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48 French recipes

• Janine Ratcliffe

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Escape to Provence, Dijon and beyond with our gourmet recipes, from impressive soufflés to confit duck, indulgent Dauphinoise potatoes to tarte tatin twists

Looking for French recipes? Want the best French tarte tatin? Try our ideas and twists below then check out our best French starters.

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Create the best French picnic with rillettes, baguette fillings and perfect patisserie. Or try restaurant-quality family meal ideas... start with cheesy soufflés before a pot of boeuf bourguignon or an impressive tartiflette, and serve the likes of dauphinoise potatoes on the side. There's tarte tatin and Armagnac soufflé for dessert, too.

We also have regional French recipes from food writer and author Felicity Cloake. In her book One More Croissant For The Road, Felicity tells tales and shares recipes from her weeks cycling and eating her way around France. Buy it here on Amazon.

Not spotted your favourite French dish? Do you know an awesome French chef or food writer that you’d like to see featured here? Email us or contact us on social media at @olivemagazine to let us know!

Easy French recipes

French onion beef stew with a cheesy croûte top

French onion soup is combined with a rich beef stew in this fun mash-up. The crispy gruyère-loaded croûtes take it to the next level. Serve in individual mini casseroles with some mash and greens on the side, if you like.

Homemade croissants

Homemade croissants are achievable – you just need a little time, patience and know-how. Here's how to get them right every time.

Hasselback tartiflette with pickled salad

This hasselback tartiflette with pickled salad is a creamy, cheesy bake with all the comfort of the classic and a zingy salad to cut through the richness. It's simple, naturally gluten free and perfect for a cosy meal for two or three.

French onion soup

This deeply flavoured, beefy onion soup is topped with bubbling cheese melts, perfect for a comforting meal.

Coq au vin

Tender, slow-cooked chicken is the star in this dish, a classic French recipe that will never go out of style.

Tartiflette

Show off your skills to dinner guests with this comforting tartiflette épinards, finished with a heavenly bacon crumb. This recipe comes from Maison François, a French brasserie and bar in London.

Rum vieux carré

Reinvent the classic French vieux carré by swapping the cognac for a rich, aged dark or golden rum. This twist brings a deeper, caramelised sweetness to the drink.

Chicken fricassee

This classic French dish combines tender chicken and moreish mushrooms in a creamy sauce – serve with fluffy rice, boiled new potatoes or buttery mash.

Eggs en cocotte with swiss chard and smoked haddock

This classically French egg recipe sees eggs slow cooked with smoked haddock and swiss chard for a delicious brunch, lunch or even a light dinner.

Bavette steak

Also known as flank or flap steak, this easy bavette steak with a quick homemade pesto and fried broccoli is a real treat and will be on the table in 30 minutes.

Bouillabaisse with garlic and saffron aïoli

Gently simmered and generous, this fisherman’s stew is served with toasted bread and bold garlic and saffron aïoli for spooning liberally over the top.

Tartiflette tart

You can make everything for this tart – pastry shell and filling – ahead of time. Just fill with crispy bacon lardons, pickled cornichons and melt-in-the-mouth reblochon cheese and bake to serve.

Provençal bread dipping oil

For a simple starter that's full on flavour, this French-inspired dipping oil is perfect for mopping up with crusty bread. Dried figs bring a subtle sweetness that balances the brininess of the olives and capers, and raspberry vinegar cuts through the richness of the oil

Provençal poussins with Épices Rabelais, shallots and dates

Use classic French seasoning to flavour Provençal-style poussins, cooked here in fragrant spiced butter, orange juice and vermouth.

Alpine croûte savoyarde

Next-level cheese on toast, this comforting open-faced sandwich is covered in melted cheese, soaked in white wine and topped with ham and crispy fried eggs for pure indulgence. Recipe author Felicity Cloake says… “Alpine cheese on toast, basically, and just the thing to warm your cockles after a hard morning cycling up mountains, or falling over in snowdrifts – or alternatively, just a bracing autumnal walk. If you don’t have stale bread to use up, you can make this with fresh stuff, just toast it first to dry it out.”

Macaronade sétoise

Originating from Southern France, this robust pasta dish is made by simmering steak and sausages in a rich, chilli powder-laced tomato sauce. Recipe author Felicity Cloake says*… “The area around Marseille has some truly excellent Italian food, thanks to the many migrant sailors and dockers who settled there. This robust pasta dish, a speciality of Sète, a little way along the coast, was very welcome indeed on a stormy summer night after a day battling city traffic.”*

Socca with sa tartinade

This French socca recipe will serve up perfect unleavened pancake squares, as per Claude Bosi’s Mayfair restaurant. Accompany with a garlicky aubergine dip.

Dauphinoise potatoes

Dauphinoise potatoes are an absolute classic. We love the combination of cream, garlic and cheese smothered on thinly sliced potatoes and it makes any meal feel more special.

Beef Bourguignon

Classic, easy beef bourguignon to eat now or freeze for later. This hearty French recipe is great for a crowd and serves eight.

Chicken chasseur

Succulent chicken served with cheesy garlic mash is indulgence in its purest form – perfect for a hearty meal without any of the fuss.

Quick duck confit

Our easy duck confit recipe is a quicker, healthier version of the French classic. Follow the recipe to impress with restaurant-quality duck confit.

French onion tart

Add a deliciously creamy onion filling to your pastry case then bake and serve for a weekend lunch.

Twice-baked goat's cheese soufflés

Don't be intimidated by this easy starter or light lunch – we have a step-by-step guide for you. These foolproof soufflés can be chilled or frozen until you need to give them their second baking, so you'll be stress-free. Discover more soufflé recipes.

Croque Marmite

This croque madame with Marmite recipe offers a delicious twist on a classic French favourite, combining the rich, savoury flavours of gruyère and cheddar with the distinctive umami hit of Marmite. Using the grill allows you to prepare several sandwiches at once, making it ideal for feeding a crowd.

Steak with creamy peppercorn sauce

Steak frites is a popular dish at French brasseries. Our version is a quick and easy meal, with homemade peppercorn sauce, which adds a touch of indulgence.

Discover how to cook the perfect steak and check out our collection of steak recipes.

Poulet aux olives

There is something deeply comforting about chicken cooked slowly with garlic, thyme and wine until the kitchen smells like the south of France.

Leek, gruyère and asparagus flamiche

Trends expert Gurd Loyal shares a recipe that’s having a moment online and in the restaurant world – right now it’s this hyper-regional French tart.

Gruyère, fig and prosciutto croissants

Straight from the oven, these hot and toasty butter croissants with melty cheese and sweet figs make a really quick and easy continental-style breakfast.

Duck rillettes

Made with duck legs, this classic French-style recipe is like a pâté but with shredded duck, packed into a terrine. Serve with a green salad.

Steak tartare

This classic dish doesn't have to be intimidating. Our simple recipe makes for a great starter, just multiply the ingredients by how many people you are serving.

Turkey au vin

Give traditional coq au vin a Christmassy twist by swapping out your chicken for turkey.

Butternut squash and gruyère pithivier

Our savoury pithivier is a vegetarian centrepiece to impress everyone. The butternut squash and gruyère make a deliciously rich filling for the golden puff pastry.

Tapenade

Got 10 minutes to spare? Ditch the jar and make your own Provençal-style tapenade instead. Spread over toasted baguette for lunch or stuff into poultry for a main course.

Pork chops with pommes boulangère

A simple idea for pork chops. Serve with a comforting, light French-inspired baked potato dish. The trick is to slice the potatoes finely. Add fresh greens on the side.

Ratatouille with crisp garlic sourdough

Our best and easiest ratatouille recipe is packed with tomatoes, aubergine, courgettes and red pepper. Serve alongside sourdough with a kick of garlic.

Leek, green olive and sultana pissaladière

Pissaladière is a dish which originated from Nice in Southern France. The dough is usually a bread dough, thicker than that of the classic Italian pizza. Try our version using leeks, green olives and sultanas.

Chicory gratin

This easy gratin recipe is made using chicory, also sometimes called endive. Ready in just 20 minutes, it's a delicious and comforting French-inspired side dish.

Easy French desserts

Easy tarte tatin

Caramelised apples wrapped in puff pastry make a great dessert. These individual tarte tatins are designed to be easy but impressive enough for a dinner party. The cider-caramel sauce is a delicious finishing touch with a twist.

Pain au chocolat

Follow our tips and tricks to make a classic pain au chocolat – a buttery, rich and crisp French pastry, best served with a mug of tea or coffee.

French chocolate mousse cake

An airy and rich gâteau with a delicate set edge and tender, almost mousse-like centre.

Normandy teurgoule

Soft, creamy and spiced, this slow-cooked rice pudding inspired by the Normandy classic is as good cold as warm, and particularly nice with stewed apples on the side.

Recipe author Felicity Cloake says… “The name of this slow- cooked rice pudding, which I found sold from vast earthenware dishes in a market in Cherbourg, means “twist-mouth” in Norman dialect – apparently a reference to the large amounts of spice in the recipe.”

Brioche

Master sweet, fluffy brioche with our foolproof recipe. If you happen to have leftovers, it can be transformed into our brioche bread and butter pudding.

Peach, pistachio and ricotta friands

Friands are mini French-style muffins with ground almonds and are so easy to make. Follow this simple recipe and treat your friends and family to these pretty, ricotta and fruit-filled delights.

Prune and Armagnac soufflé

Making your own soufflés from scratch might seem a bit daunting but if you follow this detailed recipe carefully, yours will be perfect. This rich version is served with a boozy Armagnac custard.

Tarte au chocolat

This classic French-style chocolate tart is a little effort to make, but the results are spectacular.

Butterscotch banana crêpes

Check out this indulgent recipe with boozy banana and bourbon sauce. This quick and easy recipe, inspired by French crêpes, makes a fun sweet treat to serve at gatherings with friends and family.

Chocolate fondant

An easy recipe to make this favourite melt-in-the-middle chocolate dessert. Still a winner on dinner party menus. Serve with a little cream on the side.

Black treacle financiers

These delicate black treacle financiers are served at the close of the set menu at The Water House Project, an ethically focused fine-dining restaurant in east London.

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Calvados and apple granité

This surprisingly punchy dessert doubles up as a palate cleanser and a post-dinner pick-me-up after a heavy French meal.

Authors

Janine RatcliffeFood director

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