Harper, a close friend of 1970s French cuisine doyenne Adrienne Zausner, presents a heartfelt portrait of their culinary camaraderie in this inspired, slim cookbook. After Zausner was diagnosed with progressive dementia in 2010, Harper collected 50 years of her cooking mentor’s recipes and travel journals (she documented every meal) for the first in a series of books about Zausner’s trail-blazing role in America’s food revolution from the ’70s to the ’90s. In this primer for cooking modern French cuisine, Harper shares what she learned of Zausner’s simple but elegant nouvelle techniques: how to make vinaigrette, cook en papillote, deglaze, and create basic stocks. French sauces are also featured, such as a sauce batârde, a quick version of a hollandaise sauce. Fish comprises most entreés— sole in rosemary cream and salmon in red wine butter sauce are but two examples. Methods for preparing foie gras, duck, and beef are straightforward, as are fruit-focused desserts and a chocolate mousse. Zausner’s handwritten menus and personal photos with famous French chefs (the Troisgros brothers, Roger Vergé, etc.) bring her story to life, as do Harper’s reminiscences of cooking and traveling with Zausner. With these splendid recipes, the cuisine of the nouvelle masters is within reach of many a home cook. (BookLife)