French Recipes & Food Ideas

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.

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

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.

A good hollandaise sauce, whether it’s over eggs Benedict on Saturday morning 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.

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.

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.

The sauce is everything.

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.

Bon appétit!

I promise you.

And it makes your kitchen smell amazing.

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.

They're also vegan.

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

Mustard works its magic on braised chicken.

Literally easier than pie.

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.

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

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.

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

Aioli is an opportunity to change your thinking about mayonnaise, the condiment we buy in a jar and use primarily for function rather than flavor.

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!

You can fill them with any combination of veggies, meat, and cheese.

Clafoutis is an easy French dessert that’s perfect for using up summer fruit. Nothing like homey cobblers or crisps, clafoutis is decidedly more elegant yet even simpler to make. Use whatever fruit you have on hand — cherries are classic — whip up a quick batter in your blender, and bake a dessert to impress both dinner and overnight guests alike.

Sink your teeth into these!

So easy you don't even need a reason.

If you're looking for a classic quiche recipe, this ham and cheese number is your answer. (It's especially perfect for Easter!)

You really can't go wrong with lobster, a brandy cream sauce, and cheese.

It tastes like a buttery almond croissant!

Cheesy potato casserole. Need we say more?

These easy, delicate cookies taste of brown butter and caramel.

Traditionally, it can take two full days to make; this recipe only requires 40 minutes.

It comes together in mere minutes with a handful of ingredients.

Without all the hard work.

Plus a smart time-saving trick.

It's everything there is to love about a fall fruit pie, but way easier to make.

This thick and silky French stew of eggplant, zucchini, sweet peppers, and ripe summer tomatoes will use up your extra vegetables in one fell swoop.