Around My French Table, Dorie Greenspan's New Cookbook

Obviously, we're not the only ones who love Dorie Greenspan.

But it wasn't until the release of her latest cookbook, Around My French Table, that we fully realized the adoration she inspires. The book has become the center of a virtual cooking universe, with websites and columns devoted to creating her dishes.

The collection of more than 300 French recipes (gathered while Greenspan lived abroad) deserves the devotion: From Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good (cheese, bacon, bread; click here to download the recipe) to a classic roast chicken, nearly every recipe prompts a "make it now" reaction.

The book lives beyond its pages as the focus of a project called French Fridays with Dorie. Bloggers make a scheduled recipe from the book, post an entry on their blogs on Friday and leave their links to entries on the FFwD page. So far, more than a thousand people have participated in cooking from the book together, including Greenspan herself.

In addition, Emily Weinstein has a column in the New York Times's Diner's Journal blog in which she learns to bake from Greenspan's recipes (and advice from e-mails that she and Dorie exchange). And food writer Pim Techamuanvivit's recently relaunched blog, Chez Pim, builds an entire dinner party around the book.

We can't think of anyone who's done more to inspire the home cook since Julia Child (a comparison that's warranted, we think).