Big Heart Little Stove: Bringing Home Meals & Moments from the Lost Kitchen

Listeners might approach an audio cookbook with trepidation, but French’s (Finding Freedom in the Lost Kitchen) latest is much more than a collection of recipes. The critically acclaimed chef and owner of the Lost Kitchen Restaurant pens a love letter to food, cooking, and serving with love. In addition to delectable recipes, the author interweaves memories from her youth, entertaining how-tos, and a fascinating discussion of ingredients such as edible flowers that take a dish from ordinary to extraordinary. Best of all, each recipe has a story. Listening to the audiobook, which French narrates herself, is a little like peeking behind the curtain to see how the magic is made. While listeners don’t have ready access to the photographs, the behind-the-scenes stories with the author, her mother, and cooking maven Ina Garten are entirely satisfying on their own. Toward the end of the book, there are tips and tricks learned from all the mothers in French’s life—lots of practical wisdom, passed along with a dash of love.