Rebekah Peppler, an American living in Paris, affirms the enduring appeal of French cooking in this stylish, casual book. In particular she imagines your using it as you open your home for “conversation, and golden light: there are drinks, small bites, and friends meeting to celebrate the start of the evening, seemingly every night.”

It’s easy to fall under the spell she casts. Picture yourself serving comté and sesame twists, a hearty daube de boeuf, clams with sherry and olives, a tomato tart, parsnips with fennel and honeycomb, cherry galette, and an array of bracing digestif shots.

Peppler herself can be refreshingly bracing as she encourages you cast aside stodgy ideas about seating arrangements, which foods are served when, and what goes with what (kimchi with the cheese course? Why not?). Her confidence is inspiring.

Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.