For many people, gastronomy is synonymous with French cuisine. Rustic home cooking, ornate court-dining masterpieces, and avant-garde Parisian haute cuisine are all part of the culinary history of France. So, from Normandy to the Côte d’Azur, we’ve created a list of some of our favorite French dishes.
The most delicious French dishes are those you will never be weary of eating. France’s culinary tradition is known for its mastery of butter and sugar, classic technique and flavor perfection. You won’t be able to sample these delicacies unless you visit France, but you can make them at home.
Top French Dining Recipes
Chicken Basquaise
This braised chicken recipe, adapted from chef Sébastien Gravé, exemplifies the Basque love for rich, spicy stews. Though paprika can be used in a pinch, the flakier, somewhat spicy, and enigmatic Espelette pepper is the region’s signature pepper.
Spring Vegetable Barigoule
This Provençal classic combines crisp spring vegetables with a delicious, vanilla-scented broth.
Barigoule is a French technique for preserving and cooking the highly sought-after seasonal Globe artichokes. Globe artichokes, which are time-intensive to cook and only available during certain seasons, brown quickly during preparation, necessitating the creation of the Barigoule method.
Tarte Flambée (Alsatian Bacon and Onion)
This bacon and onion tart has a shatteringly crispy crust thanks to an extremely hot pizza stone.
The Alsatian flatbread topped with Fromage blanc (a fresh, tangy, spreadable cheese), thinly sliced raw onions, and bacon is known as tarte flambée.
Apple Cinnamon Bostock
Many cooks outside of France make this winey chicken braise with pearl onions and button mushrooms as their first French dish, and there’s no surprise: it’s as easy to make as it is to serve. Bostock is a Normandy-based sweet and crispy breakfast pastry. Our version pays homage to Calvados country with a schmear of apple butter and a dash of apple brandy added to the typical frangipane cream. A thick covering of roasted almonds balances the soft and squishy filling.
Green Peppers and Manila Clams in a Basque Style
This variation on Basque pipérade, a traditional stewed pepper meal, combines local fish. Traditional hake is used, although mild white-fleshed fish like striped bass or haddock can also be used. Fresh clams have a salty sweetness, and this recipe can be made with any mild peppers you have on hand.
Basque Cherry Gateau
A layer of jam or sweet pastry cream is sandwiched between two shortbread-like rounds to make gâteau basque, the region’s hallmark dish. The dough resembles cookie dough, with more providing a cakier texture. Cherry preserves are a classic filling—choosing a good-quality jam makes all the difference—and the filling itself mimics cherry preserves—choosing a good-quality jam makes all the difference. It can also be baked in a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a detachable bottom; butter the edges before assembling.
What to Bring to a Dinner Party in France?
Bringing a bouquet, a bottle of wine, Champagne, something homemade, or artisanal cuisine such as chocolates is always courteous as a guest. If you’re bringing a bottle of wine, choose one from France (white, red, or rosé). Even though the French may praise different wines worldwide, they rarely consume anything but French wine. As a result, be cautious and always bring French. Drinking the bottle at dinner or as an aperitif is usually a polite gesture.
When it comes to flowers, you may get any bouquet you want, but avoid chrysanthemums at all costs. In France, these flowers are saved for November 1st, also known as Toussaint (All Saints Day), when loved ones’ graves are visited, and flowers are placed on them.
What are French Dinner Party Menu Ideas?
Starters
Starters · Entrée
Oeufs mimosa
Pâté en croûte aux morilles
Soupe à l’oignon traditionnelle
Salade Niçoise
Soufflé au comté
Plat Principal / Main Course
The plat major is the course on which the French will concentrate their efforts (and time). Here are a few of my favorite main dish suggestions for a beautiful French dinner party:
Tomates farcies
Gratin dauphinois
Boeuf-carottes
Pot-au-feu
Ratatouille Niçoise
Which Wine Must be Paired with Different Recipes?
Without wine, no French dinner party would be complete! The French adhere to strict guidelines about which wines to consume and when. To begin with, wine is rarely served as an aperitif (opt for Champagne, Kir Royal, or a seasonal cocktail instead). Then there’s white wine, which pairs well with fish, seafood, and dessert. On the other hand, red wine goes well with red meat, tomato-based recipes, and cheese. There are even wines made just for dessert. Because each course must be paired with a glass of unique wine, a French dinner party can include three to five different wines! But don’t worry, the French don’t drink as much as other countries since they never consume more than half a glass of wine.
What is the Different Table Setting for Dinner?
You can invite your guests to the table once everyone has arrived and has their apéritif. Setting an effortless, attractive table is vital to hosting the perfect French dinner party. The French prefer to keep table decorations to a bare minimum, but each element is something they adore and have amassed through time, so it has a narrative to tell. They have traditional silverware, crystal glasses, French Laguiole knives, a white cotton tablecloth from a trip to the south of France, and old plates purchased at a flea market. The French usually place a lovely bouquet and candlesticks on the table. You can ignite the candles a few minutes before the dinner party to ensure they burn down to a minimum.
Just make sure the table isn’t too crowded. Keep in mind that little is more. The French fashion guideline applies here: if you remove one piece of jewelry before leaving the house, you should take one thing from the table before visitors arrive.
Some Traditional French Food
Salmon En Papillote
In English, this meal is known as “Salmon in Parchment.” It’s perhaps one of the most unusual methods to prepare a fish. You wrap the salmon and vegetables in parchment and cook them all simultaneously.
Each unique flavor—juices and all—combines to produce a delectable supper. This is a well-known French dish you should eat if you ever find yourself in France. Furthermore, even if you have no plans to visit France very soon, this dish would be a great alternative for entertaining friends and family.
Boeuf Bourguignon (Boeuf Bourguignon)
There are a lot of beef lovers in the world, and this dish is for you if you have a chance to be one of them. “Beef Burgundy” is the direct translation. Boeuf Bourguignon always reminds me of Julie & Julia, the beautiful film starring Meryl Streep.
Who’d have guessed that a dish created by French peasants (yep, you read it correctly) would become one of the most well-known French dishes? This dish comprises beef, bacon, onions, wine, and carrots, which combine to make one of the best French cuisine dishes. Are you hosting a gathering of friends later today? Consider making this special dinner for them.
How does the Spread of French Cuisine Take Place?
French cooking evolved as societies shifted and changed. During the Middle Ages, cookery became lighter, and meals in France began to take on the shape of the cuisine we know today. Cookbooks and documented techniques, on the other hand, were not published until the 1600s.
In 1651, Francois Pierre La Varenne produced Le Cuisinier Francois, the earliest French cookbook. Many cooks were encouraged to document their work as a result of this. The French Revolution, which took place in 1789, aided the expansion of cookery studies by removing government-imposed employment prohibitions. Furthermore, an increasing number of French people began cooking for themselves.
Chefs from all over the world studied these published manuals as French cuisine spread beyond France’s boundaries.
During the 1700s and 1800s, the French colonized other countries, including sections of Asia, Africa, North America, and the Caribbean, and exported their culinary knowledge and cooking skills.
What are the Building Blocks of French Cooking?
Cooking in France is quite complicated and has a long history. Nonetheless, most chefs would agree that technique, ingredients, and the dining experience are all key aspects of this cuisine.
Technique
Patience, talent, and attention to detail are required for French cooking techniques. These take years to master, but all ambitious chefs should learn them.
Mise en Scene
A crucial component of kitchen organization is mise en place, meaning “everything in its place.” A chef organizes their tools and prepares, cuts, and measures their ingredients before cooking a dish. When it’s time to cook, everything should be close at hand and ready to go. To do wonders, a chef must be mentally prepared!
Saute
Cooking things in a pan coated with olive oil or butter over medium to high heat is known as sauteing. In French, Sauter means “to jump,” which is exactly what things do in a hot skillet. Lamb chasseur is a classic dish that uses this technique.
Braise
Braise is a culinary process that involves cooking meat or vegetables in a covered pot over low heat until they are soft. Chefs commonly sear the surface of meat or vegetables at high temperatures before lowering the temperature. The components are then cooked slowly in fat, stock, or wine to create complex tastes and soft and tender bites.
Confit
To confit a food, it must first be salted and then cooked in fat. This method was traditionally used to preserve meat, and this method is used in the famous French dish duck confit. Many vegetables, such as garlic or potatoes, can also be confited!
Flambe
Flambe is a dessert made with flaming alcohol, such as cherries jubilee. When alcohol is flambeed, it burns away the alcohol in a matter of seconds while leaving the aroma of the main taste of the liquor. Restaurants have been flambéing various meals tableside for many years to highlight both the technique and the eating experience for their customers!
What is the Secret of French Food?
Is French cuisine comparable to ours? It isn’t the case. However, the French do many things with their cuisine that may surprise Indians who are used to our methods.
Butter: Legendary chef Auguste Escoffier famously stated, “The three great secrets of French cooking are butter, butter, and butter.” Butter is used in almost everything in France. Even the great nouvelle cuisine revolution of the 1970s, which saw French cuisine become lighter, did not result in butter being phased out. Most French cooks will finish a meal with butter to balance the flavors.
According to Michel Guerard, one of the architects of nouvelle cuisine, the most important component of a dish is ‘bouillon’ or stock. Stock is used in sauces, soups, and gravies in France, and every French kitchen should have at least two types of stock on hand because it is such an important aspect of the cuisine.
Animal Fat: By definition, all dairy fat is animal fat. The French, on the other hand, go a step further. For frying and flavoring, they use fat from dead animals and birds. Because pork fat is an essential component of many cuisines, many French recipes call for bacon. Goose grease is frequently the ideal medium for frying potatoes in more elegant kitchens.
The usage of kidney fat (suet), which provides the flakiness of croissants and other pieces of bread, is the secret of many French pastries. Horse fat is ideal for frying chips in some areas, and lard is a common cooking medium in the north.
The French nation would crumble if God eliminated the cow tomorrow. It’s not just about the cheese and butter. The French have a fondness for cream, and many French recipes call for cream, and classic dishes like blanquette would not exist without it.
Flour is a fundamental ingredient in Rotis and savory dishes such as samosas. On the other hand, the French employ garlic as a supplementary ingredient in recipes where you wouldn’t expect it. For years, French chefs thickened sauces by including a flour-and-butter roux. Flour-thickened sauces played less in the nouvelle cuisine movement, but they still exist, especially in regional cuisines.
Wine is not used in Indian cooking. However, the French use liquor (mostly wine and brandy) in various dishes. Classic meals like Coq au Vin and Boeuf Bourguignon, both popular in Burgundy, get their flavor from the wine used in the pot.
Carbohydrates: Without rotis and rice, no Indian meal is complete. Even at Chinese restaurants, we order fried rice and noodles in a way that no Chinese person would. The French, on the other hand, consume significantly fewer carbohydrates. Yes, the bread will be served with the dinner, but just as a side dish. Meat, poultry, and fish will make up the majority of the menu, along with vegetables. Two phenomena are explained as a result of this. One is the French paradox, which refers to the fact that, despite eating a lot of animal and dairy fat, the French had lower incidences of heart disease than, for instance, Americans. (As the French has begun eating American-style fast food, heart disease rates have risen dramatically.)
Conclusion
Classic French recipes are some of the most soothing and impressive foods you can make. Whether making a perfect folded omelet for yourself or boeuf bourguignon for guests, these French dishes are chef-favorite for a reason—and are well worth mastering.
