French cooking showcases best-quality ingredients in technique-driven recipes to produce elegant dishes that allow simple flavors to shine. Pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy cooking your way through these classics.
Here, he folds those same basic ingredients replacing the fromage blanc with cheddar into a light custard and bakes it in a buttery pastry crust. Chef Ludo Lefebvre's bouillabaisse starts with a quick-cooking, but deeply flavored, seafood broth. Layering a base of aromatics with fresh snapper, scallops, shrimp, and a mix of Pernod and dry white wine creates a long-simmered flavor in under an hour.
And you should know how to make a great custard plus, it's always fun to use a blowtorch in the kitchen ," says chef Andrew Zimmern. The traditional braised chicken stew usually marinates overnight, but this lighter, quicker version is equally delicious. This lightened-up classic is fast to pull together β especially if you buy pre-sliced mushrooms. It has a rich, slow-cooked flavor. A splash of cream makes it extra decadent but still light.
Although there are innumerable versions of cassoulet, most are based on a stew of white beans and various forms of pork. This version by acclaimed cookbook author Paula Wolfert includes duck confit and the French garlic sausages that are a specialty of Toulouse. In this vegetarian version of classic French onion soup, blue cheese and oloroso sherry bring new layers of flavor and depth.
Notes of toasted nuts and fruit compote in the sherry pair well with caramelized onions, and its briny acidity cuts through the richness of the cheese.
