French cuisine consists of lean meats, seafood and fish. And what about the famous local desserts, which are impossible to pass by. And also aromatic Provençal herbs, subtle notes of alcohol and original sauces. We share 20 of the most delicious recipes for French dishes!
Niçoise
An incredibly popular French salad of everything with everything.
You will need: 400 g canned beans, 8 cherry tomatoes, 4 tbsp. olive oil, 1 clove of garlic, 100 g pitted olives, 2 potatoes, 1 tsp. sugar, 2 tsp. grainy mustard, 2 cans of canned tuna, 2 heads of lettuce, 200 g green beans, 2 tbsp. wine vinegar, 2 eggs.
Preparation: Mix olive oil, mustard, vinegar, sugar and crushed garlic, and leave the dressing to brew. Boil potatoes, eggs and green beans, chop as desired, then add ingredients and add dressing.
Tartiflette
You probably know this recipe called “potato gratin”.
You will need: 800 g potatoes, 200 g bacon, 150 g camembert, 4 tbsp. 20% sour cream, 1 onion, 100 ml dry white wine, butter, salt, pepper.
Preparation: Chop the bacon and onion and fry lightly. Cut the potatoes into thin slices and cook in boiling water for a couple of minutes. Layer layers of potatoes, bacon, cheese, and so on in a circle. Periodically sprinkle with spices, pour in sour cream and wine, place a couple of pieces of butter on top and place in the oven at 180 degrees until soft.
Crepe Suzette
Very famous French pancakes that are so good for breakfast.
You will need: 120 g flour, 300 ml milk, 2-3 eggs, 1 tbsp. vegetable oil, 1 tbsp. powdered sugar, a pinch of salt.
Preparation: Sift the flour with powdered sugar and salt, make a well and beat the eggs into it. Add butter, 2 tablespoons of milk, stir and slowly pour in the rest of the milk, and then quickly fry the pancakes from the batter. Place them in a stack under film or a lid.
Cassoulet
A hearty French bean dish that takes a little time to prepare, but it’s worth it!
You will need: 500 g pork ribs, 150 g lard, 400 g red and white beans, 1 onion, 1 tbsp. paprika, chili.
Preparation: Coarsely chop and fry the lard, add chopped onion and garlic into it. Add the disassembled ribs and spices to taste, fry lightly and place in a baking dish. Add chili and beans boiled until half cooked. Place in the oven at 180 degrees for an hour.
French pate
Not a single feast in France is complete without pates. We offer a chicken liver recipe!
You will need: 500 g chicken liver, 100 g lard, 2 carrots, 2 shallots, 50 g butter, 100 g sour cream, 50 ml cognac, 1 pomegranate, 3 cloves, a pinch of cumin and marjoram, 40 g gelatin, sugar and spices to taste.
Preparation: Fry chopped lard with vegetables, add pieces of liver and pour cognac. Simmer everything under the lid, add spices and simmer for another 5 minutes. Grind everything with a blender along with sour cream, put it in a mold and pour jelly with pomegranate seeds for serving.
Kok-a-ven
Rooster or chicken in red wine. The recipe is complex, but unforgettable. We suggest using two medium chicken carcasses.
You will need: 2 chickens, 2 tbsp each. vegetable and butter, 150 g lard, 100 g champignons, 8 onions, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp. flour, 0.5 cups brandy, 750 ml red wine, spices.
Preparation: Cut the chicken into 4 parts and fry in a mixture of two oils. Melt the lard in the same frying pan and fry the mushrooms, garlic and 2 onions in it. Place the chickens in a cauldron, sprinkle flour and spices on top, arrange the remaining onions and pour in brandy.
Stir, add wine and simmer for an hour. Transfer the chicken to the mushrooms, reduce the sauce by half, and pour it over the meat right before serving.
Potofe
Beef with vegetables, spices and broth in French style.
You will need: 1 kg of beef shanks, 1 kg of beef, 1 kg of ribs, 1 onion, 4 cloves, 1 bunch of greens, 5 stalks of celery, 700 g each of carrots, turnips and potatoes, 3 leeks, spices.
Preparation: Pour water over all the meat and bring to a boil. Fry the onion halves in the peel with cloves and add to the pan. Add herbs and spices there and cook for 2.5 hours. Place the vegetables in separate bags and cook in the broth until tender. Place pieces of meat with vegetables on a plate and fill with broth.
Beef Bourguignon
Large pieces of meat are served in a thick and spicy sauce.
You will need: 1 kg of beef, 1 liter of red wine, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 onion, herbs and spices, 100 g of bacon, 50 g of butter, olive and sunflower oil, 50 g of flour, 500 g of champignons, 12 shallots, 4 carrots.
Preparation: Cut the meat into large pieces, mix with spices and onion half rings, and leave to marinate overnight in wine. Fry the bacon in sunflower oil, set it aside and fry the meat in the same pan. Add flour, simmer lightly and put everything in a cauldron.
Pour the marinade over the meat, add the bacon and place on low heat. In a mixture of two oils, fry alternately and add carrots to the meat, after 20 minutes – shallots, and after 20 minutes – champignons. Season the meat and carcasses together for another 25 minutes.
Duck confit
Duck legs are cooked in fat in a special way.
You will need: 4 duck legs, 6 cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp. salt, 1.5 tsp. mixture of peppers, 500 g fat.
Preparation: Grind the garlic with spices to a paste and roll the peeled duck legs in the mixture. Leave the meat to marinate under film for a day. Place in a mold, add fat and cook for 35 minutes at 160 degrees. Reduce temperature to 90 degrees and cook for another 3 hours.
Bisque
Cream soup based on crustacean shells. We tell you a simple recipe on how to make shrimp bisque!
You will need: 100 g tiger shrimp, 1 tbsp. olive oil and butter, 1 shallot, 1 stalk of celery, tarragon leaves, 6 tbsp. white wine, 2 tbsp. brandy, 300 ml broth, 100 ml heavy cream, paprika, spices.
Preparation: Stew shallots, celery and garlic in a mixture of oils until soft. Add tarragon with shrimp, and after 2 minutes add brandy, wine and broth. Bring to a boil, simmer for a couple of minutes and blend everything in a blender. Strain the mixture, add cream and spices, and heat through.
Timbal
Classic French recipe for stuffed pasta casserole.
You will need: 300 g long pasta or spaghetti, 1 kg minced meat, 50 g butter, 300 g champignons, 1 egg, 4 tomatoes, 1 onion, spices.
Preparation: Boil the pasta, rinse with cold water and place on paper towels. Place them in a spiral in a greased pan in an even layer without gaps, and form the sides in the same way.
Mix the minced meat with chopped onion and fry it in a mixture of oils. Add chopped tomatoes, simmer, cool and mix with egg and herbs. Place in the same form, place the champignons on top and cover with pasta. Cover with parchment and bake for up to an hour at 180 degrees.
Ratatouille
An excellent vegetable appetizer made from zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes.
You will need: 600 g of tomatoes, 300 g of zucchini, 300 g of eggplant, 300 g of pepper, 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, spices.
Preparation: Peel and finely chop half the tomatoes, and do the same with the baked peppers. Fry the chopped onion, add tomatoes, peppers, garlic and spices to it, and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes. Cut all the vegetables into slices, place them in a spiral shape and pour the sauce over them. Bake for an hour under foil at 180 degrees, and then another 20 minutes – without foil.
Quiche
An open pie made from shortcrust pastry with any filling, not necessarily sweet. We offer a recipe with chicken!
You will need: 2 cups flour, 200 g butter, 3 eggs, salt, 300 g chicken fillet, 400 g mushrooms, 100 g cheese, 100 g sour cream.
Preparation: Cut the flour with cold butter into crumbs, add 1 egg, salt and quickly knead the dough. Roll it into shape, prick it with a fork and bake for 10 minutes at 200 degrees under pressure. Finely chop the chicken with mushrooms, fry and add the filling. Pour in sour cream, sprinkle with grated cheese and bake for another half hour.
Onion soup
That same famous French soup, which contains almost nothing but onions.
You will need: 50 g butter, 4 onions, 1 tbsp. flour, 200 ml white wine, 1 tsp. sugar, 1.5 liters of broth, 1 baguette, 150 g of cheese, spices.
Preparation: Fry the chopped onion in butter until transparent. Reduce heat and simmer until caramel-colored. Add separately fried flour to it and mix.
Pour wine and sugar over the onions, and after a couple of minutes – broth. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes over low heat. Fry the baguette pieces with cheese and add to the soup when serving.
Clafoutis
The most delicate cherry casserole pie with a soft sweet and sour taste.
You will need: 200 g flour, 4 eggs, 200 g sugar, 400 ml milk, 500 g cherries, 1 tbsp. zest, 20 g butter, 10 g vanilla sugar, 1 star anise.
Preparation: Mix eggs with sugar and slowly add sifted flour. Stir the mixture until smooth and gradually add milk. Grease the mold with butter and sprinkle with flour, lay out the cherries with zest, fill with dough and place star anise on top. Bake for 40-50 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees.
Tarte Tatin
A simple but delicious upside-down apple pie.
You will need: 140 g flour, 6 sour apples, 70 g butter, 1 yolk, 25 ml water, a pinch of salt, 350 g sugar, a pinch of cinnamon, 30 ml brandy.
Preparation: Chop the flour and cold butter into crumbs, stir in the yolk and pour in cold water. Place the dough in the refrigerator for an hour. Melt 50 g of sugar in a frying pan and continue cooking the caramel, gradually adding the remaining sugar.
Pour the caramel into a greased pan, add apple slices, sprinkle with cinnamon and brandy. Cover everything with the rolled out dough and tuck its edges inward. Bake for 40 minutes at 200 degrees.
Macarons
Once you master the basic technique, you can experiment with unexpected flavors.
You will need: 125 g almonds, 40 g vanilla sugar, 80 g sugar, 2 eggs, a pinch of salt.
Preparation: Grind the almonds into flour, and beat the whites with sugar and salt until stiff foam. Gently combine both masses, beat the mixture well again and add coloring if desired. Place the mixture into special molds or squeeze onto parchment using a pastry syringe. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, turn it off and put the cookies in it to dry for half an hour. For a layer you can use jam, whipped cream, chocolate spread – anything!
Creme brulee
A charming caramel dessert that has long conquered the whole world.
You will need: 70 g brown sugar, 4 yolks, 500 ml 33% cream, 1 vanilla pod.
Preparation: Heat the cream and vanilla well, but do not bring to a boil. Beat the yolks with sugar and gradually add cream. Strain the mixture and pour into molds. Place on a baking sheet, add boiling water to the middle of the molds and place in the oven for 35 minutes at 170 degrees. Leave the dessert in the refrigerator overnight.
Meringues
A tender, airy and light dessert, the name of which literally translates as “kiss”.
You will need: 200 g sugar, 4 protein.
Preparation: Beat the whites with a mixer for 2-3 minutes and add sugar, continuing to beat. Place the white viscous mixture on parchment, shape and dry for 1.5 hours in the oven at 90-100 degrees.
Profiteroles
Charming French choux pastries.
You will need: 1 glass of flour, 100 g of butter, 3 eggs, a pinch of salt, 1 glass of water.
Preparation: Add salt and butter cubes to boiling water, reduce heat and slowly add sifted flour. Stir the mixture with a whisk all the time until smooth and without removing from the heat. Place the dough in a bowl and add eggs one at a time.
Place walnut-sized cakes on parchment and bake for 10 minutes at 200 degrees. And then another 15 minutes at 220. Pierce the finished profiteroles from the bottom to release steam. Through the same hole you can fill them with any cream using a pastry syringe.