Perrier

Justice may be blind, but she sure doesn't put up with the heat much better than anyone else. Sean Bosken, a salesman for Perrier Spring Water Co., learned that lesson the hard way yesterday, when he and coworkers began to remove all 84 water coolers from the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown. Bosken and county officials agree that the county's contract with Perrier expired yesterday. Still, when John Sgarlata, the county's deputy chief operating officer, got word that the coolers were being whisked away, he rounded up acting President Judge William T. Nicholas and the pair met up with the Perrier workers on the loading dock.

There is a variety of classic ways to make an omelet. Some shake the eggs in the pan; others prefer to beat them. And then there are those who subscribe to the scramble method. One chef may tell you success lies in the particular omelet pan you use and the whipping action of a wire whisk. Another will testify under oath, left hand placed on Larousse Gastronomique, that only clarified butter will do. Principles aside, it seems to be increasingly difficult to find a light, soft and creamy omelet with good structure when dining out. And even at home, many cooks are stymied when it comes to creating this simple pleasure, which dates back in legend to a hungry king of Spain who asked a peasant to prepare some food for him - quickly.

The Book and the Cook, 1999 edition (the 15th), begins officially at 5 p.m. Friday with the "Taste of the Festival" opening of the Book and the Cook Fair at the Convention Center. For the first time, the fair will initiate the 10-day culinary event. The festivities (for a $25 ticket) will include presentation of the Philadelphia Toque Award to cookbook author Marcella Hazan, and demonstrations by wine and food experts including French chefs Jacques Pepin and Georges Perrier. On Saturday evening, Perrier will be guest chef at the Culinary Society of Philadelphia Book and Cook Gala at the Restaurant School.

Dick Whitlock was enjoying his Caribbean cruise last winter until he reached for a bottle of cool, clear Ice Mountain springwater. What he read on the bottle's label nearly ruined his vacation. Out there in the middle of the deep blue sea, thousands of miles from home, Whitlock was about to quaff water from Sasoonan Springs in South Coventry Township, Chester County, Pa., his hometown, where he serves as chairman of the township supervisors. It was a moment of supreme irony.

Francesco Martorella remembers the day his life changed twice. Fall of 1994. The chef, at 36 already a veteran of three of the city's best restaurants, is standing outside 1522 Walnut St. This is the space that is supposed to be his future. He is putting together a restaurant with Enzo Fusaro, who ran Center City's Il Gallo Nero. Martorella has just returned from Italy, where he studied all the latest techniques. And now Fusaro is telling him gently that the project, at $2 million, is too expensive.

Along with all the mistletoe and holly traditionally synonymous with the holiday season, cookbooks have become a popular stocking stuffer - if you can find the appropriate-sized stockings. The huge number of cookbooks published this time of year means that making a creditable selection can be difficult and time-consuming. So what's a person looking for a good cookbook as a gift to do? Of the current assortment that lines bookstore shelves like stockings hung by a chimney with care, one sure winner is Georges Perrier: Le Bec-Fin Recipes (Running Press, $35)

Last year was a very wet year. And all that rain, state officials say, could have affected the results of tests conducted by bottled-water giant Perrier to support its controversial application to withdraw more water from a spring site in the township. On Tuesday, the state Department of Environmental Protection issued a three-page letter requesting a new round of tests and an intensive site investigation to support the company's conclusions about the project's environmental impact.

In true celebrity fashion, master chef Georges Perrier showed up a little late to greet his adoring fans. In his rush to get to the bookstore, the French chef apparently tripped over his English. "I'm sorry I'm late," he said, "but I hope you all apologize. " Was it a slip of the tongue or a coy tease? From the moment he entered the Barnes & Noble store Tuesday, where he was to sign copies of his first recipe book, Perrier toyed with his image as effortlessly as he might whip up a souffle.

In less than two weeks, on Monday, Sept. 8, the first cookbook ever from Philadelphia's No. 1 chef will go on sale, and the Daily News Food section's most popular writer will breathe a huge sigh of relief. Aliza Green, who writes our weekly "Ask the Chefs" column, has collaborated for the past year and a half on "Georges Perrier - Le Bec-Fin Recipes," helping to translate the great chef's creations into recipes that not-so-great chefs can make at home. As the book went off to the printer, we asked Green to put off a well-deserved vacation down the shore just long enough to give our readers a behind-the-scenes peek at the making of the book.

Mention water in Chester County these days, and the name Perrier is sure to follow. Such was the case yesterday, when the county commissioners were asked to approve a $245,300 contract between the county's Water Resources Authority and the U.S. Geological Survey that will continue long-term surface and groundwater research projects in the county. Before they signed off on the contract, the commissioners wanted to be sure it included information that could be used in what is shaping up to be a precedent-setting battle between South Coventry Township and the Perrier Group of America.