204 french recipes

Green banana gratin (figue vert) simmered in chicken stock, mashed, enriched with eggs and cream, then baked under a cheesy bread crumb crust. A Caribbean-French side dish with warm spices.

Pommes Anna with tarragon: thin-sliced Yukon Gold potatoes layered with herb butter, baked tender, then broiled to a crisp golden top. An elegant French potato cake from a handful of ingredients.

Classic Alsatian apple charlotte with milk-soaked bread, cinnamon-spiced apples, chopped almonds, and a splash of kirsch. Baked in a bundt pan until golden, this rustic French dessert is pure comfort.

Flourless fallen souffle cake with a full pound of bittersweet chocolate, butter, and nine eggs. A dense, fudgy French-style chocolate cake with a soft center, dusted in cocoa and powdered sugar.

Pate sucree (sweet short pastry) made the French way with butter worked by hand into flour, powdered sugar, and eggs. Tender, cookie-like crust for tarts and tartlets that keeps for days.

French prune and almond tart with tea-soaked prunes nestled beneath a silky frangipane filling of ground almonds, egg, sugar, cream, and a splash of eau-de-vie. Finished with powdered sugar.

Grape harvester's soup is a French country pot-au-feu with garlic-studded chuck roast, cabbage, turnips, leeks, and tomatoes simmered until fork-tender. A hearty, rustic one-pot meal for cold weather.

Salmon fillets baked in foil between layers of shredded potato, then broiled until the potato crust turns golden. Served with a white wine and shallot butter sauce for an elegant, French-inspired dinner.

Soupe de potiron is a French Provencal pumpkin soup with white onion, sage, garlic and a handful of rice for body. Pureed, then finished with Parmesan shavings. A simple, peasant-style fall soup.

Fried bananas almandine sautes split bananas with sliced almonds in clarified butter, served over warm chocolate sauce spiked with Grand Marnier. A classic French-leaning dessert that comes together in under 20 minutes.

Pots de creme pie with a pound of dark Belgian chocolate, heavy cream, half-and-half, and ten egg yolks set into a graham cracker crust. Decadent French chocolate pie for serious chocolate lovers.

A crusty Cajun yeast bread loaded with three kinds of pepper: black, cayenne, and hot sauce. Polenta adds grit and crunch while garlic and parsley bring herby depth. Baked with steam like French bread.

Potage Saint-Germain: a classic French green pea soup with carrots, leeks, lettuce, and a finishing splash of cream and milk. Pureed silky-smooth and finished with a dollop of sour cream or sherry.

Tuna en papillote with fresh orange segments, shiitake mushrooms, thyme, and a touch of soy sauce, baked in parchment packets until puffed. A 40-minute French technique that steams the fish in its own juices.

Whole wheat challah braided into a glossy three-strand loaf, blending nutty whole wheat flour with white for a tender, sturdier crumb. Egg-washed and poppy seed-topped, ready for Shabbat or weekend French toast.

Savarin aux fruits, a classic French rum-soaked yeast ring cake. A light, beaten dough is baked, then drenched in flavored syrup until saturated and filled with whipped cream and fresh fruit. An elegant patisserie dessert.