French recipes - 10 most popular

By: Cuisine-France

Despite new trends, hype and marketing, tradition has never been stronger. In France, good food still means authentic cooking by using natural products from diverse regions. This is how we celebrate human being by offering the best food to all our senses. Cooking home-made food and eating at the table make your appetite grow stronger. The challenge is to combine ingredients together to get the best taste out of them. However anyone from anywhere can explore the world of french cooking. To start with, let's find out what french people enjoy to eat.

Here are the top 10 most popular recipes in France:

Roast Chicken
Indeed roast chicken is not a notorious french recipe but cooked everywhere around the world from Asia and Africa to America. However it is the most popular french dish. Roast chicken is not stuffed inside. The secret is to baste the poultry several times during roasting with butter and cooking oil and to add an onion in the roasting pan. Roast chicken is traditionally served with potatoes and green beans.

Boeuf bourguignon
The most famous beef stew in France. Boeuf bourguignon is a traditional recipe from Burgundy. A recipe that french people use to cook at least once every winter. The beef meat is cooked in a red wine sauce, obviously a red wine from Burgundy. Bacon, onions, mushrooms and carrots add flavor to the recipe. But thyme, garlic and beef stock are essential to cook a good boeuf bourguignon.

Mussels mariniere
A typical summer recipe very popular along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coast. Mussels are fresh and cooked in a white wine sauce with parsley, thyme, bay leaf and onion. It takes only 5 minutes to cook a tasteful mussels mariniere. The secret is to season carefully the meal and to discard any mussels that don't look good enough.

Sole meuniere
Although sole is an expensive fish, the taste is so elegant that it is considered as the noblest fish. Sole meuniere is a recipe from Normandy. The fish is cooked in a butter sauce with a little bit of flour and lemon juice. Sole is traditionally served with rice or green vegetables.

Pot au feu
A typical family meal coming once again from Normandy. Pot au feu is a boiled beef with pork, chicken and vegetables. It takes about 4 hours an a half to cook as the beef has to simmer slowly to extract all its flavor. Pot au feu is also called Potee Normande in France.

Sauerkraut
Quite similar to the german sauerkraut, the french sauerkraut called choucroute comes from Alsace. However the french recipe can be traced back to 6 centuries ago ! Sauerkraut is a fermented cabbage. Commonly sauerkraut includes sausages, pork knuckle and bacon. Two essential ingredients are alsatian white wine and juniper berries.

Veal stew
Called blanquette de veau in France, this is another stew recipe from Normandy. The veal meat simmers in white sauce – as blanquette from blanc stands for white in french - with mushrooms and onions. The white sauce is made of egg yolks, whipping cream and lemon juice. Veal stew is usually served with rice.

Lamb navarin
Another stew but this one is made of lamb meat. It is also called spring lamb as it comes with green vegetables available in spring. Navarin comes from navet which stands for turnips in french. Other ingredients are tomatoes, lamb stock and carrots. This stew takes less time to simmer than any other.

Cassoulet
A strange recipe that english people often confuse with their traditional breakfast! A traditional meal from south west of France. Each village has its own recipe but it always includes beans and meats. Cassoulet is a rich combination of white beans and depending on the village lamb, pork, mutton or sausage meat. Cassoulet is the cornerstone of the french paradox study describing why people from south west of France suffer less than others from infarcts.

Bouillabaisse
Bouillabaisse is closely linked with the city of Marseille on the Mediterranean coast. The recipe is a fish soup from local fish and seafood products including crabs, scorpion fish, monk fish and others. Provencal herbs and olive oil are essential. For a long time, the recipe was a secret jealously kept by the people from Marseille.

More About Cuisine-France: All these recipes are available at Cuisine-France, french recipes: www.cuisine-france.com, french cooking and recipe guide.

Black Forest Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients:
***Cherry Topping***
1 pound Frozen Unsweetened Cherries -- thawed
1/4 cup Kirsch (Cherry Liqueur)
1/4 cup Sour Cherry Syrup
***Chocolate Crust***
8 1/2 ounces Chocolate Wafer Cookies
6 tablespoons Butter, Well Chilled, Cut In 1/2" Pieces
***Chocolate Filling***
1 1/2 cup Whipping Cream
12 ounces Semisweet Chocolate -- coarsely chopped
16 ounces Cream Cheese -- at room temperature
3/4 cup Sugar
4 Eggs -- at room temperature
1 teaspoon Vanilla
***Topping***
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream -- well chilled
2 tablespoons Sugar
1 tablespoon Kirsch
Chocolate Curls -- for garnish

Directions:

For topping: Soak undrained cherries and kirsch in small bowl 6 hours.

Thoroughly drain cherries in strainer set over medium bowl, shaking occasionally, at least two hours. Reserve liquid. Add enough cherry syrup to cherry liquid to measure 1 cup. Pour 6 tablespoons into heavy 8-inch skillet (reserve remaining liquid for filling). Halve cherries and add to skillet. Boil until syrup is thickened and mixture resembles preserves, about 6 minutes. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Chill.)

Note: Can substitute 21 ounces cherry pie filling.

For crust: Generously butter 9-inch springform pan. Finely crush cookies in processor, using on/off turns. Cut in butter until mixture begins to gather together, using on/off turns. Press crumbs into bottom of pan and up sides to 3/4 inch from top; there should be no cracks. Refrigerate crust for at least 30 minutes.

For filling: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Heat 1 1/2 cups cream with chocolate in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until chocolate melts, stirring constantly. Cool 10 minutes. Beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs 1 at a time until just combined. Beat in chocolate mixture, then remaining 10 tablespoons cherry liquid and vanilla. Pour into crust. Bake until outer 2 inches of cake are firm but center still moves slightly, about 1 1/4 hours (top may crack). Cool completely on rack. Top pan with paper towels and cover tightly with foil. Refrigerate 1 to 2 days.

Remove foil, paper towels and pan sides from cake. Spread cherry topping over cake. Beat remaining 1 cup cream with 2 tablespoons sugar and kirsch to peaks. Spoon into center of cake. Top with chocolate curls if desired.

(Can be prepared 2 hours ahead and refrigerated.) Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

This recipe for Black Forest Cheesecake serves/makes 8

Cheesecake Recipe - all with Chocolate

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
4 packages (8-ounce size) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour
5 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Mix chocolate crumbs, cinnamon, and butter together and press into a 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Remove and cool.

Mix together cream cheese and sugar until well blended. Beat in flour. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in sour cream. Blend in the melted chocolate and vanilla. Pour over prepared crust. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes that then lower oven to 300F. Bake for an additional 45 minutes and then turn oven off and allow the cake to cool down with the oven for an hour. Remove from oven and cool completely. Refrigerate.

This recipe for All Chocolate Cheesecake serves/makes 12

The Golden Potatoes Recipe

Ingredients:
4 medium potatoes
1 large rutabaga
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 dash nutmeg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
rosemary springs

Directions:

Peel and thinly slice the potatoes and rutabaga. In a heavy saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and cook for one minute. Gradually add whipping cream and stir constantly until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Layer potatoes, rutabaga and sauce in a greased casserole dish. Cover with foil. Bake at 400F for 1 hour. Uncover, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and continue baking 15 minutes more. Garnish with rosemary.

This recipe for Golden Potatoes serves/makes 6