Cookbook Author Prudhomme Lightens Up His Cajun Fare

It was the end of the road for the author of "Chef Paul Prudhomme's Fork in the Road."

Appearances in a dozen major cities - New York to Seattle - in less than a month, promoting his new cookbook of recipes with the bold seasonings that made him famous, but with considerably less fat and sugar.

The book's jacket proclaims "a different direction in cooking from America's favorite chef." Instead of bellying up to a platter of andouille sausage or a Cajun ham for his photograph, Prudhomme holds an apple.

Interviewed in his suite at the Four Seasons Olympic Hotel here last week, Prudhomme admitted he was tired. But his eyes still twinkled as warmly as the aftertaste from a bite of his shrimp etouffee. He said the grueling days and nights of selling a cookbook are balanced by the pleasant chats with his fans.

He especially appreciates people asking him to sign their well-loved copies of his first book, "Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen," now swollen nearly twice its size from getting plenty of use next to the heat and moisture of stoves.

"I still find it wonderful that a part of me, my recipes, gets into so many kitchens," said the owner of K-Paul's Kitchen, one of the most popular restaurants in New Orleans.

Feedback from people

Prudhomme, 53, decided to do a book of healthier recipes after talking with people during his travels about their frustrations trying to change the way they eat. "As you and I know, a lot of what is called `healthful' food looks and tastes like twigs. Or worse," Prudhomme wrote in his introduction.

Prudhomme believes the way we like to eat has nothing to do with the way we work today, but relates to how most people worked in the past. Farm workers and other laborers required a lot of energy, and food that gives us energy - with high levels of fat and sugar - tastes good, he said. Tastes change slowly, and our diets have not caught up to the more sedentary lifestyles of many Americans, he believes.

A heavyweight during most of his life (he's now about 390 pounds, and he feels best at about 350), he often uses a motorized scooter to ease wear on his knees from his weight, but he's also working out on an exercise cycle three times a week and says his general health is strong. He says that although he has not written a diet book, he lost about 5 pounds a week by eating meals prepared at his restaurant from the book.

Selling these meals to customers was tough in the beginning, when they were listed on the menu as "light." People out for a celebration, including those making long-awaited visits to this master of Cajun and Creole cuisine, were not about to have a "light" experience. But when these same recipes were listed as from Chef Paul's new cookbook, customers ordered them and enjoyed them.

"Last Thursday night we served 308 dinners, and 80 of those were recipes from the new book," Prudhomme says.

How does he reduce fat?

What does this talented chef, who once was heavy-handed with butter and almost single-handedly brought lard back into popularity during the Cajun craze in the 1980s, do to reduce the fat?

Instead of roux heavy with oil, he browns dry flour with no fat to make flavorful sauces and gravies. He "bronzes" or caramelizes ingredients over high heat in heavy nonstick skillets and pans to intensify flavors without fat. He uses egg substitutes and nonfat dairy products. He uses bean purees. He uses fruit concentrates and juices.

The chef's recipe for Not Yo' Mamma's Red Beans includes a surprising ingredient - grape juice. He wanted to develop a healthier version of the Louisiana classic, red beans and rice. This dish, traditionally served on Mondays, often is flavored with salt pork, ham, bacon or sausage and butter or oil. He tried 15 or more versions, but none were to his liking.

"Then I happened to look up on the kitchen shelf and spot some grape juice," he recalled. "It gave me the flavor I wanted, and you don't miss the fat."

Prudhomme was having trouble getting the fat counts in his meat and poultry stocks low enough until he hit upon this technique: Refrigerate the stock overnight. The next day, remove all of the fat layer at the top. Pack a mesh strainer with ice, preferably crushed, but ice cubes also work. Place the strainer over a pot large enough to hold all the stock, and carefully pour the stock over the ice in a steady, circling stream no thicker than a pencil. Discard the ice with its coating of fat.

Commitment is necessary

Cooking the Prudhomme way requires commitment. Although some of the recipes in his new book are relatively modest in scale and technique, many have 15 to 20 ingredients, and some even more, such as the Lentil Soup with 25 ingredients and the White Bean Salad with Sweet and Creamy Mustard Dressing with 31 ingredients.

But it's all worth it, Prudhomme insists: "If people want to eat healthier food and still have it taste great, they are going to have to pay a price in time."

Prudhomme dedicates his new book to his wife, K, who died nearly a year ago. "I was lucky to have her as a business partner and friend for 20 years," he said. "We were together nearly 24 hours a day, but we only had two fights during those years.

"We both loved to travel, and some of our happiest times were taking long drives. She came from Montana, but she fell in love with the foods of Louisiana before she fell in love with me. We would brainstorm ideas for new recipes, and by the time we got home we would have more than we could use."

Prudhomme is proud of the legacy of chefs and apprentices working with him who have moved on to start their own restaurants. One of them, Danny Delcambre, opened Delcambre's Ragin' Cajun near the Pike Place Market this year. "I don't have any children, but visiting some of their restaurants makes me feel like a parent," he said. "And there's a bonus. They don't let me pay for my meals."

------------------------- NOT YO' MAMMA'S RED BEANS -------------------------

6 main-dish servings

1 pound red beans

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

3 cups chopped onions, divided

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped celery

8 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth, divided (fat removed if homemade)

2 cups grape juice, divided

4 cups cooked long-grain white rice

1. Day 1: Rinse beans, place in a medium bowl and add enough water to cover by 3 or 4 inches. Soak overnight in the refrigerator. As the beans absorb the water, they will more than double in volume.

2. Day 2: Combine the seasoning mix ingredients (salt, onion powder, basil, garlic powder, mustard, black pepper, white pepper, oregano and cayenne) in a small bowl. Drain and rinse the beans. Drain again and set aside.

3. Preheat a heavy 5-quart pot, preferably nonstick, over high heat for about 4 minutes. (If using a lighter pot, use lower heat.) Add 2 cups of the onions, the bell pepper, the celery and 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix. Stir and cook until vegetables start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken stock, scrape the bottom of the pot to clear all the browned bits, and cook 3 minutes.

4. Add the remaining onions, stir, and cook 5 minutes. Add the drained beans, 5 cups of the stock, and the remaining seasoning mix. Stir and cook for 45 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally to check for sticking and reducing heat if mixture is boiling too rapidly.

5. Add 1 cup grape juice and continue to cook for 25 minutes. Caution: At this point, the starches in the beans start to break down and sticking will occur more often. It is therefore important to check and clear the bottom of the pot frequently. Add the remaining stock and grape juice, turn the heat to medium, and cook until the beans are tender, and the liquid is thick and begins to look creamy, about 30 to 35 minutes.

6. Serve over the hot rice.

From "Chef Paul Prudhomme's Fork in the Road".