10 Easy French Dishes you can Make at Home


 

French cuisine has set a high standard for centuries. The cuisine is renowned world-wide for its finesse and flavor that in 2010 UNESCO added French cuisine to its list of intangible cultural heritage.

Though French cuisine often comes with a side of “that’s-too-difficult-to-make-at-home,” in actuality French food relies on simple combinations of rich, natural flavors and basic methods; building a sauce, deglazing, braising, poaching. You will be amazed to discover that you probably already know more than you think when you prepare some of these dishes. In any case, should you want to sharpen your French cooking edge, we’ve got you! Book any of these best cooking classes in Paris with us.

To help you bring that certain je ne sais quoi into your kitchen, here’s our list of the10 easy French dishes you can make at home that will leave your guests saying “Oh la la!”

1. Soupe à l’oignon (English French onion soup)

Soupe à l’oignon – Wikipedia

This is a traditional French soup that is usually based on meat stock and onions, and often served gratinéed with croutons or a larger piece of bread covered with cheese floating on top.

Dating back to Roman times, this was traditionally a peasant dish as onions were plentiful and easy to grow.  The modern version of this soup originates in Paris, France in the 18th century.

The soup’s unique flavor comes from the caramelization of the onions, which often have brandy or sherry added during the slow-cooking process.

Generally, Soupe à l’oignon recipes specify that the onions should be cooked slowly, becoming caramelized. Brandy, sherry, or white wine is added at the end to deglaze. The soup base is often topped with slices of (toasted) bread (a “croute” or “crouton”) and can be served a meal in itself or as a first course.

If you’re looking for nice restaurants to eat the best onion soups in Paris, just check our articles there.

2. Bœuf bourguignon (English Beef bourguignon)

Bœuf bourguignon – Wikipedia

Bœuf bourguignon is essentially a beef stew braised in red wine, often red Burgundy, and beef stock, typically flavored with carrots, onions, garlic, and a bouquet garni, and garnished with pearl onions, mushrooms, and bacon.

Originally the stew was a peasant dish as it was often made with leftover cooked meat. Today, it is a staple in French restaurants around the world. It is a special stew, as it turns humble ingredients like inexpensive beef and carrots into something truly spectacular.

The difference between beef stew and beef Bourguignon is whether or not it contains wine from Burgundy. Simply put beef Bourguignons are beef stew, but not all beef stews are beef Bourguignon.

Traditionally, the cheap cuts of meat would be tenderized in wine for two days to intensify the flavors, although some shortcuts can be taken today to achieve these rich intense flavors.

Every August in Burgundy, the Fête du Charolais celebrates the dish, along with plenty of music and wine.

3. Ratatouille

Ratatouille – Wikimedia Commons

One of France’s most iconic dishes, Ratatouille, was made internationally famous after the release of a 2017 Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios animation of the same involving a friendly rat that hard exceptional cooking skills.

Ratatouille is a dish that sees vegetables shallow-fried and then layered in a casserole dish before being baked in an oven. The dish originated from Nice, and it was considered to be a peasant dish.

Recipes and cooking times differ widely, but common ingredients include tomato, garlic, onion, courgette (zucchini), aubergine (eggplant, brinjal), capsicum (bell pepper), and some combination of leafy green herbs common to the region.

Just like the baffling question of which came first, the chicken or the egg? For centuries, French chefs have been debating on whether the vegetables need cooking beforehand or not? The choice is up to you.

  Here’s some of the best places if you’re wondering where to eat great ratatouille in Paris. 

4. Crêpe

A sweet crêpe opened up, with whipped cream and strawberry sauce on it – Wikipedia

A crêpe is a very thin type of pancake. Both crêpes and pancakes are made using eggs, milk, flour, salt, and butter however unlike pancakes, crêpes are made without baking powder.

For best results when working on the flour, be gentle, and then let the batter rest for at least 10 minutes before using. The key is to make your crêpes super thin, cooking them for just 30 seconds on either side.

These thin pancakes can either be sweet crêpes or savory crêpes. Sweet crêpes are generally made with wheat flour and eaten as part of breakfast or as a dessert. Common fillings include hazelnut cocoa spread, preserves, sugar (granulated or powdered), maple syrup, golden syrup, lemon juice, whipped cream, fruit spreads, custard, and sliced soft fruits or confiture.

Savory crêpes are made with non-wheat flours such as buckwheat. This makes it possible for people who have a wheat allergy or gluten intolerance to eat this type of crêpe. Common fillings include cheese, ham, and eggs, ratatouille, mushrooms, artichoke (in certain regions), and various meat products.

The top 5 places to eat to eat crêpes in Paris are well detailed in this article.

5. Coq au vin

Coq au vin – Wikipedia

This dish sees chicken braised with wine, mushrooms, salty pork or bacon (lardons), mushrooms, onions, garlic, and sometimes even a drop of brandy.

A red Burgundy wine is typically used, though many regions of France make variants using local wines, such as coq au vin jaune (Jura), coq au riesling (Alsace), coq au pourpre or coq au violet (Beaujolais nouveau), and coq au Champagne.

Various legends trace coq au vin to ancient Gaul and Julius Caesar, but the recipe was not documented until the early 20th century.

The dish was popularized by Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle and Julia Child in their 1961 cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and by Child prepared it twice on the PBS cooking show The French Chef.

Although the name translates as ‘rooster in wine’, the braising is ideal for tough birds with much connective tissue. Coq au vin may be made with any poultry, most commonly chicken.

This article, Where to Eat the Best Coq au Vin in Paris, will guide you in locating the best coq au vin in Paris.

6. Lyonnaise Potatoes

Lyonnaise Potatoes – Wikipedia

Lyonnaise potatoes is a dish of sliced pan-fried potatoes and thinly sliced onions, sautéed in butter with parsley. The potatoes are often par-cooked before sautéeing, else raw cooked in the pan.

These potato dish gets its name from the city of Lyon in France, where it originated. The name for the food literally translates to “Lyon style” potatoes, or potatoes “of Lyon.” The French phrase à la Lyonnaise is also idiomatically used in French to simply imply any being prepared with onions.

Lyonnaise potatoes are generally cooked in butter and/or a mixture of butter and oil; rendered fat from ducks or geese can also be used instead of butter.

It is often served alongside pasta dishes. It can also be a particularly tasty side dish to steak or pork entrées.

7. Tarte Tatin

Tarte Tatin, just out of the oven, not yet glazed – Wikipedia

The tarte Tatin is a pastry in which the fruit (usually apples) is caramelized in butter and sugar before the tart is baked. This pastry is named after the Tatin sisters who invented it.

According to culinary legend, tarte Tatin started life as a mistake. In 1898, hotelier Stephanie Tatin was making a traditional apple pie when she accidentally left the apples cooking in sugar and butter for too long. In a hurry to rescue the dessert, she put the pastry base on top of the burning fruit and put it in the oven.

She served the upside-down tart to her guests at Hôtel Tatin and surprisingly her guests appreciated the dessert. The tarte became a signature dish of the hotel.

Originally, the tarte Tatin was made with two regional apple varieties: Reine des Reinettes (Pippins) and Calville. Over the years, other varieties like pears, bananas, quinces, peaches, pineapple, tomatoes, other fruit, or vegetables, such as onion are used.

8. Salade Niçoise

Traditional Salad Niçoise served at a French Riviera restaurant – Wikipedia

Salade niçoise is a salad mix of lettuce, fresh tomatoes, boiled eggs, (canned or fresh) tuna, green beans, Nicoise Cailletier olives, and anchovies, dressed with olive oil, or in some historical versions, a vinaigrette.

It can be served either as a composed salad or as a tossed salad.

This salad originated in the French city of Nice. The version known in Nice in the late 19th century was a basic combination of tomatoes, anchovies and olive oil, described as “simple food for poor people”. It became popular worldwide in the 20th century.

The question of the proper ingredients appropriate for a salade niçoise has long been the subject of debate and even controversy. Traditionalists and innovators have disagreed over which ingredients should be included; traditionalists exclude cooked vegetables.

Despite this ingredient’s disagreement, no matter how you prepare Salade niçoise we can all agree it one of the finest summer salads ever invented.

These are some of the best places  if you’re wondering where to eat salade niçoise  in Paris.

9. Soufflé

Cheese soufflés – Wikipedia

A soufflé is a baked egg-based dish combined with various other ingredients. The word soufflé comes from the French verb ‘to blow’ and, as the name suggests, this is a light, airy dessert. It can be served as a savory main dish or sweetened as a dessert.

The dish dates back to the early 18th century, with the earliest mention coming from French master cook Vincent La Chapelle. The development and popularization of the soufflé can be traced to French chef Marie-Antoine Carême in the early nineteenth century.

There are a number of both savory and sweet soufflé flavor variations. Savory soufflés often include cheese, and vegetables such as spinach, carrot, and herbs, and may sometimes incorporate poultry, bacon, ham, or seafood for a more substantial dish.

Sweet soufflés may be based on a chocolate or fruit sauce (lemon or raspberry, for example), and are often served with a dusting of powdered sugar.

10. Cassoulet

Bowl of cassoulet – Wikipedia

Cassoulet is a rich, slow-cooked stew containing meat (typically pork sausages, goose, duck and sometimes mutton), pork skin (couennes) and white beans (haricots blancs).

This peasant dish is said to have originated from the town of Castelnaudary, and is particularly popular in the neighboring towns of Toulouse and Carcassonne. It is named after its traditional cooking vessel, the casserole, a deep, round, earthenware pot with slanting sides.

While preparing the dish it is traditional to deglaze the pot from the previous cassoulet in order to give a base for the next one.

Want some on a day out? Here’s  where to eat the best cassoulet in Paris.

While making some simple yet delicious dishes at home is fun, sometimes you just want to dress up and tour the city streets for some great crepes or frites, an exquisite dinner at an upscale French restaurant at the city center or a wine tasting frenzy with friends. Check out our Food Tours in Paris for even better experiences with food, wine and aesthetics in the city.