French cooking doesn't have to be complicated or reserved for a fancy occasion. Keep these recipes handy and you can enjoy fuss-free French fare at home any day of the week. Munch on chicken liver pâté or salmon rillettes with a glass of wine, cozy up with a warming plate of cassoulet or sausage and lentil salad, or indulge in luxurious chocolate mousse — we're confident you can make each of these French classics with ease.
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Lazy Chicken and Sausage Cassoulet
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Cookbook author Molly Stevens' quick and easy take on cassoulet includes boneless, skinless chicken thighs, smoked sausage, and plenty of white beans. "Everything gets gently folded together, spread in a shallow dish (either a gratin or a heavy skillet), topped with breadcrumbs, and baked until bubbling hot on the inside and crunchy-golden on top," she says.
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Croque Monsieur
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Croque monsieur (which translates to “mister crunchy bite”) is one of the most iconic French bistro dishes, often served at lunch or as a snack at the bar. Thin slices of ham are topped with grated Gruyère and a rich, creamy Mornay sauce. The sauce and gooey cheese make this a knife-and-fork sandwich.
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Chicken Liver Pâté
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Legendary chef Jacques Pépin's recipe for chicken liver pâté is silky-smooth, inexpensive, and simple to make — it's also perfect with a co*cktail or glass of wine before a meal.
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Steak au Poivre with Red Wine Pan Sauce
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Red wine pan sauce is an amalgamation of fond (those browned bits left in the pan after searing meat), shallots, broth, good-quality red wine, and a few pats of butter to bind it all together and thicken it to a syrupy consistency. It's an ideal accompaniment to peppercorn-crusted rib eye steak, a well-marbled cut that stays more tender than New York strip.
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Boursin Omelet
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This beautifully basic omelet is the sleeper hit of chef Michael Tusk's French-inflected bar à vin menu at Verjus in San Francisco. An homage to his love of dairy, spreadable garlic-herb cheese melts richly into the creamy center of the tender eggs. While it makes for a delicious and satisfying breakfast, this omelet is best with some crusty baguette, a crisp salad, and a glass of Chardonnay.
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Hache Parmentier
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Hache parmentier is a classic French comfort food. Similar to a British cottage pie, a layer of creamy, buttery mashed potatoes covers ground beef, carrots, celery, and onions and gets warm and lightly browned in the oven.
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Pan Bagnat (Niçoise Salad Sandwich)
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The pan bagnat is essentially a Niçoise salad in sandwich form. For this version, tuna is pureed with red wine vinegar, olive oil, anchovies, and garlic to form a unique sandwich spread inspired by tonnato sauce. Spreading a tangy tuna dressing on the cut sides of the ciabatta allows it to get absorbed into the bread, giving the sandwich plenty of flavor while making it easier to eat.
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Branzino with Mesclun and Tomato–Herbes de Provence Vinaigrette
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Branzino, known as loup de mer, or "wolf of the sea" in French, is mild and sweet. Its delicate flavor pairs nicely with a summery tomato and mixed herb vinaigrette. Scoring the fish skin before cooking prevents the fillets from curling in the pan.
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Vichyssoise
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This simple chilled potato soup is packed with buttery, sweet sautéed leeks and pureed for a silky-smooth texture. A swirl of half-and-half adds the perfect amount of richness to cut the starchy potatoes without weighing down the light and creamy vichyssoise.
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Salmon Niçoise Salad
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Fresh salmon, briny olives, crisp-tender green beans, and satisfying potatoes all soak up the zippy, perfectly balanced dressing in this variation on a classic tuna Niçoise. Don't skip the anchovy garnish — it provides pops of umami saltiness that take this salad over the top.
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French Onion Baked Brie
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If that first spoonful of French onion soup — with toasted bread, melted cheese, and savory caramelized onions — is your favorite, then you’ll love this appetizer, which is a decadent mash-up of French onion soup and baked Brie. Smear the cheesy snack on slices of toasted baguette.
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Basic Crêpes
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The most difficult part about making crepes might be waiting for the batter to rest. Once you've tried your hand at flipping them a few times, you'll get the hang of it and want to make these thin pancakes for anyone who comes over.
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Steak Frites with Black Garlic Butter
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Charolais is a breed of cattle from Burgundy prized for its tender, flavorful and marbled (not fatty) meat. Substitute a grass-fed or finished hanger steak to channel the juicy, nutty qualities of the French beef.
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Potatoes au Gratin
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For this creamy, cheese-laden recipe, thin-sliced red potatoes and onions are shingled from the outside in, creating an enticing decorative top. Bechamel made with heavy whipping cream, Gruyère, and cheddar creates the base for the rich, cheesy sauce. Broil the dish for a few minutes to yield a crisp golden brown exterior, then sprinkle with fresh chopped chives.
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Fromage Fort
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Chef Jacques Pépin's ultimate way of using leftover cheese only requires garlic, white wine, and seasoning — and takes 10 minutes.
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Goat Cheese Soufflé
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A classic French cheese soufflé is made of a simple bechamel gently folded into airy whipped egg whites. Chef Ludo Lefebvre’s version adds layers of flavor with tangy goat cheese, a touch of spicy cayenne, and warm earthiness from thyme and nutmeg. As always, serve these straight from the oven.
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Alain Ducasse's Gougères
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This recipe for gougères starts with a soft dough that gets piped out and baked into crisp, airy pockets of cheesy delight.
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Chicken Provençal
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The flavors are bold in chicken Provençal, a southern French braise with a sauce of tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, olives, and just enough anchovy paste to give the sauce depth.
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Extra-Creamy Chocolate Mousse
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What sets pastry genius Dominique Ansel's chocolate mousse apart from other versions of the dessert is that he folds in the chocolate just before serving.
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Speedy Ratatouille with Goat Cheese
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In traditional ratatouille, vegetables simmer together until they're falling-apart tender. Here, cookbook author Melissa Clark cooks them quickly in batches, so they retain their flavor and texture.
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Warm Sausage and Lentil Salad
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This earthy French classic with smoked sausages, greens lentils, and pungent mustard vinaigrette is custom-tailored for winter weekends in front of the fire. Toasted walnuts add great crunch.
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Steamed Mussels with Tomato-Garlic Broth
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This three-step recipe will have you whipping up steamed mussels in no time. The real star here is the flavorful tomato-garlic broth — make sure to have plenty of garlic bread on hand for dipping.
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Salmon Rillettes
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French cooking doesn’t have to be intimidating or fussy. For these rillettes, inspired by a similar dish at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon bistro, fresh salmon and butter are blended with hot-smoked salmon to give the spread extra-rich flavor. You can pour melted butter over the top — as Keller does — to seal in freshness.
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Chicken Bouillabaisse with Rouille
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Chef Jacques Pépin’s chicken stew with sausage is fast and easy to assemble, and it cooks in about 30 minutes. It's especially wonderful paired with Provençal rosé.
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Lemon-Caper Aïoli
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Capers, tarragon, and lemon juice add fantastic flavor to mayonnaise in this quick take on a classic French aïoli.
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