One of my all-time favorite cookbooks. Made so many recipes from it and all came out great. ( )

Good recipes and easy to find ingreidients to make frnech cooking more accessible. ( )

I've heard of Dorie Greenspan for a few years now, but this was my first time reading one of her books (thanks to a borrow through Prime Reading). I now understand the buzz around her cooking. She presents 300 French recipes in this book--recipes that often look intimidating--but does so with a gentle, calming manner. Her voice truly comes across on every page--these recipes are not mere recitations of ingredients and do this and that. I loved that most also featured little "good ideas" on modifications, too. The asides on French culture, like how to handle oneself in a cheese shop, were incredibly fun.

She also understands her audience. The book is from the vantage point of someone who has lived, grocery shopped, and cooked in France, but she knows her audience is American, and suggests necessary recipe changes for ingredients that are accessible and affordable.

Usually when I read a cookbook, I find maybe a couple recipes I want to try; that's a big reason why I buy few cookbooks these days. Why waste the space? However, I found a bunch of recipes of interest in Around My French Table, and already tried one! This is a book I would actually like to have in print--plus, I'm now keenly interested in finding more of her cookbooks, too. ( )

lemon-steamed spinach, p.331, easy, good, but nothing special.

Darn you, accessibly and charmingly written food porn. After making a couple of recipes and falling in love with Dorie Greenspan's attitude toward cooking, eating, and France (or rediscovering what I love about all three of these things), I ordered my very own copy. It will keep me from getting bacon grease and flour on the library's. ( )