Pot-au-feu

Simply put, this French classic is a stew-like dish of boiled meat and vegetables. However, it is not as simple as it might appear at first glance. Pot-au-feu, French for “pot on fire”, is one of the oldest French peasant winter dishes.   It was originally made over an open fire with cheap, inferior cuts …

Tartiflette

One of the best-loved dishes of the Alps, tartiflette is a mouth-watering gratinated potato dish from the mountainous region of Savoie in France. It is made with medium-sized potatoes, white wine, Reblochon cheese, onions, smoked salt pork (lardons fumés), and often crème fraîche.   The dish is baked in the oven until the cheese browns …

Daube

Daube is a hearty Provençal stew consisting of meat (mostly beef, but other meats like lamb can be used) that is simmered low and slow in wine with various vegetables and seasonings such as cinnamon, cloves, thyme, bay leaves, and peppercorns.   Preparing daube is a time-consuming process in which the ingredients are added in …

Croquembouche

A true show-stopping centerpiece, croquembouche consists of choux pastry profiteroles which are filled with custard cream and assembled into a cone-shaped tower, glued together with caramel. The final dessert is elaborately decorated with spun sugar, sugar-coated almonds, fondant flowers, fruit, or even macarons.   Croquembouche was designed and popularized in the late 1700s by chef Antonin Carême, while its name …

Paté de Pâques

Paté de Pâques is a traditional French dish originating from the Poitou area. The dish is a combination of ground pork, ground veal, and hard-boiled eggs encased in pastry. It’s traditionally eaten as a first course for Easter dinner. What distinguishes this dish from other patés en croûte is the addition of hard-boiled eggs, making …

Crudités

Simple and elegant, crudités are traditional French appetizers consisting of raw vegetables which can be sliced or left intact. The vegetables typically used for crudités include carrots, celery, bell peppers, cucumbers, asparagus spears, broccoli, and cauliflower. They can be served with dips such as vinaigrette, tapenade, hummus, or mayonnaise on the side, or those can …