to help Americans learn how to enjoy their time in the kitchen.

His newest book, "Cooking 101," is accompanied by DVDs that allow you to cook alongside Chef Jean-Pierre. On The Saturday Early Show, he prepared a three-course meal for four on the Chef on Shoestring budget of $40.

Born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France, Jean-Pierre was the youngest of five children and spent a great deal of time in the kitchen with his mother, Yolande, a Cordon Bleu chef.

His first job (at age 12) was in a local butcher shop where he mastered the art of charcuterie. Determined to become a chef, he began his formal apprenticeship at L'Ousteau de Baumaniere in Provence, one of the world's best restaurants with a 3-star Michelin rating. He continued his apprenticeship on the French Riviera, where he worked at famous restaurants such as L'Oasis at La Napoule, Le Vendome in Aix-en-Provence and the Carlton in Cannes.

In 1976, he opened The Left Bank Restaurant. In 1994, the chef hosted his first national PBS series, "Sunshine Cuisine," with 80 shows distributed on 280 PBS stations across in the United States, Japan, China and Australia. 1994 also saw the publication of his first cookbook, with the same name as his television show. The James Beard Foundation nominated "Sunshine Cuisine" in the category of Best Culinary Video.

In 1997, he opened "Chef Jean-Pierre's Cooking School," where he has taught more than 7,000 students the fundamentals of cooking. The next year, he hosted his second national PBS series, "Incredible Cuisine" with 26 shows distributed on 250 PBS stations across the United States. He also published his second cookbook of the same name with Time Life.

In January 2006, he released his third cookbook, "Cooking 101," an interactive book with recipes from some of the most popular courses he teaches at his cooking school. A third PBS series, "A Cooking Affair with Jean-Pierre" is set to launch next year. He's also working on two more interactive cookbooks.

Menu:
Brie & Goat Cheese Soufflé
Horseradish-Crusted Salmon in Roasted Pepper Coulis
Chocolate & Hazelnut Truffle

RECIPES

Brie and Goat Cheese Soufflé
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
4 soufflé molds (5 to 6 oz)
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
1 cup half & half (or a bit less, depending on the size of your molds)
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes cut into very small dice
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
4 large egg yolks
4 ounces crumbled goat cheese
2 cups sour dough bread, crust removed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 ounces Brie, rind (crust) removed
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Butter the inside of the soufflé molds or use a non-stick spray. Coat the inside with grated Parmesan cheese.
3. In a saucepan, heat the half & half, the sun-dried tomatoes and the garlic. In a glass bowl, mix the eggs, salt and pepper. Add the warm half & half to the eggs; do it slowly, to avoid cooking the eggs.
4. Divide the bread into the buttered molds, making sure not to fill more than half of the mold.
5. Top the bread with the divided cheeses and pour the half & half mixture on top. Let stand for a few minutes, until the bread had time to soak up the half & half. Using a fork, push on the bread to make sure all of it is wet.
6. Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the soufflés are nice and golden brown. You can serve them in the soufflé cup or let them rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes, run a knife around the side to unmold and serve warm.

Bread Crumbs and Horseradish Crusted Salmon
Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:
1 country-style loaf of bread, crust removed
2 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish
2 tablespoons dill leaves
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
¼ cup grated Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 5-ounce salmon filets
1 recipe roasted bell pepper coulis

METHOD:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Inside the bowl of your food processor, combine the bread, horseradish, dill, garlic and Reggiano cheese. Pulse to make crumbs.
3. Lightly brush the top of the fish filet with the mustard. Pat the bread mixture on top of the mustard on each fish filet.
4. In a sauté pan, heat one tablespoon butter and one tablespoons olive oil. When the butter turns light golden brown, add the fish, skin side down, and cook for at least 2 to 3 minutes. The skin should be nice and crispy. Do not put too many fish pieces in the same pan; do not crowd the pan.
5. Carefully move fish to a baking dish, keeping the skin side down, and bake until tops are golden brown. Serve fish on top of roasted pepper coulis.

ROASTED BELL PEPPER COULIS

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup onion
2 or 3 roasted bell peppers (14 ounces jar)
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
12 basil leaves

METHOD:
1. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil. When hot, add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic, and when fragrant add the peppers and their juice, basil and chicken stock. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. In a food processor or using an immersion blender, process until very smooth. Strain with a chinois or fine strainer and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Chocolate and Hazelnut Torte
4 servings

Ingredients:
4 ounces roasted hazelnuts
8 chocolate chip cookies
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 pound semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup whipped cream for decoration

Method for crust:
Process hazelnuts and cookies in food processor until fine in consistency, but not greasy. Press into the bottom of each mold and refrigerate while you make the filling.

Method for chocolate mocha filling:
Heat the cream on medium heat. Pour over chocolate and stir to melt.

To assemble torte:
Pour equal amount of chocolate mixture in each mold, freeze for at least two hours. Carefully remove mold, spoon on whipped cream, dust with cocoa powder.