Best From France

The French, more than any other nationality, have refined the art of entertaining. Whether they live in a humble cottage or a chateau, and serve cuisine rustique or haute cuisine, they know exactly how to welcome guests and set a lovely table loaded with delicious dishes. Visit eighteen very different households, from Brittany to Provence, from farmhouse to apartment. Among the places you'll go and the foods you'll hear about -- and perhaps try, using one of the 70 recipes here -- are a painter's residence in Aveyron, to eat stuffed duck; a cheesemaker's house in the Vaucluse, for an assortment of charcuterie, lamb, and orange chocolate cake; and a bull breeder's dwelling in the Camargue, where seafood is on the menu.