The Cook's Atelier

Mother and daughter American expats Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini always dreamed of living in France. With a lot of hard work and a dash of fate, they realized this dream and cofounded The Cook’s Atelier, a celebrated French cooking school in the storybook town of Beaune, located in the heart of the Burgundy wine region. Combining their professional backgrounds in food and wine, they attract visitors from near and far with their approachable, convivial style of cooking.

Featuring more than 100 market-inspired recipes and 300 exceptional photographs by Anson Smart, this comprehensive reference is an extension of their cooking school, providing a refreshingly simple take on French techniques and recipes that every cook should know: basic butchery, essential stocks and sauces, pastry, dessert creams and sauces, and preserving, to name a few. Seasonal menus build on this foundation, collecting recipes that showcase their fresh, vegetable-focused versions of timeless French dishes, such as:

• Green Garlic Soufflé
• Watermelon and Vineyard Peach Salad
• Little Croques Madames
• Sole Meunière with Beurre Blanc and Parsleyed Potatoes
• Seared Duck Breast with Celery Root Puree and Chanterelles
• Madeleines
• Plum Tarte Tatin
• Almond-Cherry Galette

Stories of food and life in the village and the unique atmosphere of the atelier accent this personal cookbook. We can almost hear the clanking of the copper pots, the hiss of the vintage espresso machine, and the merriment around the table, as we meet some of the region’s best small farmers and artisanal producers and experience how Taylor and Smith Franchini’s family work together to create this special place.

More than a practical introduction to classic French cooking, this richly illustrated volume is also a distinctively designed celebration of the French art of joie de vivre and an inspirational primer on adopting elements of the French lifestyle, no matter where you live.