. approaches to everyday cooking^ By Sarah MacWhirter The Intelligencer When she talks about cooking, Brenda Tesseyman's voice simmers wi th ¥xcil'ement7 Better known as "La Petite Chef," Tesseyman hosts a cooking show (of the same name) which is aired on Cablevue 4 in Quinte, and is shown in Trenton, Gananoque and King- ston as well. Her face is well known: while gro- cery shopping, customers stop to in- spect the items in her grocery cart. Her voice is familiar as well: she has a radio program called 'The Cu- linary Corner" which is heard Wednesdays at 11:45 a.m. on 800 CJBQ. * Now, Tesseyman is moving in to the world of print with the publica- tion of her first cookbook, Cooking With Brenda, La Petite Chef. Almost 100 recipes, most of which were shown on her program, are in the book which will sell for un- der $15. Tesseyman provides readers with a wide range of recipes, most of which follow her ap- proach to day-to- day cooking: fast, nutritious, and, "I still like to make it look good." She shows readers how to cook with ingre- dients they may find unusual -- in- gredients like couscous, polenta, goat's cheese, balsamic vinegar, philo pastry, and more. "People don't know how to use them and what wonderful flavor they'll get out of them," she says with enthusiasm. Knowing how and when to use particular ingredients can make a huge difference in a quickly-assem- bled meal. "I want people to realize they can go home, open a can, add two or three ingredients and cook a good meal. It should be fun," Tesseyman j says. For Tesseyman, her husband and son, mealtime is family time. Though she will spend hours pre- paring gourmet meals for company, she believes cooking during the week shouldn't be a chore. She wants people to use her reci- pes as a guide, not a set-in-stone rulebook. "If I do it and you don't like it, if you don't like hot peppers for exam- ple, don't put them in. Improvise. It's fun to improvise," she says. "When you're baking, you do have to follow the rules. But, with anything else, you can follow individual tastes." To this end, hints and tips are included with recipes to give readers more ideas. Odr And, Tesseyman transforms tricky, time-consuming recipes into snappy, new favorites. Take her chocolate mousse recipe, for exam- ple. What used to take hours now requires chocolate chips and a mere five minutes. "I'd say it is as good as any chocolate mousse I've ever had," Tesseyman says. Different cooking styles and tech- niques are explained, and interna- tional flavors, from Mexican to Mediterranean, are explored. "There's no such thing as a new recipe. Every- thing is old with a new twist," she says. If you think the recipes and techniques sound too ex- otic, fear not. "Everything I try to do, 99 per cent of it (ingre- dients) you can buy in the area. I also try to use pans and equip- ment most peo- fO^ 4-> pie would use," she says. For someone who hadn't a clue about cooking when she mar- ried, Tessyeman's culinary knowl- edge is extensive. After graduating from the three-year Hotel and Res- taurant program at Loyalist College and the two-year professional food administration and chef training program at George Brown College, Tesseyman attended the Cordon Bleu Cookery School in London, England. She has her Certification of Qualification -- Cook -- Red Seal. After working in the food indus- try, Tesseyman now works out of her home. The television show is filmed in her kitchen -- the burnt fan tas- sels attest to that!, and she conducts cooking classes as well. Her book will be available around mid-October at Semple's Your Inde- pendent Grocer, W.&R. Greenley Booksellers, Mr. Grocer's in Tren- ton, Trent Valley Distributors, other stores in the area and through Tesseyman herself, by calling 969- 1839.