A Table

It doesn’t get any easier than this. This book will tell you what to buy, what to make, and when to serve it. There are wonderful pictures and tons of recipes for before, during, and after your dinner party. Highly recommend!

This is a delightful French cookbook that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I may not ever cook most of the recipes for a multitude of reasons but they all seemed delicious and doable. You're obviously going to need to source a lot of French foods like cheeses, meats and alcohols, but Peppler sets you up to succeed. The book is not just a cookbook but a guide to being a wonderful host, and I came away thinking that her guests were lucky friends. There are beautiful color photos throughout, both of the foods and drinks and of the author. These never seemed vain and staged like other cookbooks though, they just added to the charm.

No nutritional information is provided. Many of the recipes are naturally gluten free and many would work for paleo and (to a lesser extent) vegetarian diets. Photos are provided for about 2/3 of the recipes, perhaps a little less. Highly recommended.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

Beautiful Color Photographs throughout. Simple recipes albeit some i probably would not make at home, because they just seem a little too high brow for me. If some of those same recipes were in a restaurant i would order them. But to make them at home probably not. I would opt to use this cookbook as a food photo look book on my coffee table.

I will admit the cider pork, French Carrot Salad and Madeline do look good enough for me to make at home.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Very lovely looking recipes! The pictures were beautiful, it made me hungry just looking at them, and everything looked so delicious. I have marked a couple of them to try them this Christmas at home. My favourites were definitely the dips, the tomato tart, and the French onion soup, I’ve been meaning to make this last one for so long!

It was also very interesting the drinks section. I seldom make drinks, but those recipes had me imagine myself making them, so I guess I will give them a try.
If I had to say one bad thing, and this is completely subjective, is the amount of recipes with olives on this book, since I hate them with all my heart and soul, but once again, that is just personal, I did not give this book a lower rating because of that.

A beautiful French cookbook with lots of great recipes. There are recipes for drinks, entrees, sides and desserts. They seem a bit hard to do make though. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the ARC to read and review.

A Table from Rebekah Peppler is an elegant cookbook. Photography by Joann Pai evoke the French experience. You can't help but feel fully immersed in the French style of cooking with her traditional recipes. Included are tips for dinner parties with each chapter. A lovely book for anyone wanting to dig into French cooking, the recipes give simple instructions anyone can follow to make a sophisticated meal for family or friends.

Gorgeous book, amazing visuals and lovely graphics, French food and aesthetics are a true antidote to covid misery.. Chronicle Books
is a gem of a publisher....all the books are gift giveable and timeless, if aspirational. La Buvette was my favorite cookbook of this year and A Table compares favorably.

A Table is a beautifully photographed cookbook that has an abundance of unique recipes. In an attempt to try French cuisine, this seems to be a great cookbook to guide one in that quest. I enjoyed the way Rebekah wrote out more then just the recipes. She shared ideas and tips to help make them wherever you may be. A great cookbook to add to your shelf and help you master the art of French cuisine.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the opportunity to read this book.

I very much enjoyed this cookbook. The recipes are user-friendly, although some are more complicated than I would be able to work in my apartment-sized kitchen. Some of the ingredients would be difficult to attain, but there were several recipes where the author indicated that "this isn't a dealbreaker" or suggested an alternative. I enjoyed the stories that came with the recipes.

The selection of recipes were also very appealing. I found that many of the dishes were vegetable forward, and there was a good number of chicken choices as well. There were also several nice seafood recipes, and a limited number of beef recipes (excellent because I'm mostly stuck in my ways with beef and do not like to deviate). I enjoyed the variety offered, as well as the dessert offerings. Some of my favourites were there and many were simple and straightforward.

The author also included tips and tricks (astuces), as well as the tips people give that have been debunked. That part was especially interesting and the logic behind the debunkings (as well as the personalization in the explanations) were useful and straightforward.

Last, but most definitely not least, the photos were absolutely stunning. They were inviting and went well with the mood of the book. Each image was appropriate and the colour choices were sensational. I could have used a bit more colour on the recipe pages, but perhaps that will come later in the final formatting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for providing a copy of this eARC for review.

À Table is a beautiful cookbook filled with with simple food made special. I liked it instantly judging by the way its divided into sections: Before (Aperitifs and Snacks), During ( Mains and Sides), and After (Desserts and Digestifs). There are great suggestions and practical tips on how to stock a Modern French pantry. The photography is stunning and captures the very essence of France in its light, hospitality, and delicious food. I’ll be buying print copies of this for myself and friends!

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

À Table is so much more than just a cookbook filled with amazing recipes and gorgeous photos, it's a wonderful guide on throwing dinner parties and getting together with friends - the French way! This book is so approachable and provides a low-stress guide to dinner parties. Broken down into parts of the meal, À Table beings with pre-dinner drinks and snacks. There are AMAZING cocktails, easy-to-follow recipes and honestly, I need a hard-cover copy of this book to help me plan every get-together from here on out. 10-out-of-10 would recommend to anyone who loves cocktail and dinner parties with their friends.

5/5 Stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a hipster collection of French recipes, often adapted or with additional ingredients. Lengthy sections on French staples and ideas for serving and entertaining are useful. Unlike the majority of other books, A Table has nicely edited sections on pre- and post-dinner drinks.

I just read through an ARC of A Table: Recipes for Cooking and Eating the French Way by Rebekah Peppler. What a wonderful book! The photographs are stunning, and the recipes look so good! I really liked the beginning section on a modern French pantry with ingredients and where to find them or what to substitute for the ones listed and why they are important in French cooking. I can't wait for publication so that I can buy a copy for myself! Thank you, NetGalley and Chronicle Books, for the advanced copy.

This book is filled with stunning full-page photographs and recipes to make French-styled dishes of all kinds from updated classics to twists on other dishes, to drinks.
There's also a lot of information on how to be the perfect host, which was both informative and fun to read.
Some of the recipes are involved with lots of steps, but the book explains them all well, and those who want to take on a complex dish should have no problem following any of them. There are also a number of more simple dishes that anyone could try. Overall, this is a fantastic guide.
Many thanks to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the advance copy.

#ATableABook #NetGalley

Special thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle books for providing me with ARC.

I loved this book so much, it's so good

This was excellent. The recipes are very accessible and for the most part, have easy-to-find ingredients. The organization of the book would make it very useful for planning a stress-free group meal. There's lots of content but the author is informative instead of preachy.

This cookbook is such a beautiful concoction of gorgeous recipes and stunning photographs. I could smell and taste the food coming off the pages! I am particularly keen on trying the french onion soup. I cannot wait to formally try these out, but the browsing experience sold me upfront. Everything is straightforward, easy to understand, and easy to follow.

This book starts with a good list of fun cocktails for starting diner. Aperitif, the pre-diner drinks and snacks, is a real institution in France, I've seen kids books about them, and recipe books dedicated to them. It's fun, relaxing, and is the moment when everyone catches up before plunging into the serious diner talks. It makes sense the book should start there. The French photos peppering the book are a little cliché, but hey, I guess they're part of trying to build a French atmosphere.
I loved that there was a section on none-alcoholic drinks and cocktails, because not everyone drinks, not everyone wants alcohol all evening, sometimes people just can't, and when people have a long way by car to go you want to have a few nice alternatives to give them so that they can alternate and drink reasonably. Those sounded lovely and refreshing too.
All the recipes are things I have cooked or eaten in France, similar to things I ate in France or sound like something I could eat at one of my friend's or family's place, I'm half French, lived over there for a good portion of my life and think I know the place pretty well. There is the middle eastern influence we now find at every home in France and that gives a nice fresh kick to it. The recipes are simple, require easy ingredients and look tasty. You do need a Dutch oven for some of the more interesting ones. For example I was particularly excited about the chicken confit, which is something I always wanted to try making, though I am surprised the author recommends olive oil - I would be afraid of such a strong oil giving a bitter taste when cooked too long. And the carrot tarte tatin. Admittedly those are recipes that you have to cook for a long time, but once in the oven you don't have to think about them for a long time!
I really liked the vegetable side dishes too. Most seem really tasty and lots of people seem to have a hard time knowing how to cook vegetables for the most flavour.

This book was exceptional! I loved the recipes and the little personal touches. The recipes feel largely accessible to various skill levels too.

Thank you to @netgalley, the publisher and author for gifting me this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love cookbooks and love discovering new cuisines and tastes. This cookbook is a modern one. I feel like it's more turned towards younger people, with a bit more free time on their hands rather than families with children. The recipes are a bit posh in my opinion and hence a bit on a pricier side.

All in all photos are excellent, recipes are solid but still, I feel like I couldn't use most of them.

With this cookbook I was transported back to Paris and can’t wait to make some of these dishes- most seem approachable and very French! The cocktails and aperitifs are near the end, and perhaps saved the best for last? But there are so many classic dishes here, all written in a simple and shoppable way for an American audience. As a French teacher I’m always looking for good French (or French-ish) books and cookbooks, and I want a hard copy of this one for my shelf. In part because it’s gorgeous! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for this unbiased review.

Interesting dishes and writing in this cookbook, which meets at the intersection of French and American culture. To begin, I really enjoyed the sheer artfulness and beauty of the images in this book, which effectively read as an advertisement for enjoying life and eating in France. I was hungry by the end and already plan to try out some of the recipes soon. The dishes are not only French traditional cooking but also borrow from other cultures, which I appreciated. Lots of butter, dairy, eggs, so this cookbook is not exactly vegan or vegetarian friendly.

As for the writing itself, I found myself not completely sold on some of the points made here. I liked the parts of the cookbook which were self-aware, recommending on how to treat guests, plan a dinner party, eschew traditional social “rules” (like starting a dinner right on time or having pressed linens, etc.) Peppler is an an American in Paris, from Wisconsin, and doesn’t claim to be an expert on anything, but rather, suggesting more casual and tried-and-true methods for hosting, selecting ingredients and cooking. In this way, the book felt very approachable for a novice, informative for those who haven’t spent time cooking in France. I love the thoughtful, realistic addition of options for people who choose to abstain from drinking to the book.

My only real critique of the book would be some of the awkward sexual references or insertions here and there that I’m not sure were totally relevant; over and over about how she dated women in France, comparing hosting a dinner party to a dominant/submissive dynamic felt a little odd, all things considered. Overall, I think Peppler wanted this cookbook to give readers a real slice of life feeling of what it was like for her to experience a new culture abroad.

The last thought that ran through my head while reading was that this cookbook felt almost scarily similar to Alison Roman’s “Plenty More” cookbook, albeit with a French twist. This book would be great accessible read for anyone who is looking to get into French cooking but doesn’t know where to start, or simply those who love French culture and cuisine and are looking for a different way to approach it. (Myself included!)

Overall, I’ve already recommended this cookbook to my cooking friends and can’t wait to try out some of the delicious cocktails and recipes here at my very own dinner party! (post-Covid....) Thanks Netgalley and Rebekah Peppler!

Rebekah Peppler is clearly passionate about food and an expert entertainer. I quite like her casual, unfussy, yet thoughtful style. It's made me rethink the way I entertain (and made me highly anticipate the day that I can finally entertain again...if this pandemic ever ends).

The recipes in this book are contemporary french. Don't think old-fashioned, fancy French pastries. There are no croissants from scratch here. These are current, cultured, and relatively simple. I noticed some reviewers comment that the food was fancy. I disagree. They weren't all quick, week-night meal selections, but techniques were not very complicated, nor were the ingredients. A few ingredients may be challenging to source in North America, but you can certainly make do. The photos are exquisite. I haven't cooked a lot of french food in the past and am now inspired to expand my repertoire. I've tagged probably 40 recipes that I genuinely want to try. I am seriously hungry right now.

I absolutely adore French cuisine and I also love hosting friends and family. In fact, when my husband and I bought our house 9 years ago, the main sell was the spacious kitchen with plenty of counter space for get togethers. Even when we are not entertaining, my husband and I are foodies at heart so we enjoy elevated food at home from time to time as well. I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover of this book, but what I really loved were the excellent recipes. I am even planning to make one of the recipes today (heirloom tomatoes and Armagnac? Yes, please!). I recommend this book to anyone who is a foodie or who wants to venture away from their usual kitchen fare.

4.5- A wonderful cookbook for those who enjoy the art of cooking the French way. Many mouthwatering photographs are included and add to the ambience of taking your time and gathering many flavorful ingredients for a satisfying meal. These are not recipes you can cook in a hurry but ones I feel you need to take your time and enjoy the art of cooking itself. There are many sections included for appetizers, main meals, veggies and side dishes. The olives cooked with lemons look divine and the Tomato tart is one I look forward to making this summer when they ripen. Also included are recipes using pork, chicken and lamb. I’ve often wondered what to cook with eggplant and this book offers at least 2 recipes that look very appetizing. The only problem I see with some of these recipes is acquisition of certain ingredients required since I live in small town USA. A great book for those who love to cook!

From opening up the first pages of this cookbook, I was obsessed. It has everything that makes a cookbook great - varied, simple recipes, pithy insight from the author, and great design. However, A Table goes beyond that. The photography is luscious, spiriting the reader away to the balconies of Paris among the laughter of friends. Peppler's commentary is honest, heartfelt, woke, and funny, and I adored her real, lively voice. She not only shares her recipes with the readers, but her world, her life, and the table around which it happens. She's open and true and not a small part of why I adored the book. The delicious-sounding recipes don't hurt, either.

Reading through this cookbook, especially in the midst of a pandemic, sweeping me away to glittering Paris for the space of a few hours. It may feel ironic for a cookbook about dinner parties to be published during a time when we can't gather with friends, but conversely, it's just the slice of optimism we need. I can't wait to try out the dishes and drinks once we're able to safely be together once again.

A Table by Rebekah Peppler is more than a cookbook of French recipes. It's a volume of stunning photography and practical advice on entertaining the French way. Ms. Peppler is an American woman living in Paris who enjoys sharing an elegant, intimate evening of good food and drink with friends. In her book, she gives the reader advice on how to recreate the same type of gathering in one's own home.

She begins the book with a list of typical french pantry items that are the mainstay of French recipes, followed by her simple philosophy to make entertaining easy and enjoyable. The book is then divided into Before, During and After.

I enjoyed the short excerpts that are included before each recipe either detailing what the food/drink is or including the author's personal, helpful tips about it.

The recipes themselves are easy enough for a home cook, yet elegant and unique. Included are substitutions for items that may be difficult to obtain in America. Beautiful photos are included with the majority of the recipes.

This is definitely a book that the modem cook should add their collection.

#ATableABook #NetGalley

I buy cookbooks for how they will help me be a better cook while giving me a certain joy through beautiful photography and writing. So, what I love about Rebekah Peplar’s A Table (French for “dinner is served, now sit down”) is that there are truly elegant recipes — curated with an eye for entertaining friends but casual enough for everyday — ensconced between gorgeous photographs of food, drinks, and the author’s beautiful life in Paris. This books celebrates the pleasures of living. The recipes and photography convey that food and drink can be pleasures unto themselves, or a springboard to connection, conversation, and celebration.

However, nothing is so foreign that you can’t find the ingredients at Whole Foods. No recipe is so complex that you can’t just make it for yourself while you heat chicken tenders and frozen peas for your children. This cookbook is aspirational within reach. Yes, you deserve to be sipping on a kir royale and nibbling on roasted lemons and olives while you short-order cook for picky kids, a gluten-free partner, and a pet with digestive issues. You deserve to imagine you are dropping in on a fabulous soirée of soignee parisiennes, whose linen blouses bear the most gorgeous buttons you’ve ever seen. Or just shopping for a few choice apricots in a sunny open air market. Or maybe that is your life already. Either way, this could be the perfect cookbook for you to refresh your culinary life while stirring your imagination.

The Dinner recipes are all delicious straightforward recipes for a small crowd. Overall, they represent the pantheon of classic French dishes, but here prepared with slight variations and modernized for today’s palates and American grocery stores. If you already own cookbooks on French cuisine, there might not be anything explicitly new here for you at first glance. Look again. Party Steak serves 6-8 and looks so enticing. The Royal Couscous sounds amazing. The Bigger Banh Mi as well. Recipes like Cassoulet and Bouillabaisse are written to balance flavor with practicability, which I appreciate.

The section on sides is perhaps the most interesting. Here we find easy recipes but with a “Why didn’t I think of that? Oh, because I’m not French” twist. Parsnips with fennel and honeycomb - oui! Carrot tarte tatin - absolument. Beans with pistachio aillade- now, please.

After covering desserts the book finishes with a long list of digestifs - after dinner drinks. So fun! This is a category of thoughtful drinking totally under-recognized stateside. And it’s so much fun to continue the party with something unexpected to drink!

Know that the author, despite having formally studied French pastry, relies on frozen puff pastry a lot throughout the appetizer and dessert sections. You will thankfully not be asked to make any puff pastry, pâté brisee or galette dough in this book. Unless you make her kouign amann , which is from scratch. Merci.

I think I knew I'd rate this book give stars from the first chapters! I was delighted by the author's way of writing and hosting - the honesty, the rule breaking, the genius ideas. And then there are the recipes!

First, they are easy to understand, easy to do, and I bet they are delicious! The focus is on using ingredients in season - actually, of taking advantage of that and obtaining the best dishes to entertain your guests.

The author is American, but lives in France - so the recipes are French, but with a twist. She is definitely passionate about food and having people over, feeding them and serving them beverages (alcoholic or not).

I just loved it. I loved the ease with which she presented things. I love that she was thinking of everything and everyone (even guests with social anxiety!)

Oh, and the photos are exquisite!

I thought this book had some very lovely photographs, but they were far a few between. The recipes seemed very simple to follow, and I definitely jotted a few down for future use. I also found some of the dinner party etiquette in the beginning of the book interesting though perhaps not exactly something I would agree with. Overall, I think it's a very pretty book, but it's one I would purchase more as a coffee table book than an actual cookbook.

A Table by Rebekah Peppler fell short for me.

Initially, I was interested in this book after living in France and missing the food there. I thought this would be a lovely way to still enjoy it. What I have found is getting some of these ingredients especially the European butter and cheeses very hard to find in my area. It makes several of these recipes difficult (especially the ones I am interested in.)

While I enjoyed the photos, there were quite a few that I wish were more focused on the food. I like being able to see what the meal is supposed to look like when it is done. The drinks I feel differently on as they were used while socializing at the beginning of a dinner party.

While I liked the concept of the two languages at the beginning and even knowing some basic French, I found it a bit overwhelming and confusing.

I really wanted to like this book, but I did not find it that accessible. I loved the overall concept and there are still a few recipes for me to try. I think I would be more inclined to check it out at the library then buy it as I would not use it all that much and the recipes I do use would be a handful.

I received an eARC from Chronicle Books through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

Le sigh, I wish we could have dinner parties. This book is beautifully photographed and makes me want to take a train to France in better times. There are some scrumptious looking recipes included and most of them have photos. I wish they all did as some that are missing are the dishes I didn't know and therefore has no idea what they should look like. I liked that the book felt like I was talking to a friend, but I don't want to PM you for the local butter, just tell me!

I've got my eye on the radish recipe.

3.5 stars

À Table has a great selection of recipes that reflect a modern French table with ingredients that are easy to find.

Drawing from her experience in hosting in her apartment in France, the author shows you how to host gatherings and provides a fresh perspective through the lens of the French table.

The book begins with the modern French pantry and lists must-have items including bacon 🥓, Brined items such as Cornichons, capers, olives 🫒, butter 🧈, cheese 🧀, Crème Fraîche, milk, and other dairy 🥛

It is divided into three sections: BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER.

The first section is further divided into two chapters namely Apéritifs and Snacks like Chaud Comme, Pre-Dinner Armagnac, 50/50 (made with gin, dry Vermouth, and Angostura), Snack Mix, Roasted Lemons + Olives, and Crème Fraîche Dip.

A chapter is dedicated to types of wine: Sparkling Wine, White, Rosé, Red and offers a selection of drinks for teetotalers. The book also provides tips on creating a good charcuterie as well as types of meats.

Desserts and Digestifs include Crème Brûlée, Macaroons, À Còté, Tonic Tonic, and Bonal After Hours. Would recommend

Thank you to Rebekah Peppler, NetGalley, and Chronicle Books for the ARC of this book.

Gorgeous photos! Wonderful recipes that seem easy to follow...and a variety of them! As an American living in France, I took one star off....

This is gorgeous. I need a physical copy and I cannot WAIT to have parties using these recipes. Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC ecookbook!

A table is a cookbook that will up your hosting skills. There useful tips on do's and don’ts that make entertaining easier, but also more elegant by adopting a more French way of hosting. Where good food, drinks and friend are a must. So a good portion of the book is about drinks. With a lot of fun cocktail and wine suggestions

The recipes are easy to make at home and are classic French. I like the small anecdotal introductions at the beginning of the recipes. They give a more personal touch to the book.

The photos are a good balance between recipes and lifestyle impressions, and are beautiful to look at.

Ever since our French exchange student, Lola, left, we have been missing her wonderful cooking. Now, thanks to the author, we have a way of revisiting many of the things she made for us! There are a multitude of great recipes here. Easily understood instructions, beautifully photographed, this book has it all. We have already tried several of them. Who knows, when this horrible pandemic is over and we are able to go to France again, maybe we can surprise Lola and her family by cooking for them in the French way! Bravo!

As a french person who immigrated to Canada, there's few things love more than finding a cookbook filled with recipes from home - especially one as well-made as this one. The instructions are clear and precise, the illustrations are beautiful and the recipes are diverse and adaptable for all kinds of events and celebrations. This is a cookbook that I'd happily have in my home, and share with both my French and Canadian friends.

A Table by Rebekah Peppler

9781797202235

304 Pages
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Release Date: April 6, 2021

Nonfiction, Cooking, Food & Wine

The book is divided into the following categories.

Before: Pre-Dinner Drinks & Snacks
During: Supper & Sides
After: (Sweet) Snacks & Post-Dinner Drinks


I have a friend living in France and would love to go there myself. Reading several different French book series, I can imagine what life is like. The photography in the book is stunning. They are pictures of ordinary life and made me feel as if I was there.

My husband and I love to experiment with cocktails. This book was a treasure trove of recipes. I think his favorite was the Amaro Old-Fashioned. Mine was the non-alcohol drink of lime, ginger beer and sparkling water. The eggs mayo with persillade sound amazing and is on my list of things to try as soon as my herbs are ready to harvest. The crème fraiche dip is also on my list. I love the idea of upgraded potato chips.

This book is a must have for anyone interested in French cooking. The recipes are well written, and most ingredients are readily available at most grocery stores. Many of the recipes have color photos to accompany them.

Thank you to the publisher, authors, photographers, and NetGalley for a copy of this cookbook in exchange for honest feedback. I am approaching this cookbook as someone who doesn't know too much about French food, so I cannot vouch for its authenticity or its coverage of the offerings. What I can attest to is the cookbook's accessibility, visual appeal, and content offerings.

Accessibility to me means the skill set needed to complete (on average) the range of recipes in the book. Personally, I think the only challenges lie in the 1) accessibility of some of the ingredients, as in are they stocked near you and what are the costs, and 2) some techniques may be above beginner level. However, this is not a critique, but more of an assessment.

Visual appeal: very modern, European. It looks like an instagram feed or influencer's life/blog. Nice crisp photographs.

Content: Themed in before, during, after style. Has a decent range of offerings. Written in a quick, concise manner. Talks about the cultural context as well as the food.

Bottom line: I think the best audience for this book (in my mind) is the 1) culturally curious, 2) passionate about cooking, and 3) maybe someone like a former expat or someone who studied abroad in France and wants to engage with that culture again. As for someone like me who didn't have any previous exposure to most of this content, I think that only a few recipes stood out to me as something I would try. What I did appreciate the most was the context to the dishes. The cultural / social aspects are just as important when learning about different cultures, as food is one of the most basic ways that humans can connect and share their customs. In this, I think the cookbook does a decent balancing job.

This is a colorful guide to casual French Cooking. It would function as a great reference for home chefs and foodies that are hoping to master French cooking. It would make a great gift for the foodie in your life for a birthday or Christmas and would be looked on fondly and used for years to come.

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 beautiful book with great pictures. However, this book doesn't fit my lifestyle or my frame of reference and I cannot see myself actually using it. In an age of many known food intolerances and those being mindful of nutrition, this book glaringly neglects to acknowledge either concept. Again, beautiful book that has no place in my kitchen.

A table is a French cuisine book with a setting and hosting tidbits as if you were dining in France .

What did I like? This book is gorgeous! The food and drink pictures were amazing and mouth watering. The author gives hosting tips that make sense but the recipes are way beyond what I would make for a party.

Would I recommend or buy? It’s gorgeous but I have no need for French cuisine and my tastes are more Italian. So if your tastes run French then this book is for you.

I received a complimentary copy to read and voluntarily left a review! Four stars!

Rebekah Pepper knows her French food, as evidenced in her cookbook, A Table: Recipes for Cooking and Eating the French Way. This cookbook is amazing! Almost everyone loves French food, and in this cookbook, Peppler has included not only recipes, but information on the way to eat it and generating the unique atmosphere by doing it right.

This cookbook has so many mouthwatering dishes, that anyone who wants to cook a lot of French food will be kept busy for months. There are also gorgeous photographs of most of the dishes, which makes it tempting to cook more dishes than needed for a single dinner. For those who are serious about creating a real French ambience, there are dozens of recipes for aperitifs and other spirited drinks. This excellent cookbook includes starters and mouthwatering appetizers. It also has plenty of main dishes as well as side dishes and beautiful, tempting desserts.

The recipes are written in an easy-to-follow style, and most (there are a few involved recipes) are easy enough for novice and experienced cooks to prepare picture-perfect dishes at home. The book includes several French stand-by recipes such as Potatoes Anna, Gratin Dauphinois (a.k.a. French Scalloped Potatoes), French Onion Soup with Cognac, and Daube de Boeuf. There are also photos and suggestions for platters for entertaining.

All told, This is a beautiful and exciting cookbook. It makes a perfect addition to a good cookbook collection, and would make a good gift for a wedding or birthday. This one will be well-used.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.