French Recipes & Food Ideas

And it’s actually way easier to make than it looks.

It’s unbelievably creamy.

A pot of melted cheese for dinner? Yes, please.

You’ll definitely go back for seconds.

The strawberries are the star.

A good hollandaise sauce, whether it’s over eggs Benedict for brunch or steamed asparagus for dinner, truly levels up anything on your plate. Maybe you didn’t know that this creamy, buttery, slightly tangy sauce that you love so dearly could be made at home in about two minutes using just a blender. Want to impress your friends this weekend? Invite them for Sunday brunch or a steak dinner and tell them you’re making hollandaise sauce.

There’s a lot to love about a classic quiche. Its flaky, buttery crust, and creamy, savory interior has us singing its praises every time we eat it, no matter if we’re enjoying a slice for Sunday brunch with friends or straight from the fridge for a solo late-night snack.When it comes to classic quiche flavors, quiche Lorraine reigns supreme. Full of rich caramelized shallots, crisp bacon, and earthy Gruyère cheese, the classic French breakfast dish is worth mastering.

Don’t forget the garlic aioli.

It's rule breaking.

A kir royale might sound rather fancy, but don’t be fooled: The classic cocktail is nothing more than bubbly Champagne with a splash of crème de cassis. Apart from being a cinch to make, this sparkling cocktail is a delicious way to start a meal. The sweet currant liqueur stains the Champagne a beautiful pink color and lends it a berry sweetness that wakes it up. Here’s everything you need to know. It tastes like Champagne amped up with a sweet currant flavor.

And the sauce is super flavorful.

Bon appétit!

Plus, you get to crack the crunchy sugar top.

Whether we’re talking about date night at home or a quick weeknight meal, it doesn’t get much better than a giant bowl of steamed mussels. This dish has the kind of easy elegance and immediate gratification that I look for in both cases. Today, I’m sharing my favorite, most basic method for quickly steaming a batch of mussels. It’s simple — just mussels steamed with broth and white wine — but oh so very good!

Chocolate-lovers, rejoice!

It's truly restaurant-worthy.

The sauce is perfection!

Pommes Anna is a French side dish made of just three simple ingredients: potatoes, butter, and salt. It’s classic and elegant all at the same time; potato slices are arranged in overlapping concentric circles, creating layers upon layers into a round cake that resembles a flower. The outside is golden-brown and crispy — like the fanciest hash browns you’ll ever have — and makes a satisfying crunch when you slice it into wedges.

Ooh la la.

Who knew it was this easy?

They're not the same as gratin.

Here’s what makes a tarte Tatin so fabulous: even if your crust isn’t perfect, even if it crumbles a bit when you flip it, and even if the tarte is not perfectly centered on your serving platter, it will still taste like something that came directly from heaven. Now, don’t be intimidated by the flip. In many ways, that’s the least stressful part of making a tarte Tatin!

A roux, pronounced “roo,” is one of the building blocks of cooking. It’s a fundamental technique for new cooks to learn, and one of the first things taught in culinary school. It’s the secret to making silky sauces, rich gravies, and luscious mac and cheese. In fact, if you’ve ever made a homemade cheese sauce before, chances are you’ve made a roux — even if you didn’t realize it.

Pronounced poh-taazh, potage is a fancy term for a thick and comforting soup cooked in a pot. Typically, it also infers that the soup is made of vegetables and is puréed until smooth. Like many French dishes, it originates from peasants and farmers who were using the ingredients they had available — in this case, any mix of vegetables. Potage is often enriched at the end with some kind of dairy.

It's a family favorite.

Ever had a classic French palmier? A flaky turnover filled with fruit? A bite of puff pastry filled with cranberry sauce and brie at a cocktail party? All these delicious treats start right here, with this dough. Yes, you can buy puff pastry at the store, but if you’re in the mood for a real baking project, you can make it yourself at home. All you need is a pastry scraper and a French rolling pin, and simple ingredients like flour, water, and butter.

The foolproof recipe is inspired by two greats: Ina Garten and Julia Child.

The sauce is everything.

Peppercorn sauce is a creamy, spicy, and lightly smoky pan sauce made from beef stock, peppercorns, shallots, brandy, and cream. Originating from the French dish steak au poivre, it’s traditionally created from the fond (the brown bits and residue) left behind from the seared steaks, which are packed with flavor. Peppercorn sauce is a delicious accompaniment to a variety of proteins and vegetables — not just steak. To make it more versatile, this recipe doesn’t rely on fond.

Consider yourself a pork chop person from now on.

A bowl of chocolate mousse is a decadent treat, but a layered chocolate mousse cake with a cookie crust is next-level. There are many varieties of chocolate mousse cake. Some have chocolate cake crusts rather than the cookie crust; others are chocolate cake layered with a mousse frosting. But we think our double-layered chocolate mousse cake is one of the best. This mousse cake is set in the refrigerator rather than baked and is served cold.

And it makes your kitchen smell amazing.

I promise you.

Tastes like a ticket to Paris.

Fondant potatoes look like a dish you’d order in a fancy restaurant. But don’t be intimidated by their appearance — they take less than one hour to make and use humble ingredients you might already have on hand. They also come together using just one pan, making cleanup a breeze. Serve them with seared steak or roast chicken for a restaurant-quality dinner at home. Or serve them alongside prime rib for an impressive holiday meal.

Grab a slice before it’s gone.

The new fall essential.

Especially when they're sautéed in lots of butter.

Baguette layered with thinly sliced ham, Gruyère cheese, and cornichons — très délicieux!

Fast, flavorful, and super easy.

It's a classic frittata meets French onion soup mash-up that is dressed to impress.

Literally easier than pie.

Mustard works its magic on braised chicken.

Imagine the tines of your forking breaking through, almost snapping, the velvety crust of a fruit tart. It crumbles a bit, but is far from dry — each bite more rich and buttery than the last. That tender crust is typically known as pâte sablée. Unlike a flaky pie crust, pâte sablée is crisp and more cookie-like. The name literally means “sandy,” although it’s anything but.

Ratatouille, the classic French vegetable stew, is a perfect candidate for this hands-off cooking method.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever actually made a soufflé. Yeah, me neither. Not until, that is, I took a class years ago with Paule Caillat in Paris and realized what a cozy, simple, weeknight dish a cheese soufflé actually is. In case you’ve never had one, a cheese soufflé is like a giant cheese puff, a hot cheese pudding with a crispy top and creamy, melting cloud inside.

It’s so stable, you can even refrigerate it and reheat it in the microwave.

Do you like éclairs? What about profiteroles, cream puffs, and cheesy gougères? Aside from making us drool just thinking about them, the one thing all these pastries have in common is that they are made from pâte à choux — a staple of the French pastry kitchen. Pâte à choux is a paste made of flour, water, butter, and eggs; it’s slightly thicker than a batter, but not quite as thick as a dough. Here’s how to make them.

This fast and fancy dessert is the ultimate crowd-pleaser.

It feels so fancy to put them on a cookie tray for a spot of afternoon tea.

Good enough to eat by itself.

I have been meaning to try a yogurt cake for a long time. Clotilde at Chocolate & Zucchini says that gâteau au yaourt is a simple classic, a cake that is often the first thing that French children learn to bake. It doesn’t need a mixer or more than one bowl — or more than 10 minutes, for that matter. And its tangy, fluffy texture is just a perfect pair for summer berries.

Looking for an easy-to-make alternative to dinner rolls? These cheese puffs are the ticket.

And it uses up leftovers!