Traditional recipes of French cooking: 47 recipes

Traditional recipes of French cooking
Celeriac Rémoulade
Celeriac Rémoulade
A classic recipe of traditional French bistro cooking (winter salad).
December 21th 2020396 K5 20 min.
Croque-monsieur
Croque-monsieur
A classic of French "street food" or bistros: a slice of ham between two slices of bread spread with béchamel sauce. The sandwich is then sprinkled with cheese and toasted in the oven.
August 1st 2010252 K4 50 min.
Du Barry soup
Du Barry soup
Du Barry is a creamy cauliflower soup, including small whole pieces of cauliflower.
October 17th 2018260 K4.5 1 hour 1 min.
French onion soup
French onion soup
This warming onion soup is an emblematic French dish, both in bistro cuisine and home cooking. This is a very classic version. The long, slow cooking is the secret to revealing its full flavour.
December 30th 201959 K3.8 2 hours 30 min.
Home-made terrine of foie gras
Home-made terrine of foie gras
Preparing your own home-made foie gras from raw is immensively satisfying: good quality liver and a simply amazing flavour – much better than anything you can buy. This recipe is a bit tricky, but quite within everyone's grasp, as long as you follow the 3 most delicate stages carefully. These are,...
December 17th 20235.22 M 64.2 4 days 15 hours 50 min.
Leeks in vinaigrette
Leeks in vinaigrette
A classic dish of French family and bistro cooking. It's both simple and good. The secret lies in cooking the leeks until they are only just tender, so that they keep their lovely green colour. The special vinaigrette includes herbs and hard-boiled eggs.
September 29th 2012176 K4.3 45 min.
Salad lyonnaise
Salad lyonnaise
Salad lyonnaise conjures up the cuisine of the French city of Lyon and the region around: traditionally a salad of dandelion leaves with croutons, lardons and poached eggs. Here is a slightly simpler version with shredded lettuce instead of dandelions.
December 29th 202122 K 45 min.
Lobster Thermidor
Lobster Thermidor
In this recipe, the lobster are cooked first in a court bouillon (stock), then the flesh is removed and cut into small pieces before being cooked with the cream and alcohol. The dish is browned in the oven to finish.
January 22th 2012152 K 14.7 35 min.
Blanquette of veal
Blanquette of veal
Blanquette is a classic dish of French family cooking, but can also be found in bistros. Veal is cooked slowly, and the sauce is thickened with a mixture of egg yolks and cream. I have set out a rather special way of making it.
February 5th 2015411 K4.4 2 hours 50 min.
Boeuf (beef) bourguignon
Boeuf (beef) bourguignon
Bœuf bourguignon is a traditional recipe of French cuisine (bourguignon means from Burgundy). It's chunks of meat cooked slowly with bacon, onions, carrots and mushrooms in red wine.
February 21th 2011466 K 32.5 4 hours 20 min.
Coq au vin
Coq au vin
Coq au vin is one of those iconic classics of French cuisine, though these days it is more likely to be made with chicken. The poultry is marinated in red wine, fried, then flambéed in cognac before being simmered slowly in the wine marinade. It has much in common with that other classic, boeuf...
July 17th 201676 K4.2 14 hours 45 min.
Cured Pork Belly With Lentils
Cured Pork Belly With Lentils
Pork belly with lentils is a typical French bistro dish. In principal, it is a mixture of different cuts of pork, usually salt-cured, cooked slowly until "confit" and meltingly tender, served with lentils cooked in stock. This dish takes a good while to prepare, but it's a real treat! It reheats...
November 15th 201592 K4 3 hours 20 min.
Pâté de campagne
Pâté de campagne
Here is a personal version of the famous country pâté. It's an interesting recipe to prepare in large quantities because it keeps well and freezes easily. The secret of a good pâté is of course the ingredients, but also how it is cooked.
October 3rd 20192.05 M 23.7 7 hours 55 min.
Paté en croute (terrine in a pie crust)
Paté en croute (terrine in a pie crust)
The French classic "Paté en croute" is a terrine of different meats layered and baked in a pie crust. There are many recipes which vary the kind of meat and the seasonings. This is my version with pork, veal and chicken, which is not too difficult, though it does entail quite a lot of work.
September 7th 2018208 K 134.2 6 hours 50 min.
Potted meat (rillettes)
Potted meat (rillettes)
Potted meat (rillettes) is cooked long and slow in fat. Rillettes can be of pork or duck. Here is the pork version.
October 3rd 2019431 K 25 6 hours 50 min.
Rabbit civet
Rabbit civet
Rabbit civet is a classic dish of French cuisine. The word "civet" comes from "cive", an old word for onion. These days, the name refers to chunks of meat, marinated then cooked slowly in red wine with bacon, mushrooms and onions. This tasty stew or casserole, with its very tender meat, is like my...
May 10th 202390 K4 15 hours 20 min.
Rillons de Tours
Rillons de Tours
Rillons de Tours (a town in the West of France, in the Loire valley) is a winter pork recipe. Bacon is cooked long and slow in lard and white wine until "confit". Rillons can be eaten like potted meat (rillettes) with bread, wine and pickled gherkins, but they can also be used instead of lardons in...
July 30th 2016206 K4.4 2 hours 20 min.
Veal Marengo
Veal Marengo
Marengo made with chunks of veal, simmered long and slow in a tomato sauce with mushrooms and onions. This is a recipe with historical roots, named after one of Napoleon's battles, near Marengo in Italy in June 1800.
May 10th 202347 K 2 hours 55 min.
Boulangère potatoes
Boulangère potatoes
This great classic of French home cooking consists of sliced potatoes with slivers of bacon between, on a bed of onion fondue, moistened with poultry (or beef) stock and baked in the oven. It takes a fairly long time, but is so good, and reheats very well.
April 5th 202035 K 2 1 hour 40 min.
French-style peas
French-style peas
A traditional French recipe, "Petis pois à la Française", with a personal twist, but very easy to prepare. It is an ideal accompaniment for meat, poultry or even a grilled fillet of fish.
July 15th 2012158 K3.8 30 min.
Hachis parmentier
Hachis parmentier
This is the French answer (meat with mashed potato and cheese) to the English cottage or shepherd's pie: a typical family recipe which is an excellent way of using up leftover meat. The proportions are vague here: you need "whatever you have left over"...
February 21th 2011397 K 24.4 1 hour 25 min.
Potato gratin
Potato gratin
This classic French recipe is made with sliced potatoes baked in milk and browned on top.
February 21th 20111.10 M 14.6 1 hour 50 min.
Quiche Lorraine
Quiche Lorraine
Quiche Lorraine is a recipe that is both simple and delicious. This savoury tart combines bacon and grated cheese with an egg and cream filling in a short-crust pastry case.
April 17th 2022145 K4.9 1 hour 5 min.
Baked Alaska
Baked Alaska
The name may be odd, but Baked Alaska is an elegant dessert. The core of this version is a "sandwich" of vanilla ice cream and blackcurrant sorbet between 2 layers of sponge soaked in rum-flavoured syrup. This is then covered in a layer of meringue and put in a very hot oven for just a few minutes...
November 12th 201747 K4.3 6 hours 50 min.
Chocolate eclairs
Chocolate eclairs
This might appear to be a straightforward recipe: choux pastry, chocolate confectioner's custard and fondant icing, but in practice it is quite technically tricky and all three stages need care to produce a perfect result. But don't let that discourage you; there are demonstration videos and I will...
February 6th 2011294 K 34.5 3 hours 55 min.
Crème brulée
Crème brulée
Crème brûlée (burned cream) is quite easy to prepare: it's a simple egg-cream dessert. The only difficulty is in making the delicious crunchy caramel layer on top. The perfect crème brulée (for me) is a cold and soft cream, with on top a nice hot caramel crust. This is a completely new version...
December 31th 20111.65 M 74.3 4 hours 40 min.
Crêpes Suzette
Crêpes Suzette
Crêpes Suzette are pancakes filled with orange-flavoured butter (butter and sugar mixed with Grand Marnier), caramelized in a pan and soaked in orange-flavoured syrup. This is an modified version of the recipe invented by Auguste Escoffier.
February 28th 2013141 K4.1 50 min.
Epiphany galette
Epiphany galette
Here is the recipe for the very classic but delicious "galette des rois" (Epiphany galette) in puff or flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée) with almond cream or frangipane . You will also see some professional tips to easily handle the dough, and obtain a nice and regular galette.
January 6th 2021281 K 24.5 3 hours 8 min.
Galette Charentaise
Galette Charentaise
This is a traditional cake from France's Charente region. The recipe is straightforward and the cake is slightly dense in texture, but quite delicious.
August 26th 201847 K5 2 hours 45 min.
Macarons (the original French macaroons)
Macarons (the original French macaroons)
This recipe really is "of the moment": the success of these small, highly-coloured cakes, in an infinite variety of flavours, is impressive. It's a recipe which needs some care, in order to produce a result worthy of a professional pastrychef. No problem, I will guide you through the recipe,...
October 3rd 20191.58 M 714.6 2 hours 40 min.
Peach Melba
Peach Melba
Peach Melba is a famous dessert created in 1893 by an equally famous chef, Auguste Escoffier, and inspired by the singer Nellie Melba. There have been many versions of this well-known dish but, in principal, it consists of vanilla ice cream, poached peaches, raspberry coulis and sweetened whipped...
September 9th 2012120 K3.9 2 hours 20 min.
Profiteroles
Profiteroles
Small choux pastry puffs, filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with a rich smooth chocolate sauce.
October 13th 2010305 K 14.5 1 hour 35 min.
Rice pudding (riz au lait)
Rice pudding (riz au lait)
My personal version of this classic family recipe.
December 18th 2018390 K5 40 min.
Saint Honoré cake
Saint Honoré cake
The Saint Honoré cake is a famous example of French patisserie. It consists of a puff pastry base surrounded by a ring of caramel-coated choux puffs and topped with whipped cream (Chantilly). It is a bit tricky to make, but this recipe gives you all the hints you need.
April 14th 2013118 K4.7 2 hours 55 min.
Tart Tatin
Tart Tatin
Tart tatin is one of the great classic desserts of French cooking. It's an apple tart cooked upside down. Apples are cooked in sugar until they caramelise. Then a circle of puff pastry is put on top, and the whole tart is baked at 356°F (180°C) for 20 minutes. To serve, the tart is turned over so...
October 30th 2015398 K 13.8 1 hour 20 min.
Chocolate rolls (petits pains)
Chocolate rolls (petits pains)
Here is a recipe for "real" chocolate petits pains, i.e. with a milk bread dough (not croissants dough) and with a stick of chocolate inside.
October 30th 2021432 K4.6 5 hours 30 min.
French baguettes
French baguettes
This classic of French baking is rather different from the recipe for leavened bread, it's a question of making a good crust and light crumb along the whole length. To succeed, you should know that there are two secrets: water first of all (much more than for normal bread), and the working of the...
October 24th 20171.07 M 364.7 5 hours 6 min.
French croissants
French croissants
In this famous and highly technical recipe from a piece of yeast-based flaky dough we are going to cut and shape ("roll") croissants.
June 26th 2019614 K 24.4 2 hours 35 min.
Blackcurrant liqueur
Blackcurrant liqueur
The fruit liqueurs (or "creams" in French) are a mix of neutral alcohol in which fruits are macerated, and sugar syrup. They are the basis of the very famous "Kir", mixture of dry white wine and blackcurrant liqueur. This recipe is for blackcurrant, but it can be made with other soft fruits like...
August 3rd 2013844 K 44.7 55 min.
Four quarters
Four quarters
It's "the simpliest cake in the world", called four quarters, because it's made with 1/4 eggs, 1/4 sugar, 1/4 flour and 1/4 butter.
February 21th 2011312 K3.7 1 hour 15 min.
Béarnaise sauce
Béarnaise sauce
This very tasty sauce, flavoured with tarragon, chervil and shallot, with its hint of acidity, is perfect for grilled fish or meats. Its well-known as a difficult sauce, but here are all the tips that you need to succeed.
May 22th 2016337 K4 1 hour 6 min.
Beurre blanc sauce
Beurre blanc sauce
Beurre blanc sauce is a great classic of French cuisine, made with vinegar, white wine and shallots. It is a wonderful accompaniment for fish and shellfish.
February 2nd 2012173 K3.8 35 min.
Chantilly cream
Chantilly cream
Chantilly cream, it's simply whipped liquid cream with sugar. It is use in many desserts, but already delicious simply with strawberries or other fruits.
September 17th 2013661 K5 20 min.
Chocolate Chantilly
Chocolate Chantilly
If we look at the more scientific side of Chantilly cream we can see that it's mainly cream, and cream is a mix of very small droplets of milk fat and water, which is called an emulsion. When we whip this emulsion, we incorporate air into it and so create a mousse or foam. In the end Chantilly is a...
September 25th 2013169 K5 15 min.
Foie gras Chantilly
Foie gras Chantilly
Chantilly is a method which is applied to cream of course, but also to other surprising ingredients. If we look at the more scientific side of Chantilly we can see that it's mainly cream, and cream is a mix of very small droplets of milk fat and water, which is called an emulsion. When we whip this...
September 17th 2013111 K4.6 30 min.
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise is a cold egg dressing, quite thick, served with many dishes, usually cold too: meat, fish, vegetables, etc.
February 16th 2014805 K5 6 min.
Rémoulade dressing
Rémoulade dressing
This dressing is a kind of mayonnaise with vinegar, used for some salads like celeriac rémoulade. Usually it is prepared from mayonnaise, but here is another version, simpler and just as tasty.
October 3rd 2010870 K3.9 6 min.

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