Some may argue that it is couture, but we think, without question, that France's greatest contribution to the world is its cuisine. When people sit down to a fine meal in France, their eyes open wide with pleasure, their taste buds dance, and they find themselves reluctant to leave the table.

Although these fine meals might make the prospect of preparing them seem daunting, French cuisine actually is based on a few simple tenets. The most important of these is a total devotion to using the finest possible ingredients at their peak of freshness. And here, we show how this notion is applied to achieve the full, rich, uniquely French flavors. The techniques are mostly simple, the use of ingredients based firmly on the belief that less is more. For instance, French cuisine is not a matter of slapping in more butter and cream but in knowing when to add a bit of either or both in order to elevate a dish to the sublime.

French cuisine is most commonly associated with sophisticated, complex, and sometimes fussy dishes, the sort of food you'd get in starred restaurants. But the simple, hearty cooking presented here is the real basis of all French cuisine, for it is the cuisine of the hearth and of the land.

How We Lightened French
Aside from removing a teaspoon or two of oil or butter, these recipes are as authentic as any you might find in a French home or bistro. Though it may be surprising, no artifice, stretching, or extreme efforts were necessary to make these recipes low-fat. They are presented here as they are typically made, with the freshest possible seasonal ingredients, used as carefully and simply as possible.