It seems as though Dorie is not taking a strong stance with her recipes, rather leaving them open for people to adjust to their own taste- but erring on the conservative side. In at least two recipes I found that the "optional" ingredients were necessary and the recipe was lacking without them. Another issue I had with Dorie is that she mentions in at least two recipes to use plastic wrap in part of the cooking process, that is, with heat, assuring the reader it won't melt. I'm not convinced. Overall, Around My French Table had a low success rate. Many of the recipes I tried were boring, lacked flavor, took shortcuts, and/or seemed uninspired.
Ultimately, this cookbook seems like marketing more than anything else. Many cookbooks these days are neither teaching one how to cook, nor providing worthwhile recipes. This is why I primarily get my cookbooks from the library. I am tired of wasting my money on cookbooks that aren't truly offering much. Around My French Table, while it did have successful recipes, also offered what seemed to be a lot of filler/sub-par recipes. It was difficult to convince myself to keep cooking from this book, as I felt much of my efforts were wasted on uninteresting or otherwise lacking recipes.
The conclusion of this project was posting the book on the Amazon marketplace. It sold within one day. I hope the next owner is able to glean more from it than I was able to.
