It almost goes without saying that Michel Guérard's Cuisine Minceur (Morrow, 1976) must be read and reread by all serious cooks. "Lean Cuisine" was the sudden, brilliant focus of a trend toward lighter, more inventive cooking that, as nouvelle cuisine, has come to dominate taste today. We have enjoyed time and again almost all the recipes presented in this book. The reason why it is so valuable is that the basic techniques introduced here encourage the cook to invent new dishes on his own. If this has been overdone, it is only a tribute to the enduring importance of this great chefs splendid talent.