This is the winter version of classic French ratatouille – instead of summer squash and tomatoes, you get sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, squash, and apples, all thinly sliced and fanned out in concentric circles. The vegetables bake in a rich, creamy sauce made with leeks, crème fraîche, and Gruyère, seasoned with warming spices like ginger,…
This is elegant French technique applied to salmon – sous vide for perfectly cooked, tender fish, then a hard sear for that crackling crispy skin. The beurre blanc is a classic emulsified butter sauce brightened with lemon, capers, and fresh dill. It’s rich but not heavy, with the acidity cutting through the fatty salmon beautifully….
Steak au poivre is one of the great French bistro classics – a juicy steak coated in cracked black peppercorns with a silky, rich pan sauce. This version uses sous vide to cook the steak to perfect medium-rare every time, then finishes with a hard sear to create that peppery crust. The sauce is built…
Chocolate pot de crème is a classic French dessert – richer than pudding, silkier than mousse, and deeply chocolate. The custard is made with cream, egg yolks, and both dark and white chocolate, creating layers of flavor and a velvety texture that melts on your tongue. It’s baked gently in a water bath, which gives…
An apple galette is a rustic, free-form tart – all the elegance of a French pastry without the fussiness of a pie pan. Thin slices of apple get arranged in a tight spiral pattern that looks like a rose, tucked into buttery brisée dough, and baked until the crust is golden and flaky and the…
Stuffed mushrooms are one of those appetizers that disappear fast. These are simple but packed with flavor – the mushroom stems get sautéed with shallots and garlic, then mixed with fresh herbs, nutty Gruyère, and panko breadcrumbs. The filling goes back into the mushroom caps, gets topped with more cheese, and bakes until everything is…
The croque monsieur is a French bistro classic – a hot ham and cheese sandwich topped with creamy Mornay sauce and broiled until golden and bubbling. This version uses slices from my Pain de Campagne and gets cut into quarters after baking, making it perfect for sharing as an appetizer or light lunch. It’s rich,…
Béchamel is the foundation of French cooking. Master this simple white sauce and you’ve unlocked countless dishes – croque monsieur, lasagna, mac and cheese, gratins, creamed vegetables, and more. It’s just butter, flour, and milk, but the technique matters. Get your roux right, whisk out the lumps, and you’ll have a silky sauce that makes…
This is a cheese board built around three cheeses with distinct personalities: creamy Brie, aged Manchego, and bold blue. Each has a different texture and flavor profile. Together they offer contrast—mild to strong, soft to firm, creamy to crumbly. The accompaniments support the cheeses without competing. Candied pecans add crunch and sweetness. Fig jam pairs…
These mussels are steamed in white wine with shallots, garlic, butter, and parsley. They open in the wine, release their briny liquid, and create a broth that you soak up with bread. The technique is simple: sauté aromatics in butter, add mussels and wine, cover and steam until the shells open, finish with more cold…