Paul Prudhomme - Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Fork in the Road

A Different Direction in Cooking

Photography by Paul Rico

Hi! In this section I want to tell you something about how and why this book came about.

The title, Fork in the Road, was chosen because the book represents a different direction in cooking for me. As I travel around this country and talk to people, one of the things that makes a strong impression on me is that so many of you are frustrated at being told you have to learn to eat in a new way. Whether its for medical or personal reasons, youre supposed to change the way you eat, and thats very, very hard to do.

Were all creatures of habit, and our eating habits are among the hardest to break. Now Im no scientist, and what follows is just my Cajun philosophy after listening to people and observing how they were raised. I believe the way we like to eat has nothing to do with the way we work today, but relates to the way most people worked in the past.

In the old days, we didnt have machinery to do our heavy work for us, and we didnt have so many cars, so we walked when we had to go somewhere. Most of us didnt have central heating, so our bodies had to work at keeping us warm. All that work required a lot of energy, and food that gives us energywith high levels of fat and sugartastes good. Im pretty sure Nature designed it that way so that people would eat the foods their bodies needed to keep going.

Although our work habits have changed considerably over the past fifty years or so, our bodies and tastes cant change that quickly, so we want and eat a lot of delicious, high-energy food that we dont need. Then, what happens is that our bodies store all that extra energy as fat. I gain weight very, very fast if I eat more food than I need.

I grew up on a farm in Louisiana, and when I was young I did my share of very heavy work. But that was more than thirty years ago. Ive carried this weight since I was very young, and Ive been very lucky that it hasnt caused me any serious health problems. I have more energy and endurance than most people you knowask anyone who works for me! I do, however, feel best when Im at the low end of my normal weight range.

Im concerned when people tell me how hard it is to change their cooking and eating habits. As you and I know, a lot of what is called healthful food looks and tastes like twigs. Or worse. So I figure what we need to do is select dishes that weve always liked, ones were used to cooking and eating, and then take out the worst offenderthe fat. Unfortunately, its often the fat that gives foods their textures and flavors.

Nevertheless, my staff and I used as our goal the standard set by the American Heart Association, that not more than 30 percent of the total calories in each dish come from fat. Equally important, however, was our determination that every dish taste as delicious as if it had been created without regard to nutrition. If it doesnt taste good, I dont want to eat it, and I dont think you want to either.

The recipes in this book, with few exceptions, derive fewer than 30 percent of their calories from fat; those that dont conform are clearly indicated. However, theyre still useful, since you can always compensate by serving nonfat or low-fat side dishes.

Because I know you dont have unlimited time to spend in your kitchenno matter how inspired you may beI also tried to simplify the recipes. Obviously none of them is as easy as popping a frozen dinner into the microwave, but if thats what you like to eat you wouldnt be reading this book!

How we achieved our goalsreducing fat, retaining flavor and textures, as well as a series of ideas to expand your knowledge and expertiseis outlined in the following section. Throughout the book youll see a great number of dishes youre used to cooking, recipes weve worked on to reduce or eliminate the fat. By looking at these, and noticing what weve done, you can learn to do the same thing with your own favorite dishes. You can get rid of the fat and still make the recipes taste good. Let me show you how.

This is a guidebook. Take a Fork in the Road, and let it lead you toward a new way of more healthful cooking and eating.

Good cooking, Good eating, Good loving!

Theres a lot of information I want to share with youtoo much to be written into the individual recipes. Besides, some of these musings and explanations apply to more than one dish, so it seems to make sense to have them all in one place.

Cooking is a lot of fun, and I dont want to do anything or write anything that takes away from having a good time in the kitchen. So the following information is designed to give you more time for the fun stuff!

I also want to say, right here at the start, that I consider this book only a guide. Nothing is carved in stone. If youre not comfortable with a certain ingredient, then for heavens sake dont use it! Ive given you examples of how things can be done, and trust that theyll inspire you to try these recipes and experiment with some of your own. Working on this book has, I think, made me a better cook, and I hope that using it will do the same for you.

So here we go, taking that Fork in the Road!

Nonfat dairy product substitutes. Many of the recipes in this book use nonfat cream cheese, nonfat cottage cheese, and canned evaporated skim milk, either alone or in combination. In the test kitchen we discovered that these products add a wonderful richness and texture to our dishes, without the fat and calories of their whole-milk counterparts. For our purposes, when I combine these products, I call them creamy mixtures.

A couple of words of caution are in order, though. First, creamy mixtures that contain nonfat dairy products lose their texture and curdle, or break, if theyre heated to more than about 160 or 170. Youll note that in the recipes we tell you to add the creamers, then either turn off or reduce the heat immediately.

When these mixtures are pureed, they tend to incorporate a good bit of air, making them very frothy. This is no big dealthe bubbles disappear after a minute or two, but it might be disconcerting the first time you see it.

Needless to say, we wouldnt be using nonfat products if we thought any harm could come from them. So far no research has indicated the possibility of any problems with them, and they do offer an advantage in creating rich and creamy dishes. The ingredient that gives nonfat foods this edge is called Simplesse, which is made from dairy protein. Simplesse shouldnt have an adverse effect on anyone who isnt allergic to it.

Artificial sweeteners. Many of our recipes, and not just desserts, call for the optional use of artificial sweeteners. They bring out the natural flavors of other ingredients without adding unnecessary calories. I suggest using equal amounts of two different sweetenersone with saccharin (Sweetn Low) and the other with aspartame (Equal), for a balanced taste.

I have read that a tiny percentage of the population is allergic to aspartame; in these few people, it can cause brainwave dysfunction. But for the majority of us, these sweeteners open up endless possibilities for flavor enhancement.