Spring has finally arrived, bringing fresh blooms, warmer days, and the joy of reconnecting with close friends. In celebration of this delightful season, turn to Sarah Spencer’s cookbook, A Taste of France, to create an authentic French menu for a special weekend gathering.

Provencal Vegetable and Basil Soup (Soupe au Pistou)

Serves 6 | Prep. time 20 minutes | Cooking time 75 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 ½ quarts water
• 1 medium-sized butternut or acorn squash, seeded, peeled, and cubed
• 1 pound fresh white beans or half cranberry and half white beans, shelled
• 1 large bouquet garni
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pound potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and thickly slices crosswise
• 2 white onions, diced
• 2 leeks, including the pale green parts, thinly sliced
• 3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
• ½ pound carrots, peeled, split lengthwise and thickly sliced
• 5 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into ½ inch
• 2 small zucchinis, diced
• 1 large handful of short pasta

For the pistou

• Salt and pepper
• 4 large cloves garlic
• 1 large handful of fresh basil leaves
• 2 ounces fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
• ¾ cup olive oil

Preparation

1. Add the water to a large saucepan and add the squash, beans, and bouquet garni. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and let simmer for 25-30 minutes. Add the potatoes, onions, leeks, tomatoes, and carrots, return to a boil, cover and cook for another 30 more minutes. Add the green beans, zucchinis, and pasta and cook for about 15 minutes longer, or until the pasta are tender.
2. While the soup is cooking, prepare the pistou. Add the salt and pepper, garlic, basil, and the Parmesan in a food processor or a blender and pulse until you have a thick paste. Add the olive oil in a stream while the food processor (or blender) is working. You should get a more liquid paste. Add more cheese, or more oil to adjust the consistency. Place the pistou in a serving bowl and set aside.
3. You can also do the pistou using a mortar and pestle like it’s done in Provence kitchens. Add the salt and pepper, garlic, and basil to the mortar and work the pestle until you get a paste. Add half of the Parmesan and alternate with some of the olive oil until you reach the desired consistency. Serve the pistou directly from the mortar on the table with the soup.
4. Remove the bouquet garni from the soup pot before serving. Serve with the pistou so that everyone adds it to their bowls as they wish.

 

 

Chicken Cordon Bleu (Poulet Cordon Bleu)

Serves 4 | Prep. time 15 minutes | Cooking time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter (melted)
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 large, thin slices ham
• 1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground sage
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 eggs

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and coat a baking pan with cooking spray.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with the melted butter, thyme, and garlic. Set aside.
3. Place the chicken pieces on a cutting board, and pound them to ¼-inch thickness.
4. Layer a slice of ham on the chicken, and cover with a quarter of the cheese. Starting at the small end, roll the chicken up tightly, and secure with toothpicks. Repeat with the other three chicken breasts.
5. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, cayenne pepper, sage, salt, and pepper.
6. Crack the eggs into a clean bowl and beat well.
7. One at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and shake off any excess. Dip them into the egg, and then the breadcrumb mixture. Arrange them on the baking pan.
8. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

 

 

French Steak Tartare (Steak Tartare)

Serves 4 | Prep. time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds beef tenderloin or sirloin steaks
• 1 large egg yolk
• ½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons capers
• 2 tablespoons finely diced pickled gherkins
• 1 tablespoon finely diced onions or French shallots
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• A few drops of hot sauce such as Tabasco, to taste
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Trim the beef from any fat and place the beef in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes. With a sharp knife, cube the beef finely until it has the texture of coarse ground beef. You can also use a food processor and pulse the meat until you reach the desired consistency or ideally a meat grinder. Do not over process.
2. Place the prepared beef into a mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Mix well, taking care of not over mixing and changing the consistency of the beef. It should not become overly mushy.
3. For serving, divide into 4 portions. Refrigerate until serving.
4. Serve within 2 hours of making the tartare as it does not keep well even when chilled. Serve as an appetizer or a main course with French fries.

 

 

Beef Bourguignon (Boeuf Bourguignon)

Serves 6-8 | Prep. time 10 minutes | Cooking time 1 ½ hours

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef roast, cubed
• ½ pound pancetta, cubed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups pearl onions
• 3 cups carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 4 cups dry red wine
• 2 cups homemade beef stock
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F
2. Place the pancetta in a Dutch oven or large oven proof skillet and heat over medium. Cook until the pancetta is nicely browned, approximately 5 minutes.
3. Season the beef with salt, black pepper, onion powder, and paprika and sprinkle lightly with the flour.
4. Add the beef to the skillet and cook until browned on all sides, approximately 5 minutes.
5. Remove the beef and pancetta from the skillet and add the olive oil to the pan.
6. Add the onions and carrots. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic. Cook, while stirring, for 2 minutes.
7. Add the beef and pancetta back into the pan, along with the red wine and beef stock. Stir in the tomato paste.
8. Using kitchen twine, tie together the rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf and place them in the pot.
9. Bring the liquid to a boil before removing from the burner, covering, and placing in the oven.
10. Bake for 1 hour, or until the meat is cooked through and tender.
11. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

 

 

Potato au Gratin (Gratin Dauphinois)

Serves 6 | Prep. time 20 minutes | Cooking time 60-90 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ tablespoon butter
• 4 ½ pounds Yukon gold (or similar) potatoes, peeled
• 1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup Gruyère cheese, shredded, divided
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat a square baking dish 9 x 9-inch with butter. You can also use an 8×11-inch rectangular dish or any shape of similar size.
2. Slice the potatoes thinly with a mandolin or food processor, about ⅛ of an inch thick.
3. Add the milk and cream to a saucepan over medium-high heat, along with the garlic and onion. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove onion and garlic with a slotted spoon.
4. Layer half the potatoes into the casserole dish and arrange half of the Gruyère cheese on top. Pour half of the milk mixture. Season with salt and pepper and cover with the remaining potatoes. Top with remaining cheese and pour remaining milk mixture. Season with salt and black pepper.
5. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden-brown and bubbly on the sides. Let rest 10-15 minutes before serving.

 

 

Chocolate Eclaires (Éclair au Chocolat)

Serves 8 | Prep. time 35 min | Chilling time 12 h. | Cooking time 20 min

Ingredients

Chocolate pastry cream

• 2 cups milk
• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate of good quality
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ½ cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Choux pastry

• 1 cup water
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs

Glaze

• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate of good quality
• ½ cup heavy cream

Preparation

1. The night before, make the chocolate pastry cream. In a medium saucepan, add the milk and the chocolate. Heat the milk until it begins to steam but not boil. Whisk to combine the milk and chocolate well.
2. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks. Add the sugar and cornstarch and mix until smooth.
3. When the milk is still warm, slowly pour half of it into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs yolks from cooking. When it is incorporated, pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan, still mixing constantly. Heat it to 170°F, and then remove it from the heat.
4. Stir in the vanilla and put the cream in an airtight container. Refrigerate overnight.
5. Prepare the choux pastries. In a medium saucepan, heat the water and add the butter and salt. Stir until they are combined.
6. Add the flour, and mix until a dough forms. It will be sticky. Mix in the eggs one at a time.
7. Preheat the oven to 425°F and cover a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. You can also use cooking spray.
8. Transfer the dough to a pastry bag with a large, plain tip. Pipe 8 pastries onto the baking sheet, each about 5 inches long.
9. Bake for 20 minutes, or until they are puffy and golden. Set them aside to cool for 30 minutes.
10. Meanwhile, prepare the topping. Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it is steamy. Stir in the chocolate and mix until smooth. Let the topping cool for about 15 minutes.
11. To assemble the pastries, transfer the chocolate cream filling to a clean pastry bag with a medium tip. Press the tip into the end of each pastry, and squeeze in 2–3 tablespoons of cream.
12. Carefully dip the top of the pastry into the chocolate and set it aside until the chocolate is set.

 

 

 

***These recipes and more are found in Sarah Spencer’s A Taste of France: Traditional French Cooking Made Easy with Authentic French Recipes. To get your own copy, click on the cover below or click here.

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