French Cuisine

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Ah, the French, and the amazing culinary delights the people of France have conjured up over the long life of this small, but wonderful country. French cuisine is often considered to be the most complex and difficult to make worldwide.

map_of_france

But, surprisingly, there are plenty of easy French food recipes, and you will find some here, as well as traditional and classic French food recipes.

French People Eating French CuisineMuch like in Italy, to the French, mealtime is not just for eating, it is a social event, a time for friends and family to gather, have some good food (and drink! There is always good wine at the table!), and share with each other about what’s happening in their day and lives.

Much like North Americans, the French typically have three meals a day: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Breakfast will usually be light, taken with black coffee, or café au lait (coffee with hot milk), or hot chocolate or tea. Fruit juice – apple or orange, most likely – might also be served. The food traditionally would be bread – a baguette, which is a long, crusty loaf available fresh, and must be eaten fresh – or croissants.

The bread and/or croissants are served with condiments, like jam, preserves, butter, etc., and it is not uncommon to have fresh fruits, when in season, set out on the breakfast table as well.

So let’s get our typical traditional French cuisine day begin, shall we?

Please note: For your convenience, you can click on the recipes listed below and be taken directly to a page with just that one recipe on it, in printer-friendly format.

You are certainly welcomed to read through this whole page, all the recipes are here as well, and there are some videos and pertinent information on background, history, customs, special notes, etc., so it is well worth the read.

Here is the list, in alphabetical order:

Blueberry Croissant Puff

Classic Caesar Salad

Coquilles Saint Jacques (Saint Jacques Scallops)

Crème Caramel

French Stewed White Beans

Mushroom Asiago Chicken

Salade Nicoise

Seven Hour Leg of Lamb

Try this for starters … French Cuisine Sweet Breakfast Croissant

Blueberry Croissant Puff

blueberry croissant puff

This light and delightful croissant, topped with blueberries and cream cheese, is an excellent taste treat and a perfect way to start your French ethnic cuisine adventure day.

Ingredients: (10 servings)
Directions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
  2. In a 9 inch square pan, place the croissant pieces. Sprinkle blueberries over them.
  3. In a medium bowl, by hand or with electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Add milk, gradually, beating well after each addition. Pour evenly over croissant pieces and let sit for 20 minutes.
  4. Bake at 350°F for 35 to 40 minutes—until set in the center and a golden brown color. If tops are getting too browned, you will want to cover it with foil for the last 10 minutes.
  5. Serve nice and warm right out of the oven, after sprinkling some powdered sugar over them.
  6. Note: As a variation, you can bake the croissants individually instead of in a square pan. Place each croissant evenly in 10 (1/2-cup) ramekins; sprinkle blueberries over them and pour the cream cheese mixture over each croissant evenly. Allow to sit for 20 minutes. Bake at 350°F for less time than when baked together in a pan, about 20 – 25 minutes should do it, or, again, until firm in the center and a golden brown color.

Serve with good strong black coffee, hot (whipped until foamy) milk, for those who want café au lait, and/or hot chocolate milk, and/or hot black tea. Fresh fruit juice, apple or orange, is also good

About mid-day, it’s time for our lunch. As with breakfast, a traditional French lunch would have a good hearty artisan bread at the table. Bread might even be the main staple of the meal, but it would be served with cold meats (most often ham) and/or cheese.

Also typical for lunch is the salad, and that’s what we are going with today. But not just any salad, oh no … this classic traditional French salad originated in the Nice Region of France, and is fabulously popular in many variations all across the country now. It is a full, balanced meal in itself, and also includes a homemade red wine vinegar vinaigrette recipe that you will want to keep in your repertoire.

Salade Nicoise

(Salad from the Nice Region)

nice salad

Ingredients:
Vinaigrette-

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon
finely ground sea salt and freshly ground black peppercorns
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad-

1 pound small red new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
8 large eggs
1/2 pound haricots verts or French green beans, stems trimmed (use fresh if you can get them, or canned is also okay)
2 pounds fresh, wild-caught, sushi-quality tuna steaks
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
finely ground sea salt and freshly ground black peppercorns
1 pint teardrop or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup nicoise olives
16 anchovy fillets
16 caperberries with stems
1/2 bunch fresh chives, snipped in 1/2

Directions:
To make the vinaigrette-

Combine all ingredients in a mason jar. Screw the cap on the jar and shake the vinaigrette vigorously to emulsify. Set the dressing aside while preparing the salad so the flavors can marry.

For the Salad Prep-
  1. Cook the potatoes, eggs, and green beans in the same pot – it will cut down on prep time and clean up. To do this, put the potatoes in a large saucepan, add water to cover and a nice pinch of salt; bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer the potatoes for 12 minutes to give them a head start, and then add the eggs (still in the shells). Place a steamer basket or colander on top of the simmering water.
  2. Put the green beans (if using fresh) in the steamer and cover with a lid. Steam the fresh beans for 5 minutes until crisp-tender while continuing to cook the potatoes until fork tender. If using canned beans, simply add into the pot for the last 2 minutes, to heat them through.
  3. Drain out the water and put the potatoes, eggs, and green beans in a colander; rinse briefly under cold water. Peel the shells off the eggs and cut them in 1/2 lengthwise.
  4. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Rub the tuna on all sides with olive oil, and a bit of the vinaigrette; season with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Lay the tuna in the hot pan and sear for approximately 2 minutes on each side; as the tuna cooks, the red meat will become whiter. Transfer the tuna to a cutting board and slice.
To assemble the salad-
  1. Combine the potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, olives, anchovies, capers, and chives in a large mixing bowl. Take the vinaigrette and give it another good shake to recombine. Drizzle the salad with enough vinaigrette to fully moisten and toss gently to coat; season with salt and pepper.
  2. Take care not to mush up the ingredients – the important thing about salad nicoise is that it is arranged nicely on a platter with all the elements keeping their individual integrity. Put the tossed salad down in the center of a serving platter and lay the seared tuna attractively across the top and the eggs around the rim. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette and serve.
  3. Have a good quality French dry red wine (a Bordeaux, Cabernet, or Merlot) and/or dry white wine (Chardonnay or Bordeaux is good) on the table also.

Now we come to the main meal, and focal social event of the day, the French Dinner.

It begins with an aperitif of some sort, perhaps a cognac or sweet wine, and typically a salad or raw vegetables are served as the first course.

Next up is a main course of a meat, vegetables, and potatoes entree, served with pasta or rice.

Dinner is capped off with a final course of dessert or cheese, and of course, the wine flows throughout the entire repast. With the desert, or sometimes served after, will be the digestif drink, usually coffee. Considered a most important time of the day for social conversation and relaxation, dinner can easily go for several hours from beginning to end.

Let’s start our French dining experience off with a Classic Caesar Salad recipe.

Classic Caesar Salad

caesar salad

Ingredients:

3 to 5 anchovies packed in oil, drained
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 mini baguette, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black peppercorns
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese (don’t scrimp on this ingredient, use a fine quality aged Parmesan cheese, and grate it fresh for the salad)

Directions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Mash the minced anchovies into a paste, then set aside.
Make the croutons-
  1. Combine the butter with the garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat
  2. Cook, swirling the pan now and then, for 5 minutes.
  3. Take pan off the burner and pour contents into a medium-sized bowl.
  4. Add the parsley and bread cubes and and toss, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Arrange the seasoned and buttered bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet bake until golden brown and crisp – about 10 minutes should do it. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
To make the dressing-
  1. Bring a small saucepan of full of water to a vigorous boil.
  2. Lower the egg gently into the water, then remove the pan immediately from the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes.
  3. Drain and rinse the egg under cold water, and then crack it into a large bowl.
  4. Whisk in the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, anchovy paste, the vinegar and mustard powder until smooth.
  5. Lastly, in a slow, steady stream, whisk in the olive oil, until emulsified.
  6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Assembling and Serving the Classic Caesar Salad-
  1. Add serving sized portions of the lettuce, croutons and about 2 oz. of the grated cheese into each serving bowl with some of the dressing and gently toss, enough to lightly coat the lettuce and bread cubes.
  2. Top each serving bowl with some more grated cheese, and 2 or 3 full anchovie fillets.
  3. Classic Caesar Salad goes great with a good quality dry white wine, especially Sauvignon Blanc.

 

Delicious, eh? You just can’t beat an authentic Caesar salad to start off a fine dinner, French cuisine style. But I hope you didn’t fill up on that yummy salad, because next up on the menu is this classic traditional French recipe, and believe you me, you will be hard pressed to not go for seconds!

Mushroom Asiago Chicken

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Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast halves (2 large breasts)
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 cups white button mushrooms, cut in half
1 clove garlic, minced
3 sprigs fresh thyme, or 2 tsp. dried thyme
1½ cups dry white wine (a good Sauvignon Blanc is recommended)
½ cup seasoned flour (see below)
½ cup heavy cream
¼-½ cup freshly shredded aged Asiago Cheese
½ tsp. salt, or to taste
¼ tsp. pepper, or to taste

Seasoned Flour:

½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper

Directions:
  1. Pound chicken breast with a meat mallet between 2 sheets of waxed paper or heavy plastic wrap until meat is uniform thickness, about 1/4-inch. Cut into serving-sized pieces (2 or 3 pieces per breast.)
  2. Heat the butter with 1 tbsp. of the olive oil in a deep, heavy skillet or sauté pan over medium heat.
  3. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour. Add to hot oil/butter in skillet. Sauté until golden on each side, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from pan.
  4. Add remaining olive oil to hot skillet. Sauté mushrooms and garlic until mushrooms begin to brown.
  5. Carefully add white wine to skillet, scraping up all the browned bits that are at the bottom of the pan. (This is called “deglazing.”) Bruise the fresh thyme by twisting it between your fingers or hitting it with the dull side of a knife in a few places. Add thyme to the mushroom/wine mixture in pan.
  6. Add the chicken back to the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
  7. Remove chicken from pan. Add the cream and heat through. Add the asiago cheese (if you like it strongly flavored, use 1/2 cup; not as strongly flavored, use the 1/4 cup–asiago is a powerful cheese and you can even use less for just a whisper of flavor. I like it strong, so I use 1/2 cup.)
  8. Cook, stirring constantly over low heat until cheese melts. Continue cooking until sauce is reduced by about 1/2. If you wish to skip the reduction step, you may thicken the sauce slightly with about 1 tbsp. instant flour or 1 tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp. water. However, the reduction will taste better.
  9. Add chicken back to pan and heat through.
  10. Garnish with sprigs of fresh thyme. May be served over any pasta.

Have you saved room for desert? I hope so, because you’ll definitely want a healthy portion of this mouth-watering final course. A standout amongst the finest traditional French deserts recipes, try this one – you will want to keep it in your French ethnic food repertoire for keeps.

Crème Caramel

French Cuisine: Creme Caramel

As delicious as this looks and sounds, this Crème Caramel dish can be classified as among the simple French food recipes. Simple in terms of the ingredients, and quite easy to make. Enjoy your desert, and have a nice strong cup of coffee to wash it down.

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup granulated white cane sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cold water
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat a 4-quart saucepan of water to boiling on high to use for a later water bath.
  2. Using a 2-quart saucepan, heat 2/3 cup sugar with cold water on medium heat until melted and a light caramel color, stirring the pan occasionally. Pour the caramel immediately into eight 6-ounce custard cups or ramekins.
  3. With a wire whisk, in large bowl, beat the eggs and egg whites, and add the remaining 1/3 cup sugar, continuing to whisk until well blended. Next beat in the milk and vanilla. Pour the custard mixture into custard cups or ramekins.
  4. Place the cups in a roasting pan large enough to hold all 8 cups; pour the boiling water into the pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the cups. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the center of the custard is set firm. Remove custard cups from roasting pan and let cool on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or until the custard is well-chilled.
  5. To serve, with a small spatula, loosen carefully the custard from the sides of the cups. Flip each crème caramel upside down and onto a dessert plate; tapping the cup will help release the custard. Leave inverted custard on the plate for several minutes, allowing the caramel syrup to drip from the cup onto the custard.

Any discussion about classic French dinner recipes will have to include this next one. Slow roasted lamb with an absolutely sumptuous stewed beans side dish.

 

Cuisine française à son meilleur!

 (French Cuisine at its finest!)

Seven Hour Leg of Lamb with Stewed White Beans

roasted lambwhite-bean-stew_02-10-13_1_ca

Ingredients:
For the Lamb-
For the Beans-

Directions:
To Cook the Lamb-
  1. Preheat your oven to 300˚ Fahrenheit.
  2. Rub the leg of lamb with olive oil and then season with a liberal amount of salt and pepper.
  3. Heat a 6-qt. Dutch oven (or equal sized ovenproof cooking pot) over medium-high heat with about 2 tbsp. olive oil. Put the lamb in and cook, turning now and then, until browned on all sides, about 12 minutes, then remove from pot an place on a platter.
  4. Add 2 cups of water and the wine into the Dutch oven; scrape browned bits up from the pot’s bottom.
  5. In a large rectangular or oval casserole dish, make a bed of the herbs and garlic, place the browned leg of lamb on top of the bed, then pour pan juices from the Dutch oven over the lamb.
  6. Cover the casserole dish with tin or aluminum foil, and then place in the oven to roast for 3-1/2 hours; baste often. After 3-1/2 hours, turn the lamb over, and then cook for another 3-1/2 hours, again basting often. Remove from oven, transfer to a rack and allow to cool for 20 minutes before carving and serving.
To Cook the Stewed Beans-
  1. After about 5-1/2 hours into the lamb roasting, drain your beans and put them into a 4-qt. saucepan with 6 cups water, 4 garlic cloves, and the bundled herbs.
  2. Take the onion halves and insert the cloves into them by “stabbing” the clove stems into the curved surfaces.
  3. Bring water to a vigorous boil, then turn heat down to where the beans are cooking at just a lively simmer, and let simmer until tender—about an hour usually does the trick. While they simmer, fry or broil the bacon until crispy, then crumble them into bits and set aside.
  4. Take the pot off the burner, season the beans to taste with salt and pepper, and strain them in a colander or large sieve over a bowl—you want to retain the cooking liquid—then discard the herb bundle and put the beans back into the pot.
  5. Put oil, crème fraiche, ¼ cup of the cooking liquid, the remaining 2 garlic cloves, and 2 cups of the cooked beans into a blender and purée, then stir the puréed bean mixture and 1 cup of the cooking liquid back into the pot; place the lid on tightly to keep warm if the lamb is not yet finished cooking.
To Serve-
  1. Carve half of the lamb leg into desired thickness slices, and place slices and uncarved leg together on a large, attractive serving platter, garnished with a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, and with one or two large serving forks, and set on the table. Set alongside the lamb platter a large serving bowl filled with the beans.
  2. In another, smaller, serving bowl, set out the bacon bits to be passed, for each person to garnish their own bowl of beans to taste.
  3. Also, this meal goes best with a fine quality red wine, full in body and rich with tannins, like a Cabernet Sauvignon.

When it comes to classic French dinner recipes, it doesn’t get any better than this next one. Scallops prepared in such a delicate and marvelously subtle manner, it is an outstanding experience of traditional French cuisine.

Coquilles Saint-Jacques

(Saint Jacques Scallops)

SONY DSC

Ingredients:
Directions:
  1. Preheat your oven on high broil. Butter the insides of 4 large ramekins and place them on a baking sheet, then set aside.
  2. Using a large saucepan or skillet, combine the onion, lemon, bay leaf, scallops, water, and wine, and then bring the heat up to where the dish is cooking at just a lively simmer. Poach the scallops about 3 minutes, or just until firm (do not overcook, they will lose the delicate texture and start getting tough), then remove them with a slotted spoon, place them on a plate and set aside.
  3. Using a sieve or colander, strain the cooking liquid out of the pan and into a clean bowl.
  4. In another saucepan over medium high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter; add in the garlic and the shallots and sauté, stirring, a half a minute. Then add in the mushrooms and continue to sauté until tender—about 4 minutes should do the trick—then remove with a slotted spoon, place in a bowl and set aside.
  5. Now put 2 tablespoons of butter into the same saucepan the mushrooms were sautéed in, and melt over medium heat, then add in the flour and sauté, stirring continuously for about 2 minutes, until you have a light roux.
  6. Once you have your roux, little by little add in the strained poaching liquid, whisking continuously, and cook about 2 minutes, until thickened. Then add in the lemon juice, salt, pepper, cayenne and milk, and whisk together well. Bring to a boil and cook for just one full minute.
  7. Now add in the green onions and cilantro, and simmer for 1 minute, then add in the cream and shredded Beaufort or Gruyere, stir vigorously until well combined, and then take the pan off the burner.
  8. Carefully fold the poached scallops and the sautéed mushrooms into the cheesy mixture, and pour the combined mixture into the buttered ramekins.
  9. In a mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, Cajun Essence seasoning and the bread crumbs. Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the filled ramekins, and then grate some fresh Parmigiano cheese on top of that.
  10. Pop the ramekins into the oven and broil 1-1/2, maybe 2 minutes (tops!) until just nice and brown and a little crispy on top.
  11. Serve immediately, while still hot. This dish goes great with a fine French Chardonnay.

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