List of recipes from category Basic recipes: 151 recipes
List of recipes from category Basic recipes
- Aromatic preparations: 14 recipes
- Breads: 1 recipe
- Cakes: 3 recipes
- Confectionery: 1 recipe
- Creams and foams: 37 recipes
- Fruits: 3 recipes
- Gratins: 1 recipe
- How to...: 4 recipes
- Meat: 2 recipes
- Miscellanous: 9 recipes
- Pastries: 26 recipes
- Rice: 1 recipe
- Sauces: 37 recipes
- Syrups and coulis: 5 recipes
- Vegetables: 6 recipes
- Work on/prepare an ingredient: 1 recipe
Aromatic preparations
Beurre d'escargot
Beurre d'escargot is the typically French flavoured butter added to snails before they go into the oven. In principal, this a simple mixture of butter, chopped parsley and garlic, but here is a more sophisticated gastronomic version with a flavour that simply oozes French savoir-faire.November 7th 201864 K3 55 min.
Bouquet garni
Used very frequently in French cuisine, a secret of French chefs, it adds flavour to a lot of recipes, and it's easy to prepare. The basic principle is to make a small bundle of herbs, bind them in green leek leaves and to tie it up, so that the whole thing can be removed and discarded easily after...March 21th 2017411 K3.5 15 min.
Feta in olive oil with herbs
This recipe tells you how to preserve cubes of feta with herbs. It will keep for a long time and improves with keeping. Using this feta in a salad, such as Greek salad, adds an amazing flavour.August 2nd 201597 K4.6 15 min.
Herb olive oil
This flavoured olive oil, easy to prepare, goes very well with Mediterranean cuisine: pizzas, pastas, pan bagnat, etc...February 21th 2011304 K3.8 25 min.
Herb salad
Herb salad is a small salad made with leaves of all kinds of aromatic herbs, it's highly flavoured, and should be considered almost as a condiment. It really is a salad, the leaves are not chopped.October 13th 2010225 K4.6 25 min.
Home-made chilli oil
It is very simple and economical to make your own chilli oil. Here's how to do it.March 30th 202227 K 15 min.
Mushroom duxelles
A duxelles consists of finely sliced mushrooms cooked in butter with shallots. It is more of a preparation than a dish in its own right, which can be used in other recipes.May 10th 202351 K 25 min.
Noisette butter
"Noisette" means hazelnut in French. Noisette butter is made by melting butter, then boiling and raising it to a high temperature until it takes on both a light brown hazelnut colour and also a characteristic nutty smell. Compared with simple clarified butter, this noisette butter has a delicate...December 30th 2019122 K4.5 15 min.
Pickled gherkins
Preparing your own gherkins in vinegar is quite straightforward, if you know how to avoid a few pitfalls. Here's a recipe which works every time.August 21th 2013765 K 73.1 4 hours 40 min.
Praline
Praline is a preparation of caramelized nuts (in this case almonds), with a very characteristic flavour. Either crushed or as a paste, it is used to fill or flavour all manner of things like creams, chocolates, biscuits, etc.August 3rd 2012261 K3.5 55 min.
Preserved lemons
For this recipe, the lemons are sliced first (this makes them easier to use later), then salted to drain off the juice before being bottled in herb-flavoured olive oil. These preserved lemons can be used in all sorts of dishes, especially with fish and poultry.December 2nd 2012123 K 15 12 hours 40 min.
Red mixed pickle
This mixed pickle is made with a variety of vegetables left to mature for 2 weeks in diluted vinegar. The result is similar to gherkins and can be added to lots of recipes, or eaten with a snack or sandwich. This red version gets its name from beetroot and red cabbage, which eventually colour...April 29th 202042 K 1 hour 30 min.
Vanilla sugar
Almost essential in patisserie, you can find it in expensive little sachets of about 10g. It's necessary to distinguish between the vanilla sugar which really contains vanilla, and vanillin sugar, purely chemical which has never seen a vanilla pod. Here is how to quickly make a whole jar full of...August 12th 2018414 K 15 30 min.
Vegetable stock
Vegetable stock is a very easy and versatile basic recipe. It can be used in many different ways: for cooking rice, making soups, sauces, etc. It's a good idea to keep a supply of vegetable stock in your fridge or freezer.October 5th 2011263 K4.3 1 hour
Breads
Home-made breadcrumb coating
The crispy crust on many fried (or baked) foods comes from a breadcrumb coating. You can buy this, of course, but it's easy and much better to make your own at home. For one thing, you will know excatly what's in it – just bread – which is not the case for the commercial product. This is also a...May 26th 2024114 K1 1 hour 7 min.
Cakes
Almond macaroon cake
This is a cake version of an almond meringue, moister and denser in texture. This cake can be eaten on its own or made smaller, like finger biscuits. It can also be used as the base in a boozy dessert, such as a framboisier.December 30th 201954 K4.3 60 min.
Biscuit de Savoie sponge cake
Biscuit de Savoie is not a "biscuit" in the English sense, just a very light sponge cake. It is delicious plain, but it can also be filled with cream, fruit, etc.December 23th 2014108 K5 1 hour 8 min.
Génoise (Genoa sponge)
A Génoise (or Genoa sponge) is a very light and delicate cake. It is good on its own, but is more often used as the base for many different French-style gâteaux, with layers of mousse or cream between 2 (or more) layers of sponge. It is a tricky recipe to get right, rather technical, but here's a...March 10th 2019228 K 53 1 hour 15 min.
Confectionery
Nougatine
Nougatine is a delicious nut toffee: caramel mixed with toasted flaked almonds. Not a dessert in itself, it is often used to decorate cakes and pastries. But those who enjoy good things are sure to want to eat it on its own!March 29th 2018325 K4 35 min.
Creams and foams
Almond cream or frangipane
Light and delicious, it is used in a lot of desserts like tarts, cakes and pies (epiphany galette).January 23th 2022450 K 25 45 min.
Apple confectioner's custard
For this strongly apple-flavoured version of confectioner's custard (crème pâtissière, or french pastry cream), apple juice is used instead of milk and the quantity of sugar is reduced.July 23th 2014128 K4.6 25 min.
Bavaroise cream
A "bavaroise" is made with custard, set with gelatin after cooking, and with whipped cream added once it has cooled. This makes a delicious, smooth cream that can be used to create many different desserts.May 8th 202223 K 40 min.
Butter cream
Butter cream is made with egg yolk, sugar syrup and, of course, butter. These days it has fallen rather out of fashion, probably because it's very rich, but it still has its aficionados. Here is the classic plain version, which you can lighten and flavour as you wish.October 13th 2010321 K4.6 60 min.
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 2013663 K5 20 min.
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 2013171 K5 15 min.
Chocolate ganache
A chocolate ganache is a mixture of cream and chocolate made while hot. This gives a kind of paste which solidifies somewhat as it cools but remains fairly soft. This is the filling used in many chocolates.January 25th 2022323 K 13.7 15 min.
Clafoutis batter
Clafoutis is a cake from the Limousin region of France, made with a liquid batter similar to pancake batter, into which fruit is added before baking. Here's a recipe for clafoutis batter, which you can use with any fruit you like.August 23th 202317 K5 5 min.
Clementine Chantilly
As the Clementine season is now in full swing, I would like to tempt you to try this surprisingly different clementine-flavoured Chantilly. The recipe is very simple but delicious.February 2nd 202231 K 20 min.
Clementine confectioner's custard
This clementine confectioner's custard makes the most of the delicious fruity flavour by using both the juice and zest.January 23th 202233 K 30 min.
Clementine Creamy
A clementine cremeux is a little different from cremeux based on pulpy fruits (such as blackcurrant or raspberry), this time more juice is used and the zest.January 18th 202321 K2 2 hours 40 min.
Clementine diplomat cream
Diplomat cream, as delicious as ever, in a double clementine-flavoured version. It can be used in lots of desserts and pastries.February 13th 202234 K 30 min.
Coffee custard
You are probably familiar with the classic real custard (crème anglaise). Here's a coffee-flavoured version.May 4th 202227 K 30 min.
Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream)
Quite similar to crème anglaise but much thicker. It is used in many pastries like choux pastry (pâte à choux) or millefeuille.January 27th 2017748 K 313.7 40 min.
Diplomat cream
Diplomat cream or "crème Madame" (a much prettier name) is one of many creams in French pâtisserie based on confectioner's custard. The classic confectioner's custard (crème pâtissière, or french pastry cream) has gelatin added while hot, then whipped cream is folded in when cold. This gives a...October 30th 201964 K 1 hour 50 min.
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 2013112 K4.6 30 min.
Fruit crémeux
This kind of "crémeux" (it means "creamy", but contains no actual cream) is a basic recipe in the repertoire of French pastry chefs. It is smoother but less frothy than a mousse and uses gelatin to set it as it cools. Often used as a tart filling or in other desserts, crémeux is usually poured to...September 12th 2020175 K2.5 40 min.
Italian Meringue
Italian meringue is made with sugar cooked to 120°C or 248°F. This is different from the French, which is made from caster sugar. The cooked sugar gives a softer meringue which can be added to other preparations or use as it is.June 2nd 2015469 K4.3 30 min.
Lemon Confectioner's Custard
This recipe is for a confectioner's custard with a difference: it's a little less sweet than the classic confectioner's custard (crème pâtissière, or french pastry cream) and has double lemon flavour, using both zest and juice, for plenty of tangy lemon taste. It's the perfect filling for lemon...May 9th 2018196 K4.4 25 min.
Lime (or lemon) curd
Lime curd is a delicious conserve and variation on the traditional lemon curd, made with limes, eggs and butter. It's the perfect filling for either large or small tarts.July 10th 2011158 K5 55 min.
Lime confectioner's custard (pastry cream)
Taking its inspiration from lemon confectioner's custard, this version has a distinctive lime flavour. Both juice and zest are used to combine the juice's slight acidity with a hint of bitterness from the zest.July 21th 201997 K3.5 60 min.
Lime crémeux
This "crémeux" is a creamy mixture ideal for filling tarts, either on its own or as a bottom layer topped with fruit, for example.April 14th 202165 K1 50 min.
Panna cotta
Panna cotta is an Italian dessert which means "cooked cream". It's a set vanilla cream, similar to blancmange, which is frequently served with other things like fruit coulis (fruit purée), caramel etc.. Here is the basic panna cotta recipe.February 21th 2011346 K4.3 25 min.
Paris flan filling
This is how to prepare the custard filling for a classic Parisian "flan". This is not the whole recipe, just the filling mixture, which can be used in lots of other flan-style recipes on this site.February 25th 202364 K5 45 min.
Pear compote
Stewed pears are not as easy to prepare as stewed apples, as they contain more juice and you risk ending up with more of a coulis than a compote. So here are two simple methods to help you succeed.April 26th 2012461 K4.3 40 min.
Pistachio confectioner's custard
This is very similar to the classic confectioner's custard (crème pâtissière, or french pastry cream), but its marked pistachio taste brings a distinctive flavour to a whole range of desserts.November 21th 2018204 K4.7 35 min.
Pistachio cream
Very similar to almond cream, pistachio cream is ideal for filling or topping all kinds of cakes and tarts. Just like almond cream, it swells during cooking.October 4th 2012298 K 64.1 35 min.
Quince and apple compote
This compote is a tricky balancing act between the characteristic quince flavour and just enough apples to sweeten it. You should end up with a compote that has a delicate quince flavour rounded out by the apples and brown sugar.December 30th 2019110 K3 60 min.
Quince compote
Quinces make an excellent compote, full of their delightful perfume and flavour. However, preparing the fruit is hard work, so here's a recipe to show you how to manage this.November 11th 202038 K 55 min.
Real custard sauce (crème anglaise)
Real custard or vanilla sauce consists of egg yolks beaten with sugar and cooked slowly in vanilla milk. It is the base or the accompaniment for many desserts.January 17th 2018413 K 24.3 45 min.
Rich hazelnut buttercream
This delicious preparation is an alternative to almond frangipane: a nutty buttercream enriched with eggs, designed to be cooked into various pastries.November 15th 2017152 K4.1 40 min.
Royal icing
Royal icing is a mixture of egg white and icing sugar. From its pasty consistency when fresh, it dries to give a lovely white crust.February 12th 2012194 K4.7 15 min.
Stewed apple (compote)
Here is a very basic but delicious recipe, and the pitfalls to avoid.November 8th 20172.42 M 14.8 1 hour 15 min.
Stewed apricots
Here is how to make delicious stewed apricots, both an easy and a more sophisticated way.July 12th 2023778 K 143.5 1 hour 20 min.
Stewed plums
Quick and simple, stewed plums can also be spread like jam.June 27th 2010462 K2.6 40 min.
Stewed rhubarb
This is perhaps the best known use of rhubarb, and can be used as the basis for other recipes.October 13th 2010289 K4.4 55 min.
Swiss meringues
Swiss meringues are a variant of the classic French meringue. The eggs whites and sugar are beaten together in a bain-marie at first, then beaten stiff as normal. This makes for a firmer meringue which can be used to make small items or figures to decorate cakes or ice creams (such as mushrooms,...June 2nd 2015116 K3.8 1 hour 20 min.
Fruits
Clear strawberry juice
In French this is called a "clarification". The method for making a clear strawberry juice is simple, with little added sugar. The delicious juice obtained can be used in lots of recipes: mousse, cream, jelly, etc.July 25th 202131 K5 60 min.
Dried apricots
Making your own dried apricots at home is perfectly feasible. It's really quite simple, though it takes a long time. Basically, the apricots need to be cut in half, destoned, then the halves put to dry slowly for several hours in a cool oven.July 12th 2023130 K3.9 6 hours 6 min.
Poached pears
Poached pears are used in a number of desserts. Here's a method for poaching them that you can use in all your recipes.November 22th 202311 K 30 min.
Gratins
Polenta
Polenta is made from maize meal and can be prepared in a number of ways. In this recipe, it is cooked in milk, then moulded and set before being fried.May 24th 2022205 K5 1 hour 30 min.
How to...
How to cook potato grenaille
The French call very small potatoes "grenaille". This is a typical way of cooking them: the tiny potatoes are pan-fried in their skins and make an excellent accompanient for meat. Grenaille can be made with any kind of potato; it is a question of size, rather than variety, though I think that...September 16th 2015451 K4.5 45 min.
How to peel hazelnuts
The skin of whole hazelnuts, unlike that of almonds, doesn't improve their taste - on the contrary. So you need to remove it before using them, and here's how.August 4th 20247,006
How to prepare apricots
Here's how to prepare apricots for use in a recipe, from washing to slicing.July 12th 2023735 K3.7 35 min.
Vol-au-vent cases
Vol-au-vents, whether large or bite-sized, need a special pastry case that is hollow to take the filling. Here is how to prepare these delicate cases using puff pastry.October 16th 2013303 K4.1 45 min.
Meat
Meatballs
Used in several recipes like couscous, meatballs can also be a dish on thier own. The secret of this recipe is in the mix of two different kinds of meat with a little Parmesan. Note that it's a dish children always love.February 21th 2011287 K 24.7 45 min.
Sausagemeat
Sausagemeat is a mixture of fatty pork (belly bacon here) with leaner meat, all minced and seasoned. In this version I have used veal as the additional meat.October 3rd 2019208 K3.8 15 min.
Miscellanous
Caramelised walnuts
These delicious nuts can be used in several cakes, but you can also put them on ice-cream, pancakes, fruit salad, or eat them just as they are.February 21th 2011364 K5 25 min.
Citrus crunch
These are fine crumbs of candied citrus peel. It can be used to sprinkle a dessert or other preparation to add both crunch and the flavour of the chosen citrus fruit. It is easy to prepare well in advance, and will keep in an airtight jar. This recipe is given for clementines, but can be made with...February 2nd 2016229 K3.7 1 hour 20 min.
Clarified butter
This is a way of melting butter to eliminate all the impurities. The clarified butter can then be heated without spoiling, and is more digestible. It is ideal for cooking at high temperatures where small black specks would spoil the appearance, or for emulsified sauces like béarnaise or mousseline.June 21th 2017457 K4.2 2 hours 15 min.
Poached eggs
Poached eggs are cooked, without the shell, in barely simmering (nearly boiling) water. White should be firm and yolk soft, that's the difficulty. This recipe teaches you how to succeed with three important points.January 8th 2013310 K5 2 hours 40 min.
Potimarron (Japanese chestnut pumpkin) purée
Potimarron can be easily made into purée, you don't need to peel it, which makes for a quick and delicious recipe.October 13th 2010323 K4.6 1 hour 15 min.
Preserved tomatoes
Softer than dried tomatoes, they can be used as a kind of chutney in pasta dishes for instance, or simply served to accompany an aperitif.February 21th 2011338 K4.8 5 hours 6 min.
Quiche filling mixture
The basic mixture for filling quiches is made with seasoned eggs, cream and/or milk. It can be used in many kinds of savoury quiches and tarts, with different ingredients added (lardons, cheese, salmon, etc.).April 17th 202276 K 4 min.
Scrambled eggs (Oeufs brouillés)
French-style scrambled eggs are rather special. It's not very difficult, just a bit long because it's cooked slowly in a bain-marie. Eventually you will get a delicious, refined and delicate preparation which can be eaten "as it is" or added to another recipe.February 21th 2011266 K5 30 min.
Toasted flaked almonds
Toasted flaked almonds are the perfect finishing touch for desserts, ice creams in particular, because of their delightful crunch.March 9th 2020312 K4.8 30 min.
Pastries
"Moelleux" cake batter
This French-style "moelleux" cake batter gives a softer, moister texture than a classic cake batter. It can be made plain or varied with different flavourings.January 26th 202232 K5 20 min.
Almond dacquoise
A dacquoise is a sort of almond meringue that can be eaten like a biscuit or can be used as the base of more sophisticated desserts.June 28th 2011199 K5 45 min.
Armagnac marzipan
Almost the same as plain marzipan, but this almond paste is flavoured with a hint of Armagnac or Cognac.September 12th 201845 K4.8 9 min.
Basic cake batter - the French way
The French have adopted the word "cake" for one that will stand up to being transported (usually made a loaf tin and sometimes called a "travel cake" in French). There are many versions, but here is a new basic recipe to which you can your choice of flavours (pistachio, lemon, chocolate...) and...November 18th 202043 K 20 min.
Breton sablé biscuit dough
Brittany is famous for its rich, sandy textured "sablé" biscuits. Similar to shortbread, they are made with lots of butter and egg yolk, and just a hint of vanilla. This dough can be made into simple biscuits – already delicious on their own – or used as the base for tarts and other desserts.August 1st 2018105 K 30 min.
Brioche dough
It's a soft and rich dough, with butter and eggs which give a smooth and incredibly tasty brioche. This is the basic recipe for brioche dough, used for all other brioche-based recipes on the site.September 16th 2020519 K 44.2 14 hours 30 min.
Buckwheat pancakes
Buckwheat pancakes (galettes de sarasin in French) are typical of Brittany and are often served as a savoury dish. They are made with buckwheat flour (a cereal-like seed which is gluten free).July 21th 2015169 K 24.3 15 min.
Chocolate sweetcrust pastry
This simplified sweetcrust pastry gets its chocolate flavour simply from cocoa powder, added towards the end of kneading. Chocolate aficionados will enjoy using this in all sorts of recipes that call for sweetcrust pastry (pâte sablée).July 4th 201860 K1 20 min.
Choux pastry (pâte à choux)
Choux pastry is used for making profiteroles, eclairs and other small pastries.February 13th 2022529 K4.5 1 hour 4 min.
Coconut paste
Similar to marzipan or walnut paste, coconut paste can be used in a variety of cake or sweet recipes, but you can enjoy munching it just as it is.October 13th 2010287 K 14 15 min.
Coconut sweetcrust pastry
You might already be familiar with sweetcrust pastry (pâte sablée) which contains a small amount of ground almonds. This is the coconut version, made with dessicated coconut, ideal for tarts with a more exotic flavour.October 25th 202047 K1 15 min.
Craquelin (sweet cracker dough)
This sweet cracker dough ("craquelin" in French) is a very simple mixture: equal parts of flour, butter and light brown sugar. It is simlilar to a shortbread dough and can be rolled out very thinly and cut into any shape as desired. Craquelin is mostly used (though not exclusively) on top of choux...February 10th 2019105 K5 55 min.
Financier batter
This delicious mixture is for the classic little French cakes called "financiers" (because of their ingot shape), but it can also be used with fruit, like a clafoutis.April 14th 2020335 K4.6 15 min.
Fresh pasta dough
You can use this dough to make lasagne, ravioli, spaghetti, etc. - in fact, any fresh pasta you wish.December 6th 2012181 K3.8 1 hour 15 min.
Macaronade mixture
Macaronade is the sweet almond and egg-white mixture (inspired by macarons (the original french macaroons) that French pâtissiers use as a topping on cakes and brioches. It forms a delicious crust when baked.November 25th 202065 K 2 min.
Marzipan (almond paste)
Very easy to do if you have a food processor which can slice or grate a lot of things.December 19th 2021628 K 34.5 15 min.
Muffin dough
This dough can be used to make this delicious and classic of the English cooking: muffins. It can be sweet, in different flavours, with fruit, but also savoury in other recipes.February 6th 2013557 K5 25 min.
Pancake batter
Here is a pancake batter that is a little more sophisticated than the traditional version. The pancakes will be tastier with a softer texture.February 2nd 2020325 K3.8 15 min.
Pistachio powder or paste
Pistachio paste has a similar texture to almond paste, but the similarity ends there, as its flavour and colour are quite characteristic.October 13th 2010370 K 154 50 min.
Pizza dough
Pizza dough is a lind of bread dough with olive oil, which make it softer. This is the same dough that I use for pizzas and flammenkuches, this is no doubt incorrect, but it's very good nevertheless. At home we used to make pizza dough quite thick, and flammenkuche as thin as possible.September 22th 2024503 K4.6 1 hour 60 min.
Puff or flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée)
Puff pastry is an incredible assembly of thin layers of butter enclosed in thin layers of dough. After cooking this give a succession of thin crisp pastry leaves that produce exceptional desserts or pies. It's a jewel of French patisserie. Making your own puff pastry is not very difficult, it's just...January 19th 2011445 K 63.3 2 hours 45 min.
Shortcrust pastry (pâte brisée)
This is for sweet or savoury tarts, quiches or pies. The difference between this and sweetcrust pastry (pâte sablée) is in the very small amount of sugar and the absence of ground almonds.December 29th 2019378 K 24 35 min.
Sweet pastry
This sweet pastry is one of the basics of French pâtisserie, just like shortcrust pastry (pâte brisée) and sweetcrust pastry (pâte sablée). It is less rich in butter, so less "short" but crisper, it can be used in all tart recipes, or for any other pastry-based desserts.June 27th 201855 K 15 min.
Sweetcrust pastry (pâte sablée)
Sweetcrust pastry is one of the basic pastry of French patisserie, used in many tart and cakes recipes, but it can also be rolled out and cut into biscuits, delicious with tea or coffee. This recipe is given for those who have a mixer (Kenwood, KitchenAid or other), but it can also be done with your...July 1st 2019477 K 24.4 35 min.
Walnut paste
Very similar to marzipan (almond paste) in method, walnut paste is very tasty.February 21th 2011299 K 63.5 15 min.
Yeast-based flaky dough (for croissants)
This yeast-based flaky dough (or croissant dough) is where puff pastry meets a yeast dough (such as brioche dough). This means that not only will we get flaky layers, but the dough will also swell and rise. The method is along the same lines as for a feuilletage: the basic dough is first kneaded,...June 9th 2019147 K 4 3 hours 60 min.
rice
Pilau rice
Pilau rice (also called "restaurant rice" in France) is a way of cooking rice that's very different from using a rice-cooker. In this recipe, the rice is first "pearled" with onion in olive oil, then chicken stock is added, and the whole lot is put in the oven. This produces a very tasty moist rice,...February 21th 2011382 K 14.4 35 min.
Sauces
Avocado mayonnaise
This version of mayonnaise, as creamy as ever but with a delicious avocado flavor, is a perfect accompaniment to fish, vegetables and even canapés.July 17th 20247,586 10 min.
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 2016339 K4 1 hour 6 min.
Bechamel sauce
Bechamel sauce is a classic, made from a cooked butter-flour mix called "roux", where milk is added and slowly cooked. We get a thick sauce, used in many recipes.June 13th 2024424 K4.3 20 min.
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 2012175 K3.8 35 min.
Carrot-top pesto
You will no doubt be familiar with classic pesto. Here is an alternative, zero-waste version using carrot tops for a surprising pesto, full of fresh flavour.September 16th 202039 K 20 min.
Chocolate sauce
This rich smooth chocolate sauce, with its full flavour, is one of the indispensable ingredients of profiteroles, but it can be used with many others desserts.February 21th 2011302 K 24 35 min.
Cocktail sauce
Cocktail sauce is a spicy mayonnaise with cognac, Tabasco and concentrated tomato paste (or purée) added.October 13th 2010199 K4 9 min.
Coriander and cashew nut pesto
You are probably familiar with the classic pesto,made with basil and pine nuts. I'd like to tempt you with a rather different (but quite delicious) version, made with coriander and cashew nuts.December 9th 201865 K 30 min.
Cream and herb dressing
A quick and easy recipe for a cream and herb dressing to go with all kinds of dishes, from simple jacket potatoes to fish.June 12th 202220 K 15 min.
Cream sauce with Vin Jaune
This sauce made with Vin Jaune ("yellow wine") is emblematic of Comtoise cuisine from Eastern France. It combines the smoothness of cream with the slight acidity and typical flavour of the Vin Jaune. The tricky aspect of cooking with Vin Jaune is that its fugitive flavour tends to disappear when...October 3rd 2018205 K4 50 min.
French dressing (vinaigrette)
Here is a very simple recipe, but it could completely transform, maybe even transcend, your salad.July 7th 20111.04 M4.5 7 min.
Greek Pesto
You may already know the pesto, this delicious Italian sauce, well here is the Greek variation of the thing: the basil is accompanied by thyme and oregano, and the Parmesan replaced by feta cheese. Greek flavors, but in an Italian spirit, a true European recipe.July 24th 202225 K5 20 min.
Green parsley sauce
This sauce, with a great parsley taste, is perfect with steamed vegetables or fish. At the bottom you will find the coulis version of this recipe.February 21th 2011513 K 44.3 25 min.
Green parsley tahini sauce
This greeen sauce with tahini and parsley is an excellent accompaniment for lots of vegetables (raw or cooked) and also goes well with poultry.April 8th 202046 K 9 min.
Gribouille dressing
Gribouille dressing is based on a rémoulade dressing, with shallot, herbs, hard-boiled egg and tuna added. It goes well with fish and vegetables of all kinds and makes a great sandwich filling.February 17th 202130 K 20 min.
Hollandaise sauce
This sauce is quite similar to Béarnaise sauce, but with a light lemon flavour. It can be used hot, warm or cold on several things: vegetables, fish, eggs... Not easy to get right, like all "emulsified warm sauces" (Béarnaise, Hollandaise, etc.), but you will find all the tips you need here.July 25th 2019237 K 14.7 25 min.
How to succeed in making sabayon (syllabub)
A sabayon is a delicious and delicate preparation based on egg yolks and sugar, with a liquid added (wine, alcohol, fruit juice, etc), which is then whipped in a bain-marie until it is both light and smooth. Usually sabayon is sweet (syllabub), but you can make it savoury, in which case there is...November 12th 2017929 K 54 20 min.
Lemon Mayonnaise
This is almost as simple to make as a plain mayonnaise, but with the double lemon flavour of both zest and juice for a delicate, fresh tang.February 17th 201683 K4.5 5 min.
Light herb sauce
This is a very quick and easy recipe for a delicious sauce! It goes particularly well with baked potatoes, fish (such as salmon) and cold white meats.May 20th 201589 K4 8 min.
Marchand de vin sauce
The rich "marchand de vin" sauce, made with red wine and shallot, is a classic accompaniment for meats that is traditionally made in the roasting tin or dish. This is a simplified version that can be made while the meat is cooking, even beforehand, so there is no risk of it going cold.May 31th 2012263 K4.1 35 min.
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise is a cold egg dressing, quite thick, served with many dishes, usually cold too: meat, fish, vegetables, etc.February 16th 2014807 K5 6 min.
Mint and pea pesto
Here's a version of pesto with mint and peas, for a very fresh take on this famous Italian sauce.August 7th 20245,323 30 min.
Mornay Sauce
Mornay sauce is made from béchamel sauce, to which egg yolk and grated cheese are added.June 12th 20248,053 15 min.
Pesto
Pesto is an Italian sauce made from pine nuts, Parmesan and basil. It's very simple but quite delicious, and goes particularly well with pasta.July 25th 2020268 K 25 15 min.
Pistachio and spinach pesto
You are no doubt familiar with classic pesto, made with basil and pine nuts. Here's a winter version with spinach and pistachios that's just as delicious.January 16th 202224 K 35 min.
Provençal remoulade sauce
The classic remoulade sauce is, in this recipe, declined in a Provençal version, where we use olive oil and to which we add chopped basil before mixing. You will obtain a classic remoulade texture, but a very typical and fresh taste.September 18th 202219 K 9 min.
Purple Pesto
You may already be familiar with the classic green basil pesto , but here is a version with purple basil that gives a very aesthetic purple pesto with a more peppery taste, quite similar to ginger.August 7th 202231 K5 20 min.
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 2010873 K3.9 6 min.
Rémoulette dressing
This is similar to rémoulade dressing, but with lemon juice instead of vinegar and with chopped chives added. The name comes from the French for chives: "ciboulette". In technical terms, it is a cold emulsion, like mayonnaise. Not just a tasty dressing for vegetables and salads, it also goes well...March 27th 201971 K 8 min.
Roquefort sauce
This is an ideal sauce to make when you have been cooking meat, as it uses the juices left in the pan, but there's a tip for making it without meat juices.December 19th 2010201 K4.9 25 min.
Sauce Normande (for fish)
Sauce Normande (or Normandy sauce) is a classic of French cuisine. It is rather "old school", but deliciously velvety and comes in two versions, one for meat and one for seafood. Here is the version to accompany fish or shellfish.January 1st 2020226 K4.8 40 min.
Sorrel pesto
Alongside the traditional basil pesto, here's a sorrel version, very fresh, with a delicious herbaceous taste.April 7th 202411 K 30 min.
Tapenade
Tapenade is a classic of Mediterranean cuisine, basically a purée of black olives and olive oil. This version is little more sophisticated, with a less marked olive flavour.November 21th 2010187 K 14.1 15 min.
Tartar sauce
Tartar sauce is a remoulade sauce with the addition of chopped pickles and herbs. It is an ideal accompaniment to cold dishes, such as cold meats, or hot dishes, such as fries or cooked vegetables.March 15th 202315 K 20 min.
Tomato pesto
This is a variation on the classic pesto sauce (basil and pine nuts), using cherry tomatoes, basil and almonds.June 29th 2011163 K4.5 15 min.
Tomato sauce (for pizzas)
This is the sauce to put on pizza bases before the toppings.October 19th 2010522 K4.3 1 hour 15 min.
Tomato sauce (with fresh tomatoes)
When we make a classic tomato sauce, we generally use tinned crushed tomatoes, and that's already very good. But it's possible to do much better, using fresh tomatoes (when in season, of course), which are gently preserved in the oven with thyme and garlic. See how in this recipe.July 14th 20247,120 1 hour 35 min.
Syrups and coulis
Blackcurrant coulis
Blackcurrants make a very good coulis, but it's a bit more difficult than with other fruits. Here is a simple method to help you succeed.February 21th 2011444 K 23.5 25 min.
Citrus syrup
This citrus-flavoured syrup blends the bitterness of the zest with the delicious acidity of the juice. It can be used to soak biscuits or cakes when making desserts. You can make this with whatever citrus fruits you prefer. It can be prepared in advance and will keep for several days.December 30th 201965 K 1 hour 15 min.
Fruit coulis (fruit purée)
Contrary to what people usually think, coulis is not just a simple fruit purée with sugar. Of course, this is the general principle, but it's possible to make something much better and more refined. This recipe is for a strawberry coulis (see below for other fruits): how to make it, but also how...October 20th 2012770 K 44 25 min.
Poaching syrup
Less sweet than normal sugar syrup, poaching syrup is specially for slow cooking fruits to be used in other recipes.September 2nd 2012288 K5 15 min.
Sugar syrup
This syrup is mainly used as a basis for all sorbet recipes, which consist of this syrup and fruit pulp, but it can be also used to soak biscuits for example, or for fruit salads.February 21th 2011745 K3.5 8 min.
Vegetables
Green bean purée
Green (or French) beans are usually served whole, for instance as an accompanying vegetable or in a salad, but they make a good purée, too. This is tasty on its own, but also goes very well with meats, and children usually prefer it to "normal" beans.August 11th 202378 K 25 min.
Leek fondue
Leek fondue (literally "melted") consists of finely sliced leeks cooked until barely tender then simmered gently in cream until thickened. The aim is to keep the fresh green of the just-cooked leeks but with a lovely soft, melting consistency. This can be a side dish or an ingredient in lots of...March 4th 202074 K2.5 40 min.
Macédoine of vegetables
A macédoine is simply vegetables diced small (carrots and turnips) or cut small (green beans) with peas. The different vegetables are cooked separately "à l'anglaise", then thoroughly drained. They are only combined at the end in a mayonnaise dressing.September 3rd 2014159 K4 1 hour 25 min.
Onion fondue
Onion fondue is a delicious classic of French cuisine: finely-sliced onions, cooked long and slow until they are melting and caramelized. This can be used in many other recipes.March 25th 2020137 K 50 min.
Pan-fried potatoes
What could be simpler than fried potatoes? No need of a recipe for that! Quite right, but it's also very easy to end up making fried mash instead. Here are the main pitfalls to avoid.February 3rd 2011294 K4.5 1 hour 40 min.
Potato purée
The French have fond childhood memories of this, and while nothing will ever be as good as "Maman" made, here's a fairly straightforward way to make it.October 3rd 2010234 K5 1 hour 35 min.
Work on/prepare an ingredient
Lettuce "chiffonade"
Chiffonade is a French term meaning "made of rags.", it consists of shredding the heart of a lettuce into thin ribbons.February 21th 2011219 K 15 35 min.