Diner à la Maison: A Parisian's Guide to Cooking and Entertaining at Home

A charming approach to cooking, entertaining, and table-setting with all the chicness of Parisians at home.The Parisian dinner party is the ideal of entertaining chic: the style of the host, the quality of the food and wine, and the beauty of the setting. With this charming and invaluable book, Laurent Buttazzoni--renowned French architect, gourmand, and celebrated host of delightful dinner parties in Paris--reveals how effortless true Parisian entertaining can be.Dispelling the myths of expense and complexity that can intimidate hosts, Diner à la Maison is a guide to shopping, cooking, and entertaining the Parisian way. Led by charming photographs made in the author's home, the book covers the essentials of the Parisian kitchen, from indispensable cooking utensils to fundamental ingredients for the pantry, followed by a guide to pairing menus and décor, with 30 recipes and table settings for parties to suit every occasion. From weekday hits to weekend entertaining, seasonal events, and holiday parties, each recipe is accompanied by ideas for a decoration theme.With candid guides to shopping for everything from good-quality groceries to eclectic tableware, as well as creative tips on the details that make any dinner party a success (pop your champagne in the freezer before guests arrive!)--and with an introduction by style icon Sofia Coppola--this book is an essential tool for chefs, hosts, and displaced Parisians everywhere.