annieb123's Review of A Table

by Rebekah Peppler

“As much a lifestyle guide as a culinary one, this is a no-brainer for Francophiles.” —Publishers Weekly

Featured in Food52, Food & Wine, Cherry Bombe, Conde Nast Traveler, Martha Stewart Living, and Shape Magazine.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking meets Dinner: Changing the Game in a beautifully photographed, fresh approach to French cooking and gathering, with 125 simple recipes.

À Table: Recipes for Cooking and Eating the French Way is an alluring, delicious invitation to the French table from Paris-based American food writer and stylist, Rebekah Peppler. It is both a repertoire-building cookbook and a stylish guide that will make readers feel as though they are traveling through France with a close friend.

New York Times contributing writer Rebekah Peppler shares 125 elegant, “new French” recipes that reflect a modern, multicultural French table. With approachable recipes, a conversational tone, and aspirational photography, À Table contains secrets for cooking simple, sophisticated meals and recreating the magic and charm of French life anywhere in the world.

125 ACCESSIBLE RECIPES: Included are classics such as Ratatouille and Crème Brûlée regional dishes, such as Basque Chicken, Niçoise (for a Crowd), and Alsatian Cheesecake; as well as recipes born of the melding of the cultures and flavors that help define contemporary French eating, from Bigger Bánh Mì and Lamb Tagine to Green Shakshuka.

USEFUL ADVICE: Guidance on shopping, stocking the pantry, and preparing the table, as well as stories on French food culture, make this not just a recipe-driven cookbook but also a chic guide to modern French living.

FOREVER CHIC: French food and the French lifestyle will never go out of style. À Table offers a window into an enviable way of life and is filled with inspiring, useful tips—perfect for Francophiles and anyone who likes to cook and eat good food.

Perfect for:
• Home cooks looking for accessible recipes, relying less on fancy techniques and more on ease and accessibility.
• Fans of Rebekah Peppler’s work, including her James Beard Award-nominated book, Apéritif, and regular writing in the New York Times.
• People of all ages who like to plan unfussy meals with delicious food and minimal prep.

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

À Table is a style guide with recipes developed and presented by Rebekah Peppler. Due out 6th April 2021 from Chronicle Books, it's 304 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is a lushly illustrated book on a practical subject (food and the social aspects of eating and sharing food) which has a truly renaissance artistic sensibility. Every single illustration is a feast with lighting and scene, arrangement, color, and presentation carefully controlled (but looking beautiful and spontaneous).

The text is rich in small details and the author is a meticulous and knowledgeable expert both with writing and with advice for cooking and entertaining. Despite being a book with an artistic sensibility and soul, it's well laid out and presented and accessible. Information is easy to find and logically arranged. The book is divided into sections with respect to an extended meal and the information is grouped by pre-dinner aperitifs and drinks, the actual mealtime, and postprandial snacks and drinks. The recipes themselves contain a description, ingredients listed bullet-style in a sidebar (measures in both American standard and metric, yay!), and step by step instructions. Serving sizes are given in general terms as well as tips and alternative presentations. The book doesn't include nutritional information (it's just not that kind of book). Recipe ingredients include some specialties which might be challenging outside of very well stocked boutique grocers and alcohol suppliers. On the whole, however, the recipes really *do* seem achievable by the average cook who is determined.

The photography is abundant and full of the sort of classic French architecture and urban rooms with high ceilings and classic decor (filled with beautiful people) which always leave me breathless. This would make a nice coffee table book. I recommend it highly to readers interested in putting some polish and finesse into entertaining graciously and well.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

A Table

by Rebekah Peppler

Reviewed by annieb123 on Mar 21, 2021

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