Below you will find a list of my favorite French cookbooks and memoirs that instantly transport me to France. When I can't be there in person, I simply pick up one of these books and live vicariously through it. I suggest you do the same!
Ferrandi in Paris is where I studied culinary arts alongside countless young French teenagers who had already chosen cooking as their "metier." It was a privilege to learn my way around a kitchen with them, particularly during patisserie class. If you'd like to hone your own French pastry skills, this is THE book to do it. Big and beautiful, it would be a wonderful addition to your coffee table, but it equally gives you all the detailed instructions needed to succeed in baking French pastries.
If you are headed to Paris soon, you simply must visit Jane Bertch, an American ex-pat who opened a cooking school called La Cuisine Paris. First, though, read her memoir, The French Ingredient, detailing how she transitioned from the grind of the corporate world to that of French cuisine.
Another popular American ex-pat in Paris, David Lebovitz has written many books, but this one is unique as it focuses solely on French cocktails. Snag one here as a gift or as primer for how to throw a fashionable Christmas party.
If you have ever dreamed of marrying a Frenchman and moving to a farm in Normandy, then this is the cookbook for you. Gorgeous photos and delicious recipes by Cat Bude, an American who has raised her three children in Northern France, can be found in her debut book, French Kitchen Lessons.
Provence, 1970 allows an inside glimpse into what life was like for several culinary greats including James Beard, Julia Child and MFK Fisher who all spent time together that year in France. It is a wonderful insight into the simple pleasures of the time and how our culinary world today was formed by a legion of Francophiles some 50+ years ago in Southern France.
One of the first French memoirs I ever read was On Rue Tatin and it had me totally transfixed on simple country life in France. The tale is still as mesmerizing today as it was years ago. A memoir peppered with fantastic recipes, this is a French foodie's dream.
Last but not least, the inimitable Dorie Greenspan shares over 200 recipes in this beautiful French tome of a cookbook. If you have never made one of Dorie's recipes, you are missing out. She loads this book with not only tried and true French recipes, but also with endearing stories of her time in France.
I hope you enjoyed this list. It merely scratches the surface of cookbooks and memoirs of Americans in France, but I feel like it is a pretty good start! Happy reading and bon appetit!