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Torn Allegiances: The Story of a Gay Cadet
Jim Holobaugh , and
Keith Hale
Manufacturer: Alyson Publications
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Clicking Beat on the Brink of Nada
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Customer Reviews:
Very Well Done.......1997-04-08
Holobaugh, an ROTC cadet was dismissed from the program and ordered to repay his scholarship once he admitted to his superiors that he was gay. Through legal challanges, the order to repay was withdrawn, but he was not reinstated in the program. This is the story of a very decent and intelligent young man with integrity and sound values. Certainly someone that would represent us well in the service of our country. Yet once again, someone with an infinite capacity to serve is lost to us because of the Dark Age, senseless reasoning that has created
these regulations. Ironically, those who enforce them, with their bigotry and ignorance...still serve.
Customer Reviews:
An Interesting Military Read.......2007-06-09
The tech is fairly low grade in this. The space mercs have fast attack assault shuttles, machine guns and electronic communications but the enemy has practically nothing and so guerilla tactics are the order of the day.
The body count is high. The men in the squads say as much, that this isn't the usual, but it is the first book in the series so I have to wonder if this will be typical. I shouldn't compare it to the classic Heinlein book Starship Trooper but it was hard not to as both are about military infantry life.
I had to wonder at the tactics used by the men in the book. I am not a military person but I didn't understand many of them, how they were supposed to work, especially the final battle and the two man scouting exercise that goes so badly.
Since that could be my lack of understanding I don't hold it against the author and I have ordered the others in the series.
Military might with no bite........2006-01-11
I'm a fan of sci fi military books-started with Heinlein, enjoy Drake and Weber. I was hoping for a decent soldiers-in-arms read but instead got a comic book minus the pictures. If you like characters with some depth, don't buy this book. If you enjoy reading about the clash of cultures and what life might be like in the future, don't bother. However, if you want a pure plot driven story that goes into excrutiating military tactical detail, this is the series for you.
Beyond routine into the boring.......2005-09-15
Unlike most military SF, this has neither moral quandaries, interesting tech, bloody melodrama, or philosphical musings. Or, for that matter, interesting characters, compelling plotting, or much reason to finish, let alone pick up the succeeding editions of the Dirigent Mercenary Corps series. Young cadet on his first tour faces a not-very-mysteriously-motivated civil conflict. Slogging ensues. Not bad, just numbingly pedestrian and routine.
Give it a try.......2005-06-14
Officer Cadet is something of a mixed bag, and is a rare type of SF novel. Like the other DMC novels by Rick Shelley, it is well-written, and gets the point across without dumbing down the language or barraging the reader with meaningless techno-babble. The fights are described thoroughly enough without being too repetitive, and the focus is kept more on the tactics than the gore. The universe Shelley presents is believable and interesting, and although the larger political situation beyond the mercenaries' contract world is only hinted at, the stuff that is presented can certainly make you think. The series' biggest flaw (I liked them enough despite this to buy all of them) is that the characters are rather flat.
For most of the mercs that serve alongside the main character, it seems you could switch them all around and not notice a difference in the characterizations. They all seem to share basically the same outlook, opinions, and attitudes, and are all basically on an even keel. The protagonist of the series, Lon Nolan, is the only character that shows any real development - everybody else is really just an archetype.
The technology shown in the series is perhaps surprisingly primitive compared to most SF visions. The soldiers pretty much always fight on foot, mostly with rifles that fire bullets just like today's weapons. As near as I can tell, they don't even use caseless ammunition. There is widespread medical nano-technology and the obligatory faster-than-light space ships, but for the most part, it seems technology has reached a glass ceiling in Shelley's world. (One puzzling thing about the technology is the "replicator," which is a matter-rearranging device common enough to be used for making food and ammo, but is not used by the mercs to make ammo, which has to be brought in by shuttle.)
The upside to all of this is that the technology is easy to grasp, so your attention can be focused on the combat- and THAT is what the DMC series is all about. The characters, the politics, the technology, they're all really just vehicles to bring you into the fighting. And the fighting is good. They lack some of the intensity of other military SF novels, due to the somewhat shallow characters, but the description of the action, setting, and tactics bring the fight to life. It's an unusual military science fiction book that doesn't focus on technology, gore, or angst, but rather on tactics. The politics are believable, and fleshed-out enough to provide intriguing context without getting preachy. Everything else is there to provide a framework and context for the combat.
Overall, it's a mixed bag, but quite enjoyable. If you are a fan of military science fiction, or even modern military history, you should read these books.
David Drake's Slammers series entertains a bit better, I think, but Rick Shelley's Dirigent Merecenary Corps always feels more realistic to me. If you desperately need nauseatingly viscious battles and deeper characters, I'd strongly suggest checking out Ben Weaver's Brothers in Arms and John Steakley's Armor. And if you've somehow missed it before, for the love of all that is holy, read Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers. I wouldn't put the DMC books on a list of sci-fi classics, but they deserve a try.
Not Millitary Scifi at its Best.......2004-09-21
I write this review rougly five minutes after growing disgusted with Officer-Cadet and flipping it across my room into a dusty corner. Some day I'll take it to a used bookstore so someone else can suffer this litterary landmine for less than the cover price.
I am a huge fan of run and gun scifi. My preferences run from David Drake (my favorite), to the StarWars novels, to Honor and her ilk and beyond. A cover depicting a space marine and a plot about mercs is usually enough to snag my attention and make that last payment on my credit card a few dollars more and a few days further away. Officer-Cadet had the picture and described the plot...but there was nothing between page 1 and 279 to even keep me awake. There isn't much plot to speak of and what plot there is, is propped up by every niggling cliche in the book (forgive the pun).
I only hope Rick Shelley's other books are better, though I seriously doubt I'll spend the time or money to find out.
Book Description
This superb electronic book on a single DVD-ROM presents the most comprehensive collection available anywhere on the United States Military Academy at West Point. USMA West Point coverage features these publications: Educating Future Army Officers for A Changing World; The Redbook of Academic Programs; Educating Army Leaders; Staff; Office of the Dean; Admissions; USMA Library; Academics and the Curriculum; Academic Departments coverage includes all Departments from Behavioral Sciences & Leadership to Systems Engineering; Military and Physical Instructional Departments; Centers of Excellence; Extensive Color Photographic coverage of student life and activities; USMA Class coverage (Class of 1998 through 2007) including thousands of pages of color photography of class activities; Notable Graduates; Tour of Sites and Buildings with dramatic color photography; Cadet Life; Department of Military Instruction; Department of Physical Education; Corps of Cadets; Cadet Clubs; Staff Judge Advocate; Garrison Commander; Provost Marshal's Office; Keller Army Community Hospital.
USMA West Point historical coverage includes: West Point Photos of the Late Nineteenth Century; Personal Reminiscences 1824-1831; Class Albums 1862, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902; The Howitzer 1897; John Adams Manuscript; Photographs of West Point by U.S. Army Signal Corps and official West Point photographer; Photos and Drawings by Seneca R. Stoddard; USMA News and Press Releases from 1999 through 2003; Extensive 2002 U.S. Military Academy Bicentennial Celebration coverage; Sandhurst Competition.
This disc has over 57,000 pages reproduced using Adobe Acrobat PDF software - allowing direct viewing on Windows and Macintosh systems, and Reader software is included. The Acrobat cataloging technology adds enormous value and uncommon functionality to this impressive collection of government documents and material. There is no other reference that is as fast, convenient, comprehensive, and portable!
Our discs are privately-compiled collections of official public domain U.S. government files and documents - they are not produced by the federal government. They are designed to provide a convenient user-friendly reference work, utilizing the benefits of the Acrobat format to uniformly present thousands of pages that can be rapidly reviewed or printed without untold hours of tedious searching and downloading. This book-on-a-disc makes a superb reference work and educational tool. This DVD-ROM disc is for use in a computer DVD drive. The files can be accessed from the File Explorer in the same way that you open files from a CD-ROM disc; the CD-ROM and DVD-ROM formats are functionally the same, but the DVD has more than six times greater storage capacity. Of course, this disc cannot be "played" in a DVD player connected to a television set. It contains computer-formatted data, not video.
Product Description
This is a AIR FORCE INST OF TECH WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB OH SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT report procured by the Pentagon and made available for public release. It has been reproduced in the best form available to the Pentagon. It is not spiral-bound, but rather assembled with Velobinding in a soft, white linen cover. The Storming Media report number is A521324. The abstract provided by the Pentagon follows: The United States Army is continually looking for ways to improve the training of its leaders. FM 22-100, Army Leadership: Be, Know, Do (1999), provides the foundation for the Army's leadership training. Its goal is to train leaders who can both accomplish the mission and take care of soldiers and their families. This project investigates how individuals' leadership opinions may vary according to their year in the Reserve Officer Training Corps program and also compared to non-ROTC students of similar academic standing. Does the leadership training implemented in ROTC effect change in leadership opinions from the MS III (junior) to the MSIV (senior) cadets and do these opinions coincide with the Army's desires? Do the opinions stated by ROTC cadets differ from non-ROTC students? And finally, do these opinions differ by university attended? The leadership behaviors being investigated are those defined by Fleishman (1953, 1957): consideration and initiating structure. These leadership behaviors minor the Army's "Mission First, People Always" motto. Taking care of soldiers and their families is consideration, while accomplishing the mission is initiating structure. The Leadership Opinion Questionnaire developed by Fleishman (1953), contains 40 questions (20 consideration, 20 initiating structure) measuring both elements. Both elements are independent, which means a leader can have varying levels of each (Fleishman, 1989).
Book Description
The only complete source for the rules and regulations of the U. S. Army Medical Department, Grace's Manual contains all general orders from the war department, and circulars from the surgeon-general's office from January 1, 1868 to July 1, 1864. It lists the medical staff of the U. S. Army as of July 1, 1864.
Amazon.com
Julia Child may have been responsible for helping American cooks ease into French cooking techniques, but it was Pierre Franey who brought it all home with his New York Times recipe column, "The 60-Minute Gourmet." Franey took the fear and drudgery out of stylish, flavorful cooking and injected healthy doses of fun. Many were his fans, and many a weekly dinner menu was planned with a hole in the middle to allow for Franey's latest culinary exploration. The best part was the timing. With the basic ingredients on hand and with a little skill under the belt, any home cook could, in fact, get out of the kitchen in 60 minutes and put on the table what many would consider a gourmet dish.
Thanks be to Bryan Miller and to Pierre Franey's family for gathering up 300 of the great teacher's recipes from his column and assembling them for Cooking with the 60-Minute Gourmet. So true to context are these recipes that you can hear Franey tell you what the ingredients are as you read the list, and hear him explain how a dish goes together as you read through the directions--which is to say, there's magic in these pages.
In chapters that include appetizers, salads, soups, poultry, beef, pork, veal, lamb, seafood, pasta, vegetables, and desserts, you will find the likes of Garlic Potatoes, Ziti with Mussels and Broccoli, Salmon with Sorrel Sauce, Broiled Skirt Steak Cajun Style, Indonesian-Style Chicken Breasts, Pumpkin Sage Soup, Tomato and Lentil Salad, and a Cold Lobster Appetizer with Spicy Mustard Sauce. Check out Franey's spicy mango barbecue sauce (he serves it with roasted baby chickens). There are celebrity chefs today who call such a sauce new and bold, which only shows how far out ahead Pierre Franey always was. --Schuyler Ingle
Book Description
Three hundred newly discovered recipes drawn from Pierre Franey's famed "60-Minute Gourmet" columns in The New York Times
The master chef's legions of fans will be delighted to learn of such surprising culinary good fortune. Prepared with Pierre Franey's characteristic flair and ebullience, this new collection offers three hundred recipes that appeared in The New York Times but were never before published in a cookbook. These recipes are as delicious as those in his two earlier 60-Minute Gourmet collections and combine everything that was great about Pierre Franey's cooking: fresh, flavorful, low-fat ingredients, ease of preparation, and the commandment "Don't spend all evening in the kitchen!"
Following a successful career as a restaurant chef, Pierre Franey became a food writer for The New York Times in 1975, when he accepted the challenge to write a regular column featuring recipes that would take less than one hour to prepare. Though he was initially concerned that the time limit might detract from the quality of the dishes, he quickly recalled the delicious foods prepared in his childhood home in France, which often took very little time to cook. Over the two decades that his column appeared, he developed thousands of dishes that can--indeed, must--be made in only minutes to bring them to a state of absolute perfection.
Cooking with the 60-Minute Gourmet is a dazzling collection of great recipes. The book opens with appetizers, salads, and soups, then moves into meats, poultry, seafood, pasta, and, finally, desserts. Among the many delectable recipes are Green Bean and Red Pepper Salad, Lobster and Wild Rice Salad, Double Veal Chops with Braised Spring Vegetables, Sirloin Steak with Crushed Peppercorns, Roasted Baby Chickens with Spicy Mango Barbecue Sauce, Shrimp with Snow Peas and Tomatoes, Fettuccine with Goat Cheese and Asparagus, Broiled Fennel and Zucchini with Parmesan Cheese, Summer Fruit Salad, and Poached Pears in Red Wine and Cassis.
A special tribute to Pierre Franey is offered in a fond Foreword by his lifelong friend the master chef Jacques Pépin. The recipes have been collected and updated by Bryan Miller, a longtime collaborator of Franey's, with help from Claudia Franey Jensen, one of père Franey's daughters, who has also contributed an Introduction. As a step-by-step guide and an inspiration for better eating, this great cookbook will soon be considered a must in every home cook's library.
Customer Reviews:
Delicious, but longer than 60-Minutes!.......2000-05-02
As always, Franey's recipes are delicious. Everything we've cooked, so far, has been quite an enjoyable meal.
However, being a competent but by no means an expert cook, I find that I can't complete the recipes in 60 minutes!
For someone who followed Franey's New York Times column, you'll really enjoy this book!
Book Description
A Master Chef's Signature Book
Available in paperback for the first time in a decade,
The New York Times 60-Minute Gourmet is the bestselling cookbook that catapulted Pierre Franey into the front ranks of American chefs. After a successful career as a restaurant chef, Franey became a food writer for The New York Times in 1975, accepting the challenge to write a regular column featuring recipes that would take less than an hour to prepare. Through his column and the cookbooks that soon followed, Franey created a national sensation with his revolutionary style of cooking, and American kitchens haven't been the same since. The presentation of quick, healthy, and enjoyable meals was a revelation, introducing the home cook to choices beyond spending hours in the kitchen or settling for "fast food." This cookbook -- the first that collected his New York Times recipes -- captures all that was great about Pierre Franey's cooking: fresh, flavorful, low-fat ingredients, ease of preparation, and the injunction "Don't spend all evening in the kitchen!" As a step-by-step guide to better cooking and delicious eating, this great cookbook allows all cooks to employ Pierre Franey's signature methods and create memorable meals in their own homes.
Customer Reviews:
Rescue From The Mundane!.......2007-01-24
I bless the day when I checked this book out (over and over again) from the library where I attended college. As a newlywed attending graduate school I was too poor and too time deprived to cook and eat. This book saved my life! Not knowing a thing about cooking... I happened upon perfection as a guide! Now, almost forty years later I am an accomplished cook and avid entertainer and it's all due to the foundation this book provided! I still think Jacques Pepin is the best celebrity chef on TV today.
I just ordered the newer copy so I could give it to my niece as she embarks on her own cooking start. It is what I call a foundation book. There are five or six of these that never leave my kitchen no matter what new cook book may try to abscond their place in the hierarchy of my inventory. A must have jumping-off place for any new cook and a "OMG why did it take me so long to get it" book for an established cook.
how to really cook.......2006-11-27
Quite simply, Pierre Franey taught me how to cook - that is - how to combine ingredients that together transcend the sum of the parts. I came across Pierre Franey's column in the NY Times in the early nineties, and the recipes were a revelation. The techniques I learned from the recipes in this book, his column in the NY Times, and the follow up book, I use repeatedly. Unlike many other recipes, I continued cooking Franey's recipes after my kids were born. As youngsters, they would eat many of the things I prepared from this book, including the Poulet Saute Beausejour (chicken with wine and herbs) and the basic saute of fish. Franey also raised my standards of what to expect from a cook book! Very rarely does anything from his cookbooks fail to be delicious when I cook it.
a cookbook for the busy person.......2006-11-04
I used to cut out these recipes from the N.Y.Times when they were published years ago. It's great having them altogether and the majority are quite excellent.
EXCELLENT BOOK ! This is for Beginners "OR" Master Cooks........2006-01-16
I've owned The 60-Minute Gourmet paperback edition since 1979.
(the book is literally falling apart).
I've used this book since I was a complete novice and didn't have a clue how to boil an egg.
26 years later, I consider myself to be an excellent cook.... But I still reach for this cookbook. Why? because it contains excellent recipies.
This book is incredibly easy for a novice to understand and it will give a "seasoned" cook instructions how to prepare any dish in a new delicious way.
I simply can't praise this cookbook enough.
Another excellent cookbook is The Doubleday Cookbook by Jean Anderson & Elane Hanna.
Actually, this book should be called the cookbook bible.
Owning both these books will easily turn bad cook into a master chef!
Great Intro to Easier French Recipes. No shortcuts here!.......2005-04-12
'60 Minute Gourmet' and `More 60 Minute Gourmet' are collections of New York Times columns written by the prominent French born and trained chef Pierre Franey, who attained celebrity by being the executive chef at La Pavilion, considered by Craig Claiborne at the beginning of his New York Times career as the only truly worthy `haute cuisine' venue in New York City.
On the surface, it may seem that these volumes are simply precursors to Mark Bittman's `The Minimalist' columns in the same New York Times or to Rachael Ray's very successful 30 Minute Meal genre. While there are strong family resemblences between these three writers, there are also significant differences. Most of these differences arise from the fact that While Bittman and Ray are journalist / educator / writers, Franey was a classically trained chef.
This distinction is crystal clear in the way Franey describes his audience and how they live their lives. With the greatest of respect, I sense that Franey sees his audience as just stepping out of a `New Yorker' cartoon of upper West side coop dwellers who shop at Zabars and who may expect the likes of R. W. Appel or Ruth Reichl to drop in for a quick bite on any given Thursday evening. One may be tempted to say `this is not me', but give yourself a chance to believe that you can put yourself into this picture. Franey is saying that you can be prepared to entertain elegantly with even a minimal amount of time.
Franey is crystal clear from the introduction of the first of these two books that he is not simplifying gourmet dishes, he is picking and choosing those classic French dishes which can be made in the home within 60 minutes. His message is that contrary to expectations, a lot of French cooking, even `haute cuisine' can be made very simply. And, I have no argument with this. After browsing Escoffier's big book of recipes, I find about 50 different recipes for sautéing chicken, every one of which can easily be done in 30 minutes or less.
The most valuable lessons in these books are things that a professional chef does to expedite his own work. One of the hidden tricks behind Miss Rachael's speed is that she spends no time whatsoever looking for her ingredients. Franey reveals the technique that makes this all possible. He exhorts us to always have a place for everything and keep everything in its place. The easiest way to experience the value of this lesson is to try cooking in someone else's kitchen. His second big lesson is cleanliness, as much for efficiency as for hygiene. He says clutter and debris distract from efficiency.
It is important to note that these two volumes have virtually identical tables of contents, so the `More 60-Minute Meals' is literally more of the same. It's only additional topics are on appetizers and desserts. And, unlike his La Pavilion colleague, Jacques Pepin, I suspect Pierre is not as skillful with the pastry as is Jacques. Like Rachael Ray, a very large number of the recipes in these books are for grilled, sautéed, or fried chicken, with an enormous variety of sauces. In fact, Miss Rachael just did a version of chicken Veronique that was remarkably similar to the recipe on page 22 of `60-Minute Gourmet'. I honestly prefer Franey's version, as it uses white grapes while Rachael used red, and, Franey's instructions are written in plain English while Rachael uses her Rayspeak culinary dialect for a lot of basic terms. I would suspect that Miss Rachael had cribbed this recipe from Franey except that she made a major point of stating that the recipe was acquired from her future mother-in-law.
What Rachael lacks in sophisticated technique, plain speech, and deep knowledge of French cuisine, she makes up by addressing the two of the three major issues I have with Franey. First, even 60 minutes may be a bit more than a tired Manhattenite may be able to manage, especially after a subway ride and a 5 block walk from the local supermarket. Second, Franey makes much of planning and prepping ahead of time. The fallacy of this and practically every other `quick cooking' advice is that the problem is not only that there is little time at the end of the day, there is little time throughout the week. A third potential objection to Franey's books is that if there is so many `haute cuisine' recipes which are really pretty easy, why not simply go to the mother lode and get a copy of Escoffier or Pellaprat for their 39 ways to poach eggs and 52 recipes for sautéed chicken. The problem with this solution is that the search for the good recipes takes more time and investment in studying the techniques needed to prepare the short recipe description in these texts.
Like Wolfgang Puck in a very recent book, Franey cuts down on the time required to prepare a recipe by combining into a single narrative all the steps and techniques you need so you don't have to seek out and learn a lot of ancillary recipes. Also, the classic French texts don't have the entertaining headnotes you can recite to impress your dinner guest(s).
Thus, I really think Franey's books are best used as a resource for recipes for entertaining where the plan and prep ahead time will garner big rewards with your guests. I would therefore strongly recommend Franey's books for young professional ladies or gentlemen who are out to impress a potential partner over a home-cooked dinner. I would not use these books to replace my copy of `Mastering the Art of French Cooking', as there are great realms of French cooking technique which simply lie outside Franey's 60 minutes, the most important being braising and roasting techniques.
These books are excellent introductions to how French cooking can be easy. Recommended.
Book Description
With 100 completely new 60-minute menus for sumptuous dining, master chef Pierre Franey's second book is as delectable, simple, and fast as the first. It offers a menu for every main course, complete with side dish or garnish and also features delectable appetizers and desserts that can be prepared in the same hour.
Customer Reviews:
A must have for those with little time and high aspirations.......2006-04-15
I work full-time and have two small children and a European husband who expects something more than pasta with jarred sauce. I recently rediscovered this book and its companion, 60-minute Gourmet, in my cookbook library and they've been wonderful. Straightforward recipes, which taste great, and are made in a short time are exactly what I need. It's not all fancy French stuff and includes suggestions for side dishes. My copies were injured in a counter flood and it's time to get new ones.
More Great Quick haute cuisine. Better than Cuisine Rapide.......2005-04-12
'60 Minute Gourmet' and `More 60 Minute Gourmet' are collections of New York Times columns written by the prominent French born and trained chef Pierre Franey, who attained celebrity by being the executive chef at La Pavilion, considered by Craig Claiborne at the beginning of his New York Times career as the only truly worthy `haute cuisine' venue in New York City.
On the surface, it may seem that these volumes are simply precursors to Mark Bittman's `The Minimalist' columns in the same New York Times or to Rachael Ray's very successful 30 Minute Meal genre. While there are strong family resemblences between these three writers, there are also significant differences. Most of these differences arise from the fact that While Bittman and Ray are journalist / educator / writers, Franey was a classically trained chef.
This distinction is crystal clear in the way Franey describes his audience and how they live their lives. With the greatest of respect, I sense that Franey sees his audience as just stepping out of a `New Yorker' cartoon of upper West side coop dwellers who shop at Zabars and who may expect the likes of R. W. Appel or Ruth Reichl to drop in for a quick bite on any given Thursday evening. One may be tempted to say `this is not me', but give yourself a chance to believe that you can put yourself into this picture. Franey is saying that you can be prepared to entertain elegantly with even a minimal amount of time.
Franey is crystal clear from the introduction of the first of these two books that he is not simplifying gourmet dishes, he is picking and choosing those classic French dishes which can be made in the home within 60 minutes. His message is that contrary to expectations, a lot of French cooking, even `haute cuisine' can be made very simply. And, I have no argument with this. After browsing Escoffier's big book of recipes, I find about 50 different recipes for sautéing chicken, every one of which can easily be done in 30 minutes or less.
The most valuable lessons in these books are things that a professional chef does to expedite his own work. One of the hidden tricks behind Miss Rachael's speed is that she spends no time whatsoever looking for her ingredients. Franey reveals the technique that makes this all possible. He exhorts us to always have a place for everything and keep everything in its place. The easiest way to experience the value of this lesson is to try cooking in someone else's kitchen. His second big lesson is cleanliness, as much for efficiency as for hygiene. He says clutter and debris distract from efficiency.
It is important to note that these two volumes have virtually identical tables of contents, so the `More 60-Minute Meals' is literally more of the same. It's only additional topics are on appetizers and desserts. And, unlike his La Pavilion colleague, Jacques Pepin, I suspect Pierre is not as skillful with the pastry as is Jacques. Like Rachael Ray, a very large number of the recipes in these books are for grilled, sautéed, or fried chicken, with an enormous variety of sauces. In fact, Miss Rachael just did a version of chicken Veronique that was remarkably similar to the recipe on page 22 of `60-Minute Gourmet'. I honestly prefer Franey's version, as it uses white grapes while Rachael used red, and, Franey's instructions are written in plain English while Rachael uses her Rayspeak culinary dialect for a lot of basic terms. I would suspect that Miss Rachael had cribbed this recipe from Franey except that she made a major point of stating that the recipe was acquired from her future mother-in-law.
What Rachael lacks in sophisticated technique, plain speech, and deep knowledge of French cuisine, she makes up by addressing the two of the three major issues I have with Franey. First, even 60 minutes may be a bit more than a tired Manhattenite may be able to manage, especially after a subway ride and a 5 block walk from the local supermarket. Second, Franey makes much of planning and prepping ahead of time. The fallacy of this and practically every other `quick cooking' advice is that the problem is not only that there is little time at the end of the day, there is little time throughout the week. A third potential objection to Franey's books is that if there is so many `haute cuisine' recipes which are really pretty easy, why not simply go to the mother lode and get a copy of Escoffier or Pellaprat for their 39 ways to poach eggs and 52 recipes for sautéed chicken. The problem with this solution is that the search for the good recipes takes more time and investment in studying the techniques needed to prepare the short recipe description in these texts.
Like Wolfgang Puck in a very recent book, Franey cuts down on the time required to prepare a recipe by combining into a single narrative all the steps and techniques you need so you don't have to seek out and learn a lot of ancillary recipes. Also, the classic French texts don't have the entertaining headnotes you can recite to impress your dinner guest(s).
Thus, I really think Franey's books are best used as a resource for recipes for entertaining where the plan and prep ahead time will garner big rewards with your guests. I would therefore strongly recommend Franey's books for young professional ladies or gentlemen who are out to impress a potential partner over a home-cooked dinner. I would not use these books to replace my copy of `Mastering the Art of French Cooking', as there are great realms of French cooking technique which simply lie outside Franey's 60 minutes, the most important being braising and roasting techniques.
These books are excellent introductions to how French cooking can be easy. Recommended.
Invaluable.......2002-12-31
I was surprised to see this classic cookbook so far down the popularity list. Checking our kitchen bookcase, where I keep the dozen or so cookbooks I use most often, I found that the copyright date on my hardback was 1981. Well, twenty-two years later, I no longer refer to it weekly because I have learned so much of it by heart, but I certainly use it monthly, and still find it invaluable.
More 60-Minute Gourmet, like its companion volume 60-Minute Gourmet, is a collection of weekly "60-Minute Gourmet" columns published in the New York Times during the 1970s and early 1980s. The recipes comprise a wide variety of cuisines and are uniformly quick and uniformly light (a handful of recipes call for heavy cream, but it can almost always be dispensed with). The ingredients and techniques still work well today - perhaps not the "cutting edge" dishes and presentations one might expect from, say, a Roy Yamaguchi, but mastering the 60-Minute Gourmet recipes will make you capable of cooking almost anything. Consider these as high-quality building blocks for creating your own brand of gourmet cuisine at home.
Keep an eye peeled for the late M. Franey's out-of-print volumes as well. They, too, remain fresh and tasty.
Fun and Informative!.......1999-11-29
I obtained this book by a fortunate accident - I use it constantly as a reference and, sometimes when I just need to read an interesting anecdote written by somebody who loves not only food, but all that surrounds it.
Pierre Franey does not talk down to his reader, but he does teach.
One of my favorite passages from his book is: "When I have been asked over the years the most basic thing an aspiring cook could be taught, the answer is almost invariable. If you learn a few baic techniques of cookery, the rest is applied logic. If you can make a basic mayonnaise, for example, you can make a sauce remoulade or a sauce tartare with the simple additions of a few ingredients such as choped anchovy, capers, pickles and so on."
I depend on Pierre, not only for his skill as a teacher, but just as much so for his ability to inspire.
I highly recommend this book for the busy professional who desires to make their house a home.
Product Description
two books make up this deluxe set housed in a box
Books:
- Useful Idiots: How Liberals Got It Wrong in the Cold War and Still Blame America First
- Verbal Judo: The Gentle Art of Persuasion
- War in the Air: The World War Two Aviation Paintings of Mark Poslethwaite GAvA
- Warren Ellis' Stranger Kisses
- What to Expect the First Year, Second Ed
- Who Goes Home?
- Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us
- Women Who Run with the Wolves
- 8051 Microcontroller, The (4th Edition)
- A Different Light
Books Index
Books Home
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- On the Hunt: How to Wake Up Washington and Win the War on Terror
- Quantitative Business Modeling
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- The E-factor: The Bottom-Line Approach to Environmentally Responsible Business
- Long Journey Towards the Light
- Kazakhstan Business & Investment Opportunities Yearbook
