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Potage Saint-GermainFresh pea soup

Potage Saint-Germain is a Parisian classic named after the Saint-Germain district, a bright green spring soup served at the start of family dinners in May and June when fresh peas arrive, though frozen peas make an excellent version all year. Peas are simmered briefly with lettuce, spring onions and mint, then blended smooth so the soup tastes fresh and sweet. The common mistake is cooking the peas too long, which turns the soup khaki and dull. Chef's tip: cool the blended soup quickly in a bowl set over iced water if you are not serving it at once; it keeps its vivid colour.

30 min

French Soups

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Pâte feuilletéePuff pastry

Pâte feuilletée is the queen of French pastries, the flaky dough behind galettes des rois, mille-feuilles, vol-au-vents and palmiers, still made by hand in pâtisseries all over France. A simple dough is wrapped around a flat block of cold butter, then rolled and folded six times, so that in the oven the water in the butter turns to steam and lifts hundreds of layers. It takes time rather than skill. The common mistake is letting the butter get warm and soft, which smears the layers together. Chef's tip: chill the dough for 30 minutes after every two turns, and work in a cool kitchen.

300 min

French Basics

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Crème de marronsSweet chestnut spread

Crème de marrons, sweet chestnut cream, was invented in Privas in the Ardèche in the 1880s to use up broken chestnuts from making marrons glacés, and it is now a French store-cupboard classic: spread on crêpes at Candlemas, stirred into fromage blanc, or piled into a Mont Blanc dessert. This home version uses cooked, peeled chestnuts. The common mistake is not blending it smooth enough. Chef's tip: blend while still warm, and push it through a sieve for a silky finish.

40 min

French Basics

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Confiture de tomates vertesGreen tomato jam

Green tomato jam is the thrifty end-of-summer preserve of French kitchen gardens, made in October in the south-west and Provence with the tomatoes that will never ripen before the frost; it tastes surprisingly like a mix of melon and lemon and is served with breakfast or with cheese. The common mistake is cutting the tomatoes too big, so they stay hard. Chef's tip: slice them thinly and leave them overnight in the sugar; they turn translucent when cooked.

80 min

French Basics

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Confiture de figuesFig jam

Fig jam is made in late summer in Provence and the south-west, when the trees are heavy with violet figs, and it is served with breakfast and, very often, with cheese, especially goat's cheese and ewe's cheese from the Pyrenees. The figs are cooked with lemon and vanilla until thick and glossy. The common mistake is undercooking it, so it stays runny. Chef's tip: figs are low in pectin, so add a grated apple or use jam sugar.

60 min

French Basics

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Velouté de potironCreamy pumpkin soup

Velouté de potiron is the soup French families make all autumn, from the October markets piled with orange pumpkins right through to Christmas, often served as a starter for Sunday lunch or a simple supper with bread and cheese. The pumpkin is simmered with onion and potato in vegetable stock, then blended until velvety and finished with a spoonful of crème fraîche. The common mistake is too much stock, which makes it thin and bland; you can always add more after blending. Chef's tip: a small potato gives body without masking the sweet pumpkin flavour.

45 min

French Soups

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Sauce viergeRaw tomato and olive oil sauce

Sauce vierge is the fresh summer sauce of Provence, made popular by chefs on the Côte d'Azur in the 1980s and now spooned over grilled fish, vegetables and pasta in homes from July to September. Diced ripe tomato, shallot and basil are gently warmed in good olive oil with lemon and coriander seed, just enough to release the flavours without cooking them. The common mistake is heating it too much, which turns it into a cooked tomato sauce. Chef's tip: use the ripest tomatoes you can find and leave the sauce to infuse for 20 minutes before serving.

12 min

French Basics

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Crème Du BarryCream of cauliflower soup

Crème Du Barry is a Parisian cauliflower soup named after Madame du Barry, the last favourite of King Louis XV, and any dish "Du Barry" in French cookery contains cauliflower. It is a soft, pale, comforting winter soup served as a starter at family dinners and in classic restaurants, made from cauliflower simmered with potato and leek and blended with cream. The common mistake is overcooking the cauliflower until it smells cabbagey; it needs only 20 minutes. Chef's tip: keep a few tiny florets back, roast them until golden and use them as a garnish.

40 min

French Soups

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Velouté de topinamboursJerusalem artichoke soup

Velouté de topinambours is a winter soup French cooks rediscovered in the last twenty years; the knobbly Jerusalem artichoke was wartime food for older generations and is now a favourite at markets and bistros from November to March. Simmered with leek and potato and blended smooth, it has a sweet, nutty flavour close to artichoke and hazelnut. The common mistake is leaving the peeled roots in the air, where they turn grey; drop them straight into lemon water. Chef's tip: finish each bowl with a few drops of hazelnut or walnut oil to bring out the nutty taste.

45 min

French Soups

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Soupe à l'oseilleSorrel and potato soup

Soupe à l'oseille is an old country soup made in French homes in spring and early summer, when sorrel grows back in the vegetable garden, and served at supper with bread. The lemony leaves melt in butter into a khaki purée, then simmer with potatoes and are finished with an egg yolk and cream, which softens the sharpness into a silky, tangy soup. The common mistake is letting the soup boil after adding the yolk, which scrambles it. Chef's tip: cut the sorrel into ribbons and melt it in butter first; it collapses in a minute and releases all its flavour.

35 min

French Soups

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Aigo boulidoGarlic and sage broth

Aigo boulido, "boiled water" in Provençal, is the old cure-all of Provence, a simple broth of garlic and sage served after the indulgent Christmas Eve gros souper and whenever someone feels run-down; the saying goes that it saves your life. The garlic simmers until mellow and sweet, then the broth is poured over slices of bread drizzled with olive oil and often thickened with an egg yolk. The common mistake is boiling the sage for too long, which makes the broth bitter. Chef's tip: add the sage only for the last 5 minutes and lift it out before serving.

30 min

French Soups

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Sauce béarnaiseTarragon butter sauce

Sauce béarnaise was created in the 1830s at a restaurant in Saint-Germain-en-Laye near Paris and named after the Béarn region, home of King Henri IV, and it is still the sauce French families serve with steak and frites on special evenings. Egg yolks are whisked over gentle heat with a sharp reduction of vinegar, shallot and tarragon, then thickened with warm butter into a glossy, tangy sauce. The yolks are only lightly cooked, so use pasteurised egg yolks if serving anyone pregnant, very young, elderly or with a weakened immune system. The common mistake is too much heat, which scrambles the yolks. Chef's tip: if the sauce starts to look grainy, whisk in a teaspoon of cold water off the heat at once.

30 min

French Basics

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Pâte sucréeSweet tart pastry

Pâte sucrée is the sweet pastry of French pâtisseries, the crisp, biscuit-like case under every lemon tart, strawberry tart and chocolate tart in the bakery windows from Paris to Marseille. Butter is creamed with icing sugar and egg, then flour and ground almonds are mixed in just until the dough comes together, giving a short, tender crust that holds its shape. The common mistake is working the dough too much, which makes it tough and shrink in the oven. Chef's tip: roll the pastry between two sheets of baking paper straight from mixing, then chill it flat; it is much easier to handle and never cracks.

110 min

French Basics

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Pâte à chouxChoux pastry

Pâte à choux is the cooked dough at the heart of French pâtisserie, piped into éclairs, profiteroles, religieuses and chouquettes in Paris bakeries, and turned savoury with cheese into gougères in Burgundy. Water, milk and butter are boiled, flour is beaten in, the paste is dried on the heat and eggs are beaten in until glossy; in the oven the water turns to steam and puffs each bun hollow. The common mistake is opening the oven early, which makes the puffs collapse. Chef's tip: add the last egg a little at a time; the paste is ready when it falls from the spoon in a thick V-shaped ribbon.

45 min

French Basics

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Velouté de champignonsCreamy mushroom soup

Velouté de champignons is the cosy autumn soup of French homes and village restaurants, made when the woods are full of mushrooms in October and November, although ordinary button mushrooms make a very good version all year. The mushrooms are browned well with shallots and thyme, simmered in stock and blended with cream into a smooth, earthy soup. The common mistake is stewing the mushrooms instead of browning them, which gives a grey, flat-tasting soup. Chef's tip: keep back a few sliced mushrooms, fry them crisp in butter and scatter them on top.

35 min

French Soups

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Velouté de châtaignesChestnut soup

Velouté de châtaignes is the autumn and Christmas soup of the Ardèche, the hilly region where chestnut trees cover the slopes and chestnuts were once the main winter food. Cooked chestnuts simmer with onion, celery and a little potato until soft, then are blended into a thick, nutty, faintly sweet soup finished with cream. It makes a festive starter for a December dinner. The common mistake is making it too thick; chestnuts absorb a lot of liquid, so thin it with stock until it pours. Chef's tip: use vacuum-packed cooked chestnuts; they save an hour of peeling and taste excellent.

45 min

French Soups

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Crème pâtissièrePastry cream

Crème pâtissière is the vanilla pastry cream of every French bakery, piped into éclairs and choux, spread under strawberries in fruit tarts and swirled through pains aux raisins. Milk infused with vanilla is whisked into egg yolks, sugar and cornflour, then boiled until thick and glossy and chilled. The common mistake is stopping before it boils, so it stays floury and runny; it must bubble for a full minute. Chef's tip: press cling film right on the surface as it cools to stop a skin forming.

20 min

French Basics

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Crème chantillySweetened whipped cream

Crème chantilly is named after the Château de Chantilly north of Paris, where the 17th-century steward Vatel is said to have served it, and today it crowns waffles, crêpes, fruit tarts and hot chocolate in cafés across France. Cold cream is whipped with a little icing sugar and vanilla to soft, billowy peaks, light rather than stiff. The common mistake is over-whipping, which turns the cream grainy and then into butter. Chef's tip: chill the bowl and whisk for 15 minutes first, and stop as soon as the cream holds soft peaks that just flop over.

10 min

French Basics

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Potage CrécyCarrot soup

Potage Crécy is named after Crécy-la-Chapelle, east of Paris, once famous for its sweet carrots, and any French dish "à la Crécy" contains carrots. It is a gentle family soup served at supper all year round, loved by children for its colour and sweetness. The carrots are sweated in butter, then simmered with a spoonful of rice, which gives the soup a velvety body once blended. The common mistake is browning the carrots, which makes the soup taste bitter rather than sweet. Chef's tip: a pinch of sugar and a few croutons fried in butter turn it into a proper Parisian potage.

45 min

French Soups

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Sauce veloutéLight stock white sauce

Velouté is one of the five mother sauces of classic French cooking, taught in every cookery school from Paris to Lyon and used as the base for dozens of sauces for vegetables, eggs, chicken and fish. A blond roux of butter and flour is cooked without browning, then whisked into hot light stock and simmered until silky. This version uses vegetable stock so it is vegetarian; for the classic, use chicken, veal or fish stock to match the dish. The common mistake is not simmering long enough, which leaves the sauce tasting of raw flour. Chef's tip: add the hot stock to a warm roux gradually, whisking hard, and you will never get lumps.

25 min

French Basics

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Sauce gribicheEgg and caper sauce

Sauce gribiche is a cold sauce from classic French home cooking, made with hard-boiled egg yolks instead of raw ones, so it is safe for everyone. The mashed yolks are whisked with mustard and oil like a mayonnaise, then mixed with chopped egg white, capers, gherkins and herbs. It is served with poached leeks, asparagus, cold potatoes and fish, and traditionally with cold meats in Paris bistros. The common mistake is overcooking the eggs, which gives grey, chalky yolks. Chef's tip: mash the yolks while still slightly warm; they blend into a smooth base much more easily.

20 min

French Basics

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Sauce ravigoteHerb and caper vinaigrette

Ravigote, from the French for "to revive", is a sharp, herby vinaigrette from the old Paris bistro kitchen, spooned over warm potatoes, poached leeks, beans and boiled meats to wake them up. Shallots, capers, gherkins and a whole handful of chopped herbs are stirred into a mustard vinaigrette until it is more herb than oil. The common mistake is chopping the herbs too early, so they bruise and darken. Chef's tip: let the chopped shallot sit in the vinegar for 10 minutes first; it softens its raw bite.

10 min

French Basics

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Beurre maître d'hôtelParsley and lemon butter

Beurre maître d'hôtel is the simplest of the French flavoured butters, a roll of soft butter beaten with parsley and lemon that every bistro keeps in the fridge to slice on to steak frites, grilled fish and baked potatoes, where it melts into a fresh, green sauce. It takes ten minutes and freezes beautifully. The common mistake is using butter straight from the fridge, which will not take the lemon juice and turns lumpy. Chef's tip: roll it into a log in baking paper, chill and slice coins as you need them; it keeps a month in the freezer.

10 min

French Basics

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Potage cressonnièreWatercress and potato soup

Potage cressonnière comes from the Île-de-France, where watercress has been grown in the clear spring-fed beds of the Essonne valley for centuries and sold in Paris markets. It is a light, peppery soup of watercress and potato, eaten at supper through autumn and spring, often with a little cream stirred in. The common mistake is boiling the watercress leaves, which drains their colour and bite; add them only at the end. Chef's tip: cook the stalks with the potatoes for flavour and keep the tender leaves for the last 2 minutes.

35 min

French Soups

by KrazyBadal 0 views

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