French at Heart: Recipes That Bring France Home by Marjorie Taylor

When mother and daughter duo and expats Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini moved to Beaune in Burgundy, France, to open their now incredibly popular cooking school The Cook’s Atelier, they learned that choosing to appreciate tiny moments more mindfully, like they saw the French do, really opened their hearts.

To them, being French at heart doesn’t mean you have to speak French or live in France; it means slowing down enough to enjoy the little details of every day. Whether that’s preparing a meal for your family and taking the time to enjoy it together around the table or taking an extra moment to set the table with fresh flowers, curating your own joy is worth your time. This cookbook offers plenty of ideas for adopting this particularly French habit in your own life.

French at Heart shows how to create simple, joyous family meals around your own table, in whatever place you call home. Recipes range from classics that will make you fall in love with France—things like Salade Niçoise, French Onion Soup, and Tarte Tatin—to more modern French favorites with surprising flavors, like Tataki-Style Beef Tenderloin and Duck Confit Tostadas.

They are simple recipes, what Taylor and Smith Franchini often cook for their family after a long day, and reflect their take on familiar French dishes. There is plenty of advice from the heart on how to serve a memorable cheese or charcuterie board, curate a French-inspired pantry, start your own kitchen garden, or get the most out of your local farmers’ market.

Creating meaningful moments around meals and sharing them turns out to be quite contagious—and exactly why people love coming to see Taylor and Smith Franchini at their cooking school.