BOOKS WE LOVE : <i> Campagne</i> Companions : POTAGER, <i> By Georgeanne Brennan</i> . <i> (Chronicle Books: $18.95; 144 pp.)</i> : PAUL BOCUSE’S REGIONAL FRENCH COOKING, <i> By Paul Bocuse</i> . <i> (Flammarion: $35; 256 pp.) </i>

During the mid-’60s, I spent most of my summers at a health colony called “Happy House.” It was on the Ile d’Oleron, an island off the Atlantic Coast of France that could be reached only by boat.

I don’t know if these colonies sanitaires still exist; in those days they were places where underprivileged kids were sent for a few weeks in the country. There they were taken care of, after a fashion, by secretaries, college students and factory workers whose main objective was a free summer vacation. We didn’t get paid very much for looking after the kids, but we didn’t have to do very much either. We spent our days lazing about the beach and our nights drinking at the cafe in town. On our days off we hitchhiked around the island to eat and drink in other cafes. The accommodations were humble, but the food was fabulous.

The French view, in those days anyway, was that all a poor kid really needed was a few good meals. And so these urban kids woke up every morning to hot, crusty bread and freshly churned butter and homemade jam. Lunches were just-picked vegetables, big bowls of fresh shrimp and mussels, great cheese from the farm down the road. The same farm provided the chickens and the rabbits and the lamb that we ate for dinner. There were warm tartes most nights, and bread and chocolate every afternoon. Once a week the doctor came and weighed the children.

They rarely put on weight. The counselors always did.

I’ve never eaten better than I did those summers on the Ile d’Oleron, and I’ve spent the rest of my life trying to duplicate the food we were served at Maison Heureuse. Until recently this was a laughable goal--it was impossible to get the products you need to make French country cooking--but in these days of farmers markets and free-range chickens, French country cooking can come to America. And that is why the appearance of “Potager” is so well timed.

Every house in the French countryside has a potager, or kitchen garden. And so Georgeanne Brennan, a cook blessed with a farm in Northern California and a farmhouse in Provence, has taken it as her inspiration. She is, clearly, a person who prefers the company of people who kneel down on the ground and put their hands in the dirt.

The food in her book is fresh, simple, seasonal fare, robust and tasty stuff for real people to eat with gusto. And even if you never cook, these glorious pictures of food in the French countryside make you incredibly hungry. There are photographs on almost every page, and they’re not those preciously composed shots filled with fancy plates and absurdly arranged food. Here are gardens, farms and markets, all shot in clear natural light. Above all, here are well-laden tables that look like somebody is just about to sit down and eat. You read the recipes and look at the pictures, and you wish you could join them.

“I would like this book to be leafed through, read at leisure and used like a stroll around France,” writes Paul Bocuse in the introduction to his remarkably down-to-earth new book. And a stroll through the countryside is just what you get--a man proudly showing off his chickens, a baker with an amazing loaf of bread, the sun setting over the vineyards of Bordeaux. But most of all, what you get here is the best kind of French country cooking, contemptuous of cholesterol, fearless about fat, serenely unafraid of calories.

This is not the book you’d expect from the most famous cook in the world, a man who virtually epitomizes the three-star chef. Bocuse has come down from his Olympian perch, gone back to his roots and rediscovered the sort of food that made France famous in the first place. I’ve cooked a lot of these dishes-- blanquette de veau, flamiche, gratin de macaroni-- and every one has been wonderful. It’s not quite as good as being back on the Ile d’Oleron--but it’s close.

PERSIMMON FLAN (From “Potager”) 1 cup sugar 2 or 3 very ripe persimmons, preferably Hachiya variety 1 cup milk 2 cups heavy whipping cream 6 eggs 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla

Place 1/2 cup sugar in 8-inch round cake pan and heat on stove top on medium-low heat. Holding edge of pan with hot pad, tilt pan from side to side as sugar melts and caramelizes. When all sugar has melted into dark brown liquid, remove pan from stove. Tip so that sides are coated with syrup and set aside.

Peel and seed persimmons, then cut into chunks. Place in small saucepan and cook over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring often. Puree fruit in blender, then strain through wire-mesh sieve to get about 3/4 cup thick puree. (Or puree in blender until smooth.)

Heat milk and whipping cream in saucepan over medium heat until bubbles form around edges. Cool slightly.

At same time, bring kettle of water to boil.

Beat eggs lightly in bowl and add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, salt and vanilla. Slowly pour milk-cream mixture into egg mixture, stirring continuously. Stir in pureed fruit.

Place caramelized cake pan in shallow roasting pan. Pour custard into cake pan (it should fill to rim). Pour boiling water into outer roasting pan until water reaches halfway up sides of cake pan.

Bake flan at 325 degrees until knife inserted into middle of flan comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove flan from oven and let cool to room temperature. Flan may be served at this point or refrigerated several hours.

To unmold, slide thin-bladed knife or spatula around edge to loosen. Invert shallow serving plate on top of flan and, holding flan and serving plate firmly together, flip over. Flan pan will now be on top and should lift off. If flan doesn’t unmold on flip, shake pan to loosen. Makes 12 servings.

Each serving contains about: 255 calories; 155 mg sodium; 163 mg cholesterol; 18 grams fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.06 grams fiber.

PAUL BOCUSE’S GRILLED WHEEL OF FRESH PORK WITH POTATOES 3 tablespoons oil 1 (3 1/2-pound 1-inch-thick) center cut slice of fresh ham with bone Salt Freshly ground pepper 3 sprigs thyme 12 unpeeled cloves garlic 1/4 cup water 8 large potatoes 4 sprigs Italian parsley, stems removed and chopped

Heat oil in large oven-proof roasting pan. Add fresh ham slice and saute on both sides until lightly browned. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Crumble thyme leaves evenly over all ham.

Arrange garlic cloves around meat. Add water and bake at 350 degrees 45 minutes, basting occasionally.

Peel, rinse and dry potatoes. Cut lengthwise in shape of thick French fries.

Turn meat and baste with little more hot water, if necessary. Arrange potatoes around fresh ham and return to oven and bake 45 minutes longer.

Transfer meat to warmed serving platter. Arrange potatoes and garlic cloves around it. Season potatoes to taste with salt.

Add little hot water to roasting pan and place over medium heat, scraping pan with wooden spoon to loosen flavorful bits that stick to bottom. Pour pan juices over meat. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about: 685 calories; 172 mg sodium; 122 mg cholesterol; 45 grams fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 32 grams protein; 0.69 gram fiber.

BRITTANY PRUNE CUSTARD 1/2 pound prunes, rinsed 4 cups milk 1 1/2 cups flour 1 cup sugar 4 eggs

Place prunes in saucepan with enough cold water to cover. Cook over low heat 10 minutes until tender but firm. Drain and remove pits.

Place milk in medium saucepan and bring to boil.

Combine flour and sugar in large mixing bowl. Add eggs, 1 at time, mixing well after each addition.

Slowly pour boiling milk into flour-egg mixture, stirring vigorously with wooden spoon.

Turn batter into buttered 13x9-inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle prunes evenly over top of batter. Return to oven to bake about 20 minutes longer, or until top is browned. Serve warm or cold. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about: 453 calories; 126 mg sodium; 154 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 87 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams protein; 0.85 gram fiber.

PAUL BOCUSE’S STUFFED CABBAGE 1 sheet caul fat or kitchen string 5 or 6 slices country-style bread 2/3 cup milk 3/4 pound boned shoulder of veal 3/4 pound boned pork loin 3/4 pound smoked slab bacon 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 onions, chopped 1 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped 1 egg 1 egg yolk 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice Salt Freshly ground pepper 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced 2 turnips, peeled and finely diced 2 onions, finely diced 1 large head savoy cabbage 2 chicken bouillon cubes 2 tablespoons oil

If using caul fat, soak in cold water. Drain and rinse several times.

Remove crusts from bread slices and crumble into bowl. Add milk and let soak 5 minutes. Gently squeeze bread to remove excess liquid. Place bread in large mixing bowl and set aside.

Finely chop veal, pork and bacon separately, or ask butcher to grind them.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onions and saute until tender. Add to bread with veal, pork and bacon. Add parsley, egg, egg yolk and allspice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Blend thoroughly.

Bring saucepan of lightly salted water to boil. Add carrots, turnips and finely diced onions. Blanch several minutes. Drain and refresh vegetables under cold water. Drain and pat dry.

Trim savoy cabbage, removing tough outer leaves and stem. Rinse. Blanch in large pot boiling salted water about 10 minutes, turning halfway through to cook all sides. Remove cabbage and rinse under cold water. Drain, stem-side up.

Place cabbage, stem down, on work surface. Gently fan out leaves, 1 at time, being careful not to detach from core. Using sharp knife, remove inner core or heart.

Form 2/3 meat stuffing mixture into ball size of cabbage heart and place in center of cabbage. Fold up inner leaves of cabbage, wrapping firmly around stuffing. Continue to fold cabbage leaves around core, sprinkling diced vegetables and remaining stuffing mixture between layers of leaves.

Spread caul fat on work surface. Place stuffed cabbage in center and wrap fat around it, using kitchen string to tie it firmly but gently in place. If not using caul fat, use string to gently truss cabbage.

Dissolve bouillon cubes in 1 3/4 cups boiling water. Heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with oil in large Dutch oven. Add cabbage and saute, turning until lightly browned on all sides. Drain fat. Pour bouillon over cabbage. Cover and bake at 400 degrees 30 minutes. Lower temperature to 300 degrees and bake 1 1/2 hours more, basting occasionally. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about: 455 calories; 720 mg sodium; 141 mg cholesterol; 31 grams fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 21 grams protein; 0.92 gram fiber.