Vive La France! The country that brought us Parisienne bistro classics and lesser-known regional dishes from the sunny Provençe through Spanish-influenced Basque and the Germanic Alsace. Here are some of my favourite French recipes.
Braised Romaine Lettuce Like braised romaine lettuce? You’ll love my online French cooking class Inspired by Damien Pignolet! Who knew you could cook lettuce? It’s a revelation to many Aussies, but a traditional side dish in much of Europe. Italians love grilled radicchio and sauteed escarole (curly endive), while the French like braised romaine lettuce […]
Duck à l’Orange Like this duck a l’Orange recipe? You’ll love my online French cooking class Inspired by Damien Pignolet! I love this easy duck à l’orange recipe. It’s inspired by Pierre Koffman’s recipe for wild duck in orange sauce in Memories of Gascony and is simpler than most duck à l’orange recipes as it […]
Grilled Asparagus with Sauce Maltaise Like this recipe? You’ll love my online French cooking class featuring the food of Provence! Spring brings so many wonderful ingredients together, including two of my favourites: new season asparagus and blood oranges. And I love combining them in this dish of grilled asparagus with sauce Maltaise. Being one of […]
Axoa d’Espelette (Basque Veal Stew) Like this recipe? You’ll love my online French cooking class Inspired by Damien Pignolet! I discovered axoa d’Espelette, a classic Basque dish, when I visited the town of Espelette in southwestern France, famous for its mild dark red chillies drying under the eaves of the whitewashed houses. I brought home […]
Tapenade Like this recipe? You’ll love my online French cooking class featuring the food of Provence! I love salt, so a dish made of black olives, capers and anchovies is right up my alley. Tapenade hails from Provence in the sunny south of France and is generally regarded as an olive paste, however the name […]
French Onion Soup Like this recipe? You’ll love my online French cooking class Inspired by Damien Pignolet! Soup, bread, cheese: three of my favourite comfort foods. I love French onion soup because it combines all three! Beef stock is considered the traditional base, but I often use chicken stock or just water. Sometimes I use […]
Tarte Tatin Like this recipe? You’ll love my online French cooking class Inspired by Damien Pignolet! Tarte Tatin is one of those classics that I didn’t attempt for a long time for fear it would be too tricky. Turns out it’s super quick and easy, especially if you use a good ready-made shortcrust pastry like […]
Easy Sauce Béarnaise Like this recipe? You’ll love my online French cooking class Inspired by Damien Pignolet! Sauce Béarnaise is the classic accompaniment to roast beef. It’s named for Béarn in southwestern France, the birthplace of Henri IV, although the rather tenuous connection seems to be that it was created around 1830 at a Parisian […]
Steak Tartare Let’s Eat Steak Tartare Together on my small group food & wine tour of Switzerland! As a reformed vegetarian, it’s odd that my favourite way to eat meat is raw, but I can rarely resist steak tartare when I see it on a menu (it sometimes also appears as beef tartare). It’s my […]
Salade Lyonnaise Like this recipe? You’ll love my online French cooking class Inspired by Damien Pignolet! Salade Lyonnaise is one of my favourite starters and also makes a great light meal. I became addicted to it on a trip to Lyon where I had an excellent version at the bouchon La Meunière. As with all […]
