Dinner in French: My Recipes by Way of France: A Cookbook

I bought this book after going to no less than three parties/dinners where an asparagus and goat cheese tart was the most talked about dish on the table. Every single time, the host or hostess cited Melissa Clark as the source of the recipe. It's not only delicious, but easy! And it turns out that the rest of the book largely follows suit.Sure, there are always going to be those who turn up their noses at frozen puff pastry (sacre bleu!), and a soufflé of cornmeal and harissa (ooh la la!) and the fact that Clark is not French (mon dieu!) even though she has spent more time there than most, but to do that is to miss some really wonderful food.Yes, there are some bona fide French classics - "Classic Brandade" being an incredibly delicious one, and the Pissaladiere, a yummy tart-type thing with anchovies, onions and Niçoise olives (I made it with the alt puff pastry and it was great) for another - but where this book shines is that it takes French recipes to new, and often easier, heights. After all, the book is subtitled "My Recipes by Way of France" for a reason.I have also made:Croques Monsieur Casserole for a pot-luck brunch and it was demolished in no timeSavory Gruyere Bread with ham - super easy and really goodVegetable Soup au Pistou - a great versionGazpacho by Way of Provence - my new favorite version of gazpachoSautéed Cabbage with Gruyere and Jalapeños - I could have eaten the whole of it myselfThere are so many more on my list to try, especially the Olive Oil Campari Cake in the very appealing Dessert section.I love what I have made so far and continue to believe that Melissa Clark is where I will most often turn went I want a foolproof meal. Her Dinner in One book has been an outlier for me, but every other book has recipes that hit it out of the park like no other.I bought this after I had Ina Garten's Paris book and I thought "Do I really need another French-ish cookbook?" The answer is "Yes, yes, I absolutely do," with zero regrets.Highly recommend this book!

With this magnificent cookbook, esteemed New York Times food writer and cookbook author Melissa Clark carries on the storied traditions of Julia Child, Patricia Wells, and Dorie Greenspan, all of whom came to love to live and cook in France and, back in America, became (and, for Patricia and Dorie, still are) icons of “French dinners” in America. I love the book!In her childhood, Ms. Clark and her family spent a month every summer in France, creating her lifelong love of French food and of France. The book is beautifully photographed, and almost every recipe has a rustic color photo. The headnotes are inviting and tell us how a dish is traditionally served in France, suggestions for serving the author’s version, some family recollections, or perhaps also valuable tips and techniques.Every recipe has a much-appreciated “Thinking Ahead” paragraph. The author is a working Mom: she tells us what we can make ahead and exactly how to do it. For example, “Twice-Baked Cheese Soufflés:” make them the day before and bake for brunch “even when you’re not fully caffeinated.” Most of the recipes are straightforward and could work for a weeknight supper. If “for a special dinner,” the author warns us. For example, “Fish and Mussel Soup with Rouille.” I thank the editors for permitting the author to take 3 pages + 1 photo page so that we may understand precisely how the author hopes that we’ll see and smell and taste her dish! The same is true of several other dishes. Thank you!Ingredients are very accessible. If I, with my itty-bitty grocery store in the inland middle of nowhere, can easily obtain the vast majority of ingredients, so can you. For me, the possible exceptions would be only fresh cherries, frisée, and some cheeses. However, substitutions (for example, olive oil may be substituted for duck fat) are frequently suggested, and usually where most needed. And, although my access to reasonably-fresh seafood is limited, I can probably get almost everything (not sure about mussels and calamari, and no rainbow trout for me) at one time or another. This is not a criticism: this is a French cookbook, so, of course it has mouth-watering dishes made with fresh seafood. I’m actually astonished that almost all of the seafood is so accessible even to me. For some meats such as duck, oxtail, and marrowbones, I think some readers would appreciate knowing whether frozen will do. However, I counted only 4 recipes using those ingredients, so I’m not missing out.What a magnificent cookbook. Such a worthy addition to my collection of beloved cookbooks from Julia, Patricia, and Dorie!

We had just been in Paris and upon returning home to MA, I saw this book in a store (for $12 more).Purchased for my husband's birthday and he loves it! Salmon with lime is the recipe we'll be tryingfirst!

All of my french cooking recipe book is old. This is newest with picture.Size of book is ideal, easy to use. Always open at seeing page.It is difficult to find history of publication.

My daughter (age 17), who loves cooking decided to make Pork Loin with Crackling Skin from the cookbook "Dinner in French: My Recipes By Way of France" by Melissa Clark. It turned out great! We're looking forward to cooking our way through the book.

My mouth is watering. Beautiful book. I've made the Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Taragon Tart that is pictured on the cover. It was splendid.Thank you, Melissa

I got this as a gift and it is a beautiful cookbook! My only issue is that there are multiple fresh herbs called for in every recipe. I personally wouldn’t make any of them due to that. That said, I’m keeping it since it is a really gorgeous cookbook and will make for a nice gift.

What a title, the photo drew me to the name.I had just been telling a friend that I wonder where the food has gone that I enjoyed over my long life. It seems everything is hot, chili hot. That seems to be a common description. Oh, it’s so hot. This is covering the taste ingredients.I’m looking forward to trying every recipe in this novel book. C

This is my go to book. Everything we’ve tried is excellent. Highly recommend.

I absolutely love this book. I have now tried around 10-15 of the recipes and they have all been great. I love that for each recipe there is a bit explaining which bits you can make beforehand which is great for when you are entertaining. I couldn’t recommend it more highly.

Gave this as a gift, has so many amazing recipes! Might buy one for myself! Only complaint would be that the bottom of the spine was a bit warped (probably due to shipping) when it arrived. Otherwise it arrived on time.

What a lovely cook book, fully of great recipes, simple enough for an intermediary cook, nice ingredients, helpful instructions all very clear. I have cooked several recipes so far and hope to do many more

The recipes are great but I love the stories about her experiences in France. It’s worth reading just for that!