It likely won’t surprise anyone that I love hosting dinner parties. Though, I would be lying if I said I’ve done it on a regular basis any time in the past 10 years. Between having kids, moving a handful of times, a pandemic…it hasn’t exactly been easy to find a rhythm for these kinds of gatherings. But this book, À Table by Rebekah Peppler, lit a fire under me that I haven’t felt in sometime. Her recipes are beautiful, the photos immediately transport me to her beautiful Paris apartment, and I can almost taste/smell/hear every part of the dinner parties she hosts as I read her descriptions and soak in her wisdom around gathering around the table.
“In France, no matter where you live, your age, your ethnicity, your socioeconomic background, when you call people to come together around a table, you say the same thing: à table!, which translates as “to the table!” English speakers may mispronounce, of course, but the phonetic English holds up just as well: a table.” -Rebekah Peppler, À Table
And so, this month I am bringing this book to you in the hopes that you feel confident in bringing together those you love with delicious food and beverages and that you are able to sit back and enjoy every moment. I will be sharing two of my favorite recipes (an appetizer and a cocktail) with you from the book, but as with last month’s Cookbook Club, you’ll have to check out or purchase the book to access the recipes.
Why? Because holding these beautiful books in your hands is all part of the experience I hope for you to have. Sit down with some tea and page through, cover to cover, making mental notes of what looks good. Then, on another occasion, sit down again, perhaps with pen and paper, and write down a few recipes you’d like to try. Take time to read Rebekah’s advice on entertaining, on not drinking, on snack dinner… I promise you the experience will be richer if you make space for yourself to relax and feel the pages between your fingers.