32 Classic French Recipes That Will Make You Feel Like a Trained Chef (2024)

12 Fabulous French Appetizer Recipes That Bring the Bistro Home

Olive Tapenade

This pungent Provençal spread of olives, anchovies, capers, and garlic is one of our go-to appetizers for easy entertaining. It pairs well with sliced baguette or crudités.

Chocolate Mousse

Almost every French restaurant has chocolate mousse on its menu; not all are as good as this one. Our recipe has just five ingredients—egg yolks, sugar, heavy cream, bittersweet chocolate, and vanilla. Buying quality ingredients is the key to this perfectly decadent dessert.

Steak Tartare

Bring the bistro to your house with this classic French appetizer. Be sure to use the best quality beef tenderloin you can find and freeze the meat for a short time so it firms up and is easier to cut into small, even pieces.

Coq au Vin

One of the most famed French dishes, coq au vin is a rich chicken stew made with red wine and a touch of Cognac. The result is a luxuriously rich, velvety sauce studded with bacon and mushrooms. Our streamlined version uses chicken legs and thighs rather than a whole chicken and takes about one hour to cook.

Crème Caramel

A silky baked custard with a caramel topping, crème caramel is also known as crème renversée. This is because the caramel is on the bottom when the dish is assembled and baked, and then the individual flans are inverted for serving, revealing the caramel.

Steak au Poivre

C'est formidable! The ultimate dinner for two, this bistro classic pairs strip steak with a crushed peppercorn crust and buttery, shallot-specked sauce.

French Macarons

A French classic, these almond meringue cookie sandwiches are gluten-free and endlessly variable. You can flavor the cookies and fillings (buttercream, jam, or chocolate ganache, perhaps?) and customize the colors.

French Onion Soup

A bistro favorite, French onion soup is made with a rich beef stock and topped with Gruyère toasts. We add a splash of fortified wine to the broth for extra richness.

Salade Niçoise

The Niçoise is one of our favorite salads. The combination of tuna, green beans, tomatoes, potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, and olives dressed in a bold vinaigrette is hard to beat. We love it so much we've riffed on the Niçoise salad in several delicious ways.

Simple Crepes

They're thinner, more delicate, and more versatile than pancakes but just as easy to make as your favorite flapjacks. Our basic crepe recipe uses the blender to streamline prep—and you don’t need a special crepe pan to cook them in; a nonstick skillet is fine. The hardest part is deciding whether to make crepes for dinner or dessert.

Croque Monsieur

A decadent take on the ham and cheese sandwich that only the French could come up with, the croque monsieur is truly next level. There’s thinly sliced French ham, Gruyère cheese, and a creamy Mornay sauce between slices of pain de campagne or other firm white bread. More cheese tops the sandwich before it’s toasted in the oven and finished under the broiler.

Fricassee de Poulet a L'Ancienne

A cross between a sauté and a stew, this chicken fricassee is a one-pot classic that features simmered chicken with hearty vegetables in a rich, silky sauce. It might be the original French comfort food. Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, or with buttered egg noodles.

Sole Meunière

A true classic, sole meunière is also a simple dish made with whole Dover sole lightly dusted in flour and cooked with butter and oil. The fish is served with beurre noisette, a brown butter with lemon, parsley, and capers.

Crème Brûlée

The contrast of the crisp brûléed sugar topping with the creamy custard underneath can't be beat. Crème brûlée is a sublime combination.

Ratatouille

This much-loved French vegetable stew stars zucchini, red bell peppers, and eggplant in a tomato sauce. It's exquisite alongside grilled tuna or chicken or simply served with some crusty bread and a glass of wine.

Le Grand Aioli

A grand spread sure to transport your guests to the South of France, this is an appetizer that can also be dinner. There's a platter of shrimp and vegetables with two delectable sauces for dipping: an avocado aioli and a sprightly mint-mustard vinaigrette.

Chocolate Soufflé

A dessert that’s sure to wow your guests, chocolate soufflé is light and airy. Pair it with crème anglaise or chocolate sauce for serving—and be sure to serve it straight from the oven.

Brie en Croute

A French classic that’s been a hit stateside since the 1970s, this pastry-encrusted baked brie is a crowd-pleasing way to start a meal. (And using frozen puff pastry makes it easy to put together.)

French 75

For over a hundred years, this gin, lemon, and Champagne spritz has been used for toasting all kinds of celebrations. The sparkling co*cktail is named after a fast-firing 75 millimeter field gun that was used by the French during World War One.

Beef Bourguignon

An iconic dish of beef and vegetables cooked in red wine, beef Bourguignon is the finest stew around.​​

Frisée Salad With Lardons and Poached Eggs

A staple of bistro menus all across France, this classic salad is made with curly frisée. Its slight bitter flavor is balanced by the richness of the bacon and the egg.

Potatoes Dauphinoise

Similar to scalloped potatoes, this dish of sliced potatoes cooked in cream is a luxurious side for just about entrée. Our version includes Gruyère cheese, but not all gratin dauphinoise recipes do.

Tarte Tatin

This French-style apple tart is a true classic. It's an upside-down dessert; the apples caramelize in a skillet on the stovetop before they're topped with pastry, and the pan is transferred to the oven to bake. There's a great reveal when the tarte is inverted for serving.

Bouillabaisse

A dish that tastes like summer and the sea, this famed seafood stew originated in the city of Marseilles. It's chock full of crustaceans, bivalves, and fish in a tomato-saffron broth.

Tarte Flambée

Also known as flammekueche, this creamy, cheesy bacon and onion tart originated in the northern French region of Alsace, which is renowned for its hearty dishes. Tarte flambée has a thin yeasted crust and is baked on a peel, making it more like a tomato-free pizza than a savory tart like a quiche.

Ile Flottante

A showstopping dessert that's as light as air, that’s île flottante. This "floating island" is an ethereal meringue that sits atop a bed of caramel. Crème anglaise or custard sauce is served on the side.

Mussels and Frites

Our take on the traditional bistro dish of moules frites pairs the shellfish with roasted wedges of fingerling potatoes instead of the usual fries, a much easier and equally delicious combination.

Cassoulet

A rich layered casserole made with duck confit, pork belly, pork shoulder, garlic sausage, and white beans, cassoulet is an unforgettable dish. It takes a while to put together, but you'll be pleased you took the time to make this classic dish from Southwestern France.

Lamb Navarin

This rich lamb stew calls for cooking the meat and vegetables in white wine. The result is a hearty yet elegant dish.

Cheese Soufflé

Martha's big cheese soufflé can be made with leeks or kale, adding the vegetables makes the dish more hearty. It’s wonderful for lunch or a dinner main course served with a salad.

Clafoutis

A French country classic that's so easy to make, clafoutis is like a puffed pancake or shallow custardy cake. We use sliced nectarines in this version, but you can easily substitute peaches or just about any seasonal fruit (think cherries, plums, pears, or berries).

Chicken With 40 Cloves of Garlic

Roasted chicken meets sweet, soft, nutty garlic in this French classic. It sounds overpowering, but the 40 cloves are just right—and using Martha's two-bowl technique makes peeling them a snap.