French at Heart: Recipes That Bring France Home

This gorgeous cookbook about living well the French way comes from the founders of The Cook’s Atelier, the beloved cooking school in Burgundy, France

Cooking is about more than just the food, and while French at Heart has more than 100 go-to recipes, it’s a cookbook for anyone who wants to explore the little details and make our time around the table even more special.

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.

Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini are the mother-daughter duo and cofounders of the Cook’s Atelier, a French cooking school, culinary boutique, and wine shop in Beaune, France. This international culinary destination in the heart of French wine country has been featured in many publications, including Travel + Leisure, Fodor’s, Food & Wine, Condé Nast Traveler, and more.