Born in New Orleans, Earl Peyroux was raised on good cooking—gourmet cooking, even. As he learned to prepare gumbo, jambalaya, and shrimp remoulade from his mother and grandmother, he learned that gourmet cooking does not have to be fancy, expensive, or complicated.
His early lessons stayed with him when he moved to Pensacola, Florida. At the local junior college he taught cooking classes at night that stressed great taste, pleasing presentation, and simple preparation. The college, which owned the local PBS television station, soon approached him about adapting his classes for a weekly cooking program.
To prepare for his new adventure, he enrolled in the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, where he honed his considerable culinary skills. He has since completed more than 600 episodes of "Gourmet Cooking," which has aired nationally on PBS stations since 1977. The companion cookbooks have sold more than 120,000 copies.
“I truly believe that preparing fine foods is an art form,” says Peyroux. “I know that once people get over their initial fear of preparing gourmet meals—and are spurred on by the praise they receive—they add the flourishes that make the dishes their own.”
Peyroux's seventh cookbook, the first to be sold in stores nationwide, is a collection of fan favorites and never-before-seen dishes that reflect the distinct cooking styles of New Orleans, Pensacola, and Paris. Readers may even mix the styles and serve Barbecue Shrimp, Pecan-Fried Triggerfish, and Poires Roties au Miel (Baked Pears with Honey) to create a gourmet menu with a flourish all their own.