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.
Palmiers with Strawberries & Crème Fraîche These little French pastries are easy, versatile and delicious. The secret to palmiers is to use good butter puff pastry, not one made with margarine or other commercial fats; Carême brand is available in many delis and specialty stores and it’s handy to keep a roll or two in […]
Steak with Green Peppercorn Hollandaise I was served steak with green peppercorn hollandaise at the comfortable Kilchoan Hotel on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula on Scotland’s west coast. A simple hollandaise with pickled green peppercorns is such an easy way to dress up a steak with what’s in the fridge and pantry, that I told the chef […]
Ratatouille Like this recipe? You’ll love my online French cooking class featuring the Food of Provence! This versatile Provençal dish is delicious hot or cold, as a standalone vegetarian meal, or an accompaniment to grilled meat, poultry or seafood. There aren’t any hard and fast rules, it’s a quick, one-pot combination of eggplant, capsicum, onion, […]
Entrecôte Café de Paris A compound butter is one of the easiest ways to to turn a piece of meat into a meal. It can be as simple as anchovies, garlic or fresh herbs mixed through butter, or as complex as the most famous version: Café de Paris. This butter was created in the early […]
Vichyssoise Vichyssoise is a wonderfully versatile leek and potato soup that’s delicious hot or cold. I use Dutch cream potatoes, but any floury potatoes work well. Wash leeks well to dislodge any soil caught between their layers, and don’t underestimate how much salt vichyssoise needs, especially if you’re serving it chilled, I add about a […]
Croque Monsieur Croque monsieur is perhaps just a ham and cheese toastie with a fancy name, but it’s still one of my favourite weekend brunch dishes, and also perfect for those lazy stay-at-home Sunday nights in front of the TV. Its origins are obscure, though some credit a brasserie on the Boulevard de Capucines in […]
Pepper Steak My pepper steak recipe is inspired by one in Elizabeth David’s Spices, Salt & Aromatics in the English Kitchen. I serve it with a salad that has a little sweetness to cut through the heat of the pepper (the watercress, apple & Stilton salad in the below video works well too), but you […]
Pissaladière Like this recipe? You’ll love my online French cooking class featuring the Food of Provence! Pissaladière is a classic dish from the city of Nice and is often referred to as Niçoise pizza. Its thin bread base is similar to focaccia and the sweetness of the caramelised onions contrasts beautifully with the salty anchovies […]
