Pierre Franey has been many different things in his seven-plus decades: Fisherman, hunter, apprentice, chef, immigrant, soldier, executive, husband, father, newspaper columnist, raconteur, cookbook author and television star. But there is one thing he has always been without change: French.
So it's no surprise that his new series for PBS, produced by Maryland Public Television, is about his native France, from Paris to Normandy, from Brittany to the Loire Valley, from Gascony to Provence, from Burgundy to Champagne.
"France is something I wanted to do very dearly," Mr. Franey says, over lunch one recent day. "I decided to go around and show all of France, the different regions." So last year, starting in late summer, Mr. Franey and his crew of seven spent three months traveling thousands of kilometers in three vans, shooting 600 tapes in almost two score settings. Along the way, Mr. Franey explores notable restaurants (Le Crillon in Paris, the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo), humble bistros, and farms and forests, learning how great chefs follow the traditions of Escoffier and humble chefs follow the traditions of their ancestors, learning how goat cheese is made, how truffles are found, how champagne is produced.
The shows are put together in a three-way collaboration between Maryland, New York and Paris; about 6 or 7 hours of tape per show is edited down to 27 or 28 minutes of television time, a process that takes at least three people and about 10 days, according to John Potthast, executive producer. (The series began Sept. 9; it airs in the Baltimore area at 11 a.m. Saturdays on Channels 22 and 67.)
How did Mr. Franey choose his 26 subjects?
"I know France very well," says Mr. Franey, who was born in the village of St. Vinnemer in Burgundy. He apprenticed in restaurants in Paris before coming to the United States in 1939 to cook at the French Pavilion of the World's Fair in New York.
He had some ideas on what he wanted to show, he says, but he had help from the French Tourist Office in each region, who helped him identify chefs and producers. He was looking for a variety of settings.
"I know, myself, a lot of chefs, a lot of different places, but I wanted to do all kinds of restaurants. I went to a farm, where you could eat the product of the farm, I went to some bed and breakfasts, I did some picnics on the side of the road, and things like that.
"In Perigord country, I went looking for truffles -- with a pig. Like in the old days, and you see that in the show," Mr. Franey says.
"They use dogs, too. They're trained. The pigs, you know, they love truffles. As a matter of fact, you have to hold the pig. The dog is different, they don't eat it, they just smell it."
He went to a farm where the owner milks 120 goats twice a day, and makes goat cheese right there on the spot. He went fishing for bar (striped bass), and hunting for snails and wild mushrooms. He sampled the wines of every region, from the sparkling wine of Champagne to the Chablis of his boyhood Burgundy.
There is so much to tell about each place, he says, that each show "moves very fast. There is not a lot of cooking and stirring." In each segment, Mr. Franey does some cooking, and some eating. Many of the small restaurants are run by husband and wife teams, one in the kitchen and one in the dining room.
He was looking for simple dishes, nothing elaborate. "I expect the American people to do it. I asked [the chefs and restaurateurs] to do something in their style, but the food could be done in America. That's very important to show."
The popularity of Mr. Franey's show -- it is available in 85 percent of U.S. households, and airs in 23 of the top 25 markets, including Baltimore -- is a testament to the idea that Americans are increasingly interested in food and cooking. (He has also written 14 cookbooks and was for many years a weekly columnist for the New York Times.)
Mr. Potthast ranks Mr. Franey among the top three television cooking show stars. "The audience seems to respond well to him," Mr. Potthast says. "This is his third series, they know him -- and his recipes are good." The other two series were "Pierre Franey's Cuisine Rapide," and "Pierre Franey's Cooking in America."
Mr. Franey doesn't buy the notion that nobody cooks in America these days.
"I think people are very interested in food," he says. "I travel a lot, and I see husbands and wives who are very busy, and during the week they don't cook. But on weekends, they cook a lot. I know this. People are still interested in cooking."
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The following recipes are from the companion book to Mr. Franey's new series, "Pierre Franey's Cooking in France," by Pierre Franey and Richard Flaste (Alfred A. Knopf, $30). They are from the Cote d'Azur region, along the far southeast coast of France.
Jean-Pierre's salmon and cod brochettes
Serves 4
1 or 2 sweet red peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into 16 1-inch cubes
6 ounces skinless salmon fillet, cut into 12 1 1/2 -inch cubes
6 ounces skinless fresh cod fillet, cut into 12 1 1/2 -inch cubes
1 large white onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, cut into 16 1-inch cubes
1 fennel bulb, halved, cut into 16 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges as a garnish
marinade (recipe follows)
Prepare the outdoor charcoal barbecue.
Begin each skewer with a piece of red pepper. Continue by alternating the salmon and cod pieces with pieces of vegetable between each cube of fish. Finish each skewer with a piece of red pepper. To assure even cooking, do not press the ingredients too tightly together.
Place the skewers in a deep dish. Brush generously with the marinade and sprinkle with the basil and thyme. Let sit 1/2 hour. (Ideally, the skewers should marinate overnight.) Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Sprinkle the skewers with salt and pepper to taste and place them on the hot grill about 4 inches from the coals. Cook on the first side for 4 to 5 minutes. Brush again with the marinade and turn and cook on the second side for an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Do not overcook.
Garnish each serving with a lemon wedge. Serve with rice with pine nuts. (Recipe follows.)
Per serving: calories, 211; protein, 34 g; fat, 9 g; sodium, 1157 mg; carbohydrates, 169 g.
Marinade
Makes 1/2 cup
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic, peeled and finely chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon crushed coriander seeds
1 sprig fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
salt and freshly ground pepper
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice,
coriander, thyme and salt and pepper to taste.
Per fluid ounce: calories, 129; protein, 0 g; fat, 14 g; sodium, 824 mg; carbohydrates, 2 g.
Rice with Pine Nuts
Serves 4
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons chopped onions
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 cup parboiled (converted) rice
1 1/2 cups water
2 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a heavy oven-proof saucepan )) and add the onions and pine nuts. Cool and stir until wilted. Add the rice, water, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, stirring to make sure there are no lumps in the rice. Cover with a close-fitting lid and place in the oven. Bake for 17 minutes. Then remove cover and discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Using a fork, stir in the remaining butter and serve.
Per serving: calories, 89; protein, 1 g; fat, 3 g; sodium, 849 mg; carbohydrates, 15 g.