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Orangettes (candied orange peel in dark chocolate)

All over France, from Paris chocolatiers to village pâtisseries, orangettes arrive in the shop windows as the days shorten and are a fixture of the Christmas and New Year sweet table. Long strips of orange peel are candied until tender and translucent, then dipped in dark chocolate: chewy and bittersweet inside, with a clean snap of chocolate and a long citrus finish. Serve them with an espresso after dinner, tie them up in a box as a gift, or offer them with a cheese course. They are naturally egg-free: the sugar syrup preserves the peel and stops it going tough, and the tempered chocolate sets into a firm, glossy shell with no other help. For a vegan batch, use a dark chocolate made without milk. Chef's tip: dry the candied peel well before dipping; the common mistake is dipping wet peel, which makes the chocolate seize and turn dull.

180 min

French Desserts

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Pâte de coingsQuince paste

On Christmas Eve in Provence the gros souper ends with the treize desserts, thirteen small sweets set out together and left on the table until 27 December. Pâte de coings, a firm, glowing amber quince paste cut into squares and rolled in sugar, is nearly always among them, beside nougat, dried fruit and fougasse. It is simply quince pulp and sugar cooked down slowly until it pulls away from the pan, so it is vegan and gluten free, and it keeps for months. Serve it in small cubes, or with a sharp cheese. Chef's tip: cook the quinces whole with their skins and cores, which hold most of the natural pectin, and only sieve them afterwards.

150 min

French Desserts

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Morue en raïtoSalt cod in tomato sauce

In Provence the gros souper on Christmas Eve is a lean but festive meal eaten before midnight Mass, with seven meatless dishes for the seven sorrows of Mary, and salt cod en raïto is often the centrepiece. Pieces of soaked cod are fried, then simmered in raïto, a dark sauce of tomato, onion, garlic, black olives and capers that is traditionally cooked with red wine. Here the wine is optional: use vegetable stock with a spoon of red wine vinegar for an alcohol-free sauce. Serve with boiled potatoes or crusty bread. Chef's tip: soak the salt cod in the fridge for 36 hours, changing the water often, and taste a flake before cooking; it should be pleasantly seasoned, not salty.

90 min

French Fish

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Cotignac d'Orléans (clear quince jelly)

Orléans has made cotignac since the Middle Ages and offered it to visiting kings, and the town still sells it in small round wooden boxes, to be eaten by scraping the jelly out with the edge of the lid. It is a winter sweet, made when the autumn quinces come in and given at Christmas and New Year. The jelly is clear and ruby-red, firm enough to cut but tender on the tongue, with a scented, slightly tart quince flavour. Serve it after dinner with coffee, or with a mild cheese. Nothing but fruit and sugar sets it, so it is naturally egg-free: quinces are among the richest fruits in pectin, and boiling their juice with sugar to the setting point is all it takes. Small ramekins or silicone moulds lined with baking paper stand in for the wooden boxes. Chef's tip: let the cooked quince drip through the cloth without pressing; the common mistake is squeezing it, which clouds the jelly.

290 min

French Desserts

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Berlingots de Carpentras (striped Provençal hard candies)

Carpentras, the market town below Mont Ventoux, has made berlingots since the nineteenth century, using the fruit syrups left over from its candied-fruit trade. The little four-sided pyramids are clear and glassy with fine white stripes, and they are sold year round at the Friday market and in paper cones for the Christmas sweet table. They crunch cleanly and dissolve slowly, here with a cool mint flavour; a fruit syrup can take its place. Offer them after a meal with coffee or herbal tea. Hard candy is naturally egg-free: the sugar, cooked to the hard-crack stage, sets glass-hard by itself, and glucose syrup keeps it clear instead of grainy. You will need heatproof gloves, oiled scissors and a warm place to keep the sugar soft while you shape it. Chef's tip: make these on a dry day; the common mistake is cooking sugar in a steamy kitchen, which leaves the berlingots sticky within hours.

85 min

French Desserts

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BeraweckaDried fruit and nut Christmas loaf

In Alsace, berawecka (the name means 'pear loaf') is baked in early December and sliced thinly through Advent, often handed to neighbours and godchildren. It is mostly fruit: dried pears, figs, prunes, raisins and walnuts held together with just enough bread dough, spiced with cinnamon, star anise and clove. Alsatian families soak the fruit in kirsch; this version uses strong black tea, which keeps the loaf moist and alcohol-free, and you can add 3 tbsp kirsch to the soak for adults if you like. It is vegan, keeps for weeks wrapped in foil, and is lovely buttered with a cup of tea. Chef's tip: cut the pears and figs the same size as the raisins, so every slice holds a mosaic of fruit instead of big lumps that tear the loaf.

100 min

French Baking

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Pruneaux d'Agen fourrés (stuffed Agen prunes)

Agen, on the Garonne in south-west France, has dried its plums into prunes for centuries, and its confectioners stuff the best ones with a paste of more prunes and almonds. Boxes of pruneaux fourrés are a Christmas present across the south-west and a speciality of the town's prune festival at the end of August. Each one is glossy and plump, with a soft, sticky skin and a dense, mellow filling that tastes of fruit, almond and a little orange. Serve them with coffee or tea, or as part of a cheese plate. The filling is a kind of almond paste, held together by the sticky prune purée and sugar, so it is egg-free like the rest of the sweet; some versions add a little brandy, and orange juice takes its place here. Chef's tip: if the prunes are dry, steam them for 5 minutes first; the common mistake is forcing filling into stiff prunes, which split.

45 min

French Desserts

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Pâte de fruits (Auvergne apricot fruit jellies)

Clermont-Ferrand, the capital of the Auvergne, built a name for pâtes de fruits in the nineteenth century using apricots from the Limagne plain, and the jewel-bright squares remain a favourite in Christmas boxes and with coffee at the end of a meal. Good pâte de fruits tastes more of fruit than of sugar: dense, tender and clean-cutting, with a sparkle of sugar crust and a sharp edge of acid. Serve them on a plate of petits fours, or pack them as a gift. They are naturally egg-free: pectin, the fruit's own setting agent, does all the work once the purée is boiled with sugar to 106°C and the acid is added. Use yellow pectin for pâte de fruits if you can find it; it sets slowly enough to pour. Chef's tip: stir in the citric acid only off the heat, right before pouring; the common mistake is adding it early, so the jelly sets in the pan.

90 min

French Desserts

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Coussin de Lyon (green almond-paste cushions with chocolate ganache)

Lyon's sweet emblem recalls the city's plague vow of 1643, when the aldermen carried a candle and gold coins on a silk cushion to the chapel of Fourvière. Chocolatiers turned that cushion into a confection in the 1960s and it is now the gift Lyonnais bring at Christmas and New Year, or for a host on a Sunday visit. A soft, almond-sweet shell of pale green paste, marked with a darker green stripe, hides a melting dark chocolate ganache scented with orange. Serve two or three with coffee after dinner. The classic ganache is laced with orange liqueur; here fresh orange juice and zest give the flavour without alcohol. Shop marzipan is not always egg-free, so this almond paste is bound with sugar syrup cooked to the soft-ball stage, which coats the ground almonds and sets them firm as it cools. Chef's tip: chill the ganache until it holds a line before shaping; the common mistake is using it soft, so it squeezes out of the seams.

85 min

French Desserts

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Fontainebleau (fromage blanc and whipped cream mousse)

Fontainebleau takes its name from the town south of Paris, whose cheese shops sold it in little muslin-wrapped pots for the weekend. It is a fresh-cheese dessert for late spring and summer, best when the first strawberries and raspberries arrive. Fromage blanc and whipped cream are folded together and left to drain in muslin, so the mousse firms up into a light, cloud-soft mound that tastes of fresh milk with a gentle tang. Serve it chilled with berries or a spoonful of red-fruit coulis, and a little extra sugar on the side. Some recipes fold in whisked whites; this one leaves them out entirely, because firmly whipped cream alone holds the air, and draining away the whey gives the mousse its shape. Chef's tip: drain the fromage blanc before you start; the common mistake is folding in a wet, runny cheese, which collapses the cream and leaves a puddle in the dish.

255 min

French Desserts

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Artichauts à la barigouleBraised artichokes

In Provence, artichauts à la barigoule is cooked in spring when the small violet artichokes come into the markets of Aix, Avignon and Marseille, and it is served warm as a starter or as a light main with bread. The trimmed artichokes are braised in olive oil with carrot, onion, garlic and herbs until tender in a fragrant, slightly tart liquor. The traditional braise uses white wine; this version is alcohol-free, using vegetable stock sharpened with white wine vinegar and lemon. It is vegan, with about 5 g of protein per portion, from the artichokes. The common mistake is trimming too timidly: any dark green leaf left on stays tough and stringy, so keep going until only the pale, tender leaves remain. Chef's tip: rub each artichoke with lemon as you trim and drop it straight into lemon water, or it will go brown within minutes.

60 min

French Vegetarian

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TtoroBasque fish soup

Ttoro was the meal Basque fishermen in Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Ciboure made from the part of the catch they couldn't sell, and the town still holds a ttoro festival every autumn. A deep red broth of peppers, tomato and Espelette pepper is poured over pieces of hake and monkfish, mussels and prawns, with garlic toast on the side for dunking (use gluten-free bread if needed). A portion gives about 32 g of protein, from the fish and shellfish, for around 360 kcal. The common mistake is boiling the fish in the broth: it breaks into flakes, so the pieces are seared first and then only poached gently on top for a few minutes. Discard any mussel that stays open when tapped before cooking or stays shut after. Chef's tip: dust the fish in rice flour before searing; the light crust protects the fish in the broth and thickens it slightly.

70 min

French Fish

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Potage cultivateurFarmer's vegetable soup

Potage cultivateur is the farmhouse soup of France, made in kitchens from Normandy to the Auvergne on cold evenings and eaten as a light supper with bread. The vegetables are cut into small, thin squares (the 'paysanne' cut), sweated slowly in butter, then simmered in water, so the broth stays clear and every spoonful has carrot, turnip, leek and potato. The old versions add bacon; this one is vegetarian. It is light, with about 4 g of protein per bowl; add a handful of white beans or serve with cheese on toast for more (choose a vegetarian cheese if you avoid animal rennet). The most common mistake is browning the vegetables: they should sweat gently until soft and shiny, never coloured. Chef's tip: cut every vegetable the same size, about 1 cm square and 3 mm thick, so they all cook in the same time.

50 min

French Soups

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BohémienneAubergine and tomato stew

Bohémienne is the older, simpler cousin of ratatouille, cooked in Avignon and the Vaucluse villages at the end of summer when aubergines and tomatoes are cheap and ripe. Just those two vegetables, with onion, garlic and plenty of olive oil, are stewed slowly until they melt into a soft, jammy confit that is eaten warm with bread, cold on toast, or beside an omelette. It is vegan and light, with about 3 g of protein per portion. The common mistake is hurrying it over a high heat: the aubergine catches before it softens, so keep the heat low and stir gently. Chef's tip: salt the aubergine cubes for 20 minutes and pat them dry; they then take up less oil and keep a silky texture.

90 min

French Vegetarian

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Salade de pissenlitsDandelion salad with warm vinaigrette

In Lorraine and around Lyon, the first tender dandelion leaves of March and April are gathered from meadows (or bought in bunches at the market) for a salad that marks the end of winter. The leaves are pleasantly bitter, and a hot vinaigrette poured over them wilts them slightly, with soft eggs to make it a light supper. The traditional version has crisp lardons; this vegetarian version uses toasted walnuts and a little of their oil for the same richness. A plate gives about 15 g of protein from the eggs and walnuts, so it is not a high-protein dish. The yolks stay runny, so use pasteurised eggs for anyone pregnant, very young, older or vulnerable, or boil the eggs for 10 minutes instead. The mistake to avoid is using big, old leaves from flowering plants; they are tough and harshly bitter. Chef's tip: soak the leaves in cold water for 30 minutes before drying them; it crisps them and tames some of the bitterness.

25 min

French Salads

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Salade d'endives aux noixChicory, walnut and apple salad

Across Picardy and the Nord, and over the border in Belgium, Belgian endive (chicory) is the winter salad, and this one appears after the main course at Sunday lunch or as a light supper from November to March. The pale, crisp leaves are cut into rings and tossed with sweet apple, toasted walnuts and a sharp mustard vinaigrette, so you get bitter, sweet and nutty in every mouthful. Many bistros add Roquefort; this version is vegan, and if you add cheese, note that Roquefort is made with animal rennet. A portion gives about 4 g of protein from the walnuts, so it is a side or starter. The most common mistake is slicing the endive too early: it browns at the cut edges, so dress it within 10 minutes of cutting. Chef's tip: cut out the small cone of core at the base of each endive; it holds most of the bitterness.

18 min

French Salads

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Tarte au fromage blancBaked cheesecake tart

Alsatians call it Käsküeche, and it is the cake their pâtisseries in Strasbourg and Colmar sell by the tall wedge on Sunday mornings, to take home for dessert after lunch. Fromage blanc, eggs and a little crème fraîche are baked in a high-sided pastry case until the filling puffs well above the rim like a soufflé, then settles into a light, creamy, gently lemony cheesecake. It is much less sweet than an American cheesecake and is eaten plain, maybe with a coffee or a glass of cold milk. Taking it out of a hot oven straight into a cold kitchen is what makes it crack and sink badly. Chef's tip: switch the oven off at the end, prop the door open with a wooden spoon and let the tart cool inside for an hour.

90 min

French Baking

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Broyé du PoitouGiant butter biscuit

From the Poitou-Charentes region of western France, broyé is one huge, thick butter biscuit baked in a round and carried whole to the table. Tradition says you break it in the middle with a firm blow of the fist, and everyone grabs a jagged piece; farmhouse cooks served it at weddings and family lunches, and it still ends meals there with coffee or a glass of local pineau. It is crisp at the edges, slightly tender in the middle and tastes of salted butter. Some families add chopped candied angelica from Niort. The top is glazed with egg yolk for its shine; milk gives a softer sheen if you prefer no egg wash. Chef's tip: mark the top with a fork in a diamond pattern and press quite deep, because the lines spread as it bakes; a pale broyé is the common mistake, so bake on until it is evenly golden all over.

45 min

French Baking

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Velouté de courgettesSmooth courgette soup

French families make velouté de courgettes on summer and early-autumn evenings, when courgettes are cheap and plentiful, often blending in a few wedges of soft triangle cheese or a spoon of cream so children drink it happily. It is pale green, silky and mild, and ready in under half an hour; serve it with crusty bread and a piece of cheese. Some soft cheeses are made with animal rennet, so check the label or use a vegetarian cream cheese. The most common mistake is boiling the courgettes too long, which turns the soup a dull khaki; simmer only until just tender. Chef's tip: leave some of the green skin on but peel in stripes, so the colour stays bright without any bitterness.

25 min

French Soups

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Haricots verts persillésGreen beans with garlic and parsley

Haricots verts persillés are the green beans that sit beside roast chicken, an omelette or a plate of potatoes in homes all over France, especially in June and July when fine beans are at their best. They are blanched until just tender, then tossed in foaming butter with a little garlic and lots of chopped parsley, so they stay bright green with a slight snap. Using olive oil instead of butter makes them vegan. The most common mistake is cooking the beans in too little water, so it stops boiling and they turn olive-grey; use a big pot of well-salted water. Chef's tip: cool the beans in iced water after blanching if you want to make them ahead, then warm them in the butter just before serving.

15 min

French Sides

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Croûte aux champignonsCreamy mushrooms on toast

In the mountain villages of Savoie and the Jura, croûte aux champignons is a quick supper in autumn and through ski season: thick toasted bread topped with mushrooms cooked down in butter, a splash of dry white wine and cream, sometimes with a little melted local cheese on top. It is rich and earthy, and a green salad alongside is all it needs. The recipe uses white wine, which mostly cooks off but not entirely; for an alcohol-free version use vegetable stock with a squeeze of lemon. The most common mistake is pouring in the cream before the mushrooms have browned and the wine has reduced, which gives a thin, grey sauce. Chef's tip: rub the hot toast with a cut garlic clove so every bite is fragrant.

20 min

French Vegetarian

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Œufs mimosaStuffed eggs with grated yolk

Œufs mimosa have been a starter in French bistros and on family tables for generations, served at Sunday lunch, on Easter platters and as a light supper with salad and bread. Hard-boiled eggs are halved, their yolks mashed with mayonnaise and mustard and piped back in, then a little yolk is grated over the top so it looks like the fluffy yellow flowers of the mimosa tree. They are naturally gluten free. The most common mistake is overboiling the eggs, which leaves a grey-green ring around the yolk and a sulphurous taste; 10 minutes and an ice bath is enough. Chef's tip: keep back one yolk just for grating, so the topping stays bright yellow and dry.

24 min

French Snacks & Starters

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Saumon en papilloteSalmon baked in paper parcel

Saumon en papillote is everyday French home cooking at its lightest: a fillet of salmon sealed in baking paper with ribbons of courgette and carrot, lemon and dill, so it steams in its own juices in the oven. Across France it is a favourite midweek dinner because there is almost no washing-up, and each person opens their own fragrant parcel at the table, ideally with boiled new potatoes or rice. The usual mistake is cutting the vegetables too thick, so the fish overcooks while they stay raw; slice them very thin. Chef's tip: fold and crimp the paper edges tightly all the way round, or the steam escapes and the salmon dries out.

25 min

French Fish

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Belgian frangipane tartlets

Look in the glass counter of a Flemish bakery and between the rice tarts and cream puffs sit rows of frangipanetaartjes: small shortcrust cases with a hidden layer of apricot jam, filled with almond frangipane and glazed with a thin, crackly white icing. Belgians pick them up on Saturday mornings or for a birthday at the office and eat them with coffee. They are buttery, nutty and moist, with a sharp fruity note from the jam. Too much jam is the mistake to watch: it bubbles up through the frangipane and glues the tartlets to the tin. Chef's tip: brush the warm tartlets with hot apricot jam first and let it set before the icing goes on; the jam seals the surface so the glaze stays white and shiny.

60 min

Belgian Baking

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