French

Standing the custards in a dish filled with ice cubes keeps the custards from melting while the sugar is caramelising under the grill. Of course, if you have a cooking blowtorch, use that instead. Note

Rich and delicious French morsels that will have everyone coming back for more.

Corella pears have only a short season, if they’re not available use thinly sliced apple, red-skinned look best instead. Note

Strawberries are jam-packed with the good health-promoting vitamins A and C. Note

Ghee is good to cook with as it doesn’t burn as quickly as butter. If you prefer, use 30g unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil for frying. Micro cress is a cress that has been harvested at seedling stage. It is available at speciality greengrocers and markets. Micro cress is highly perishable, so must […]

You could top the petit fours with fresh raspberries instead of the icing flowers. Petit fours are best made on the day of serving. Note

From the humble baked bean to the chickpea, legumes contain healthy components linked with protection against diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart problems.

A delicious French-style roast leg of lamb in a tomato stew with rosemary and white beans.

Confit, from the French verb ‘confire’ meaning to preserve, means both a food item that has been slow-cooked in fat to cover, and also the cooking technique. Confit foods are exquisitely soft and delicately flavoured, so the technique is sometimes used, as in this recipe, simply to achieve this luxurious effect. Note

Recipe can be made a day ahead and refrigerated, covered. Note

Fill macarons just before serving. If the marmalade is too chunky or thick to spread, warm it, strain it, and leave it to cool before using. Note

A French main-dish stew with tender veal and creamy mushrooms from Australian Women's Weekly.

These delicious and crunchy little garlic and chive croûtons will spruce up any leafy salad.

Ragoût, which comes from the French verb, ragoûter, meaning `to stimulate the appetite', does exactly that in this dish.

There are usually 22 sheets of pastry in a 375g (12-ounce) packet of fillo pastry. Dried lavender flowers are available from spice shops and online. Note

A rich, slowcooked French casserole with lamb, white beans, streaky bacon and crushed tomatoes.

This is a great way to jazz up average pastries or to use 1-2 day-old croissants and pains au chocolat.

There are many versions of this popular dish, but an authentic Salade niçoise (originally from the Provençal city of Nice) always includes ingredients that speak of this sun-kissed region of France: tomatoes, capers, olives and garlic. A typical recipe also includes tuna, anchovies, egg and raw vegetables. Niçoise olives, if unavailable, substitute any small brown […]

The secret to this recipe is the amount of olive oil used. Perfect as a second course or as the main course for a light summer lunch, served with salad and crusty bread or with chips (frites). The moules in France are small and sweet. This recipe is not suitable for those large green New […]

Don’t have the oil too hot or they will brown too quickly before cooking all the way through. The oil should be between 175°C (350°F) and 190°C (400°F) for deep-frying (a small cube of bread should turn golden in about 30 seconds). You can also pipe the dough over the hot oil, using a small, […]

If you can’t buy char-grilled zucchini, you can make your own; use a mandoline or vegetable peeler to thinly slice one large zucchini lengthways, then cook the slices on a heated oiled grill plate until browned lightly and tender. Pizza bases can be bought at any regular supermarkets. Note

You could use frozen ready-made crepes, or freeze your own. The filling needs to be made on the day of serving. Note

If plums are not in season, use a 1kg (2-pound) jar of whole plums. Drain, halve and seed them before using. Note

Treat yourself this morning with gorgeous French-style spelt crêpes with poached pear and blueberries.

This is a quick version of making a soufflé as the base is not made on a flour-thickened cheese sauce. Note

You need half a 1kg (2-pound) can plums for this recipe. You can use fresh plums when in season. Fill pastries up to an hour before serving. Note

If you have an electric pressure cooker you won’t need to reduce the heat to stabilise pressure, your cooker will automatically stabilise itself. Always check with the manufacturer’s instructions before using your pressure cooker. Note

To freeze, pack into freezer-proof containers, leaving a 2.5cm space to allow for expansion. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in a 180°C/350°F oven for 30 minutes or microwave on medium power (50%) until heated through. Note

These come from the Charente region of south-west France. The name generally refers to a nut-shaped puff from that region.

Light and delicious French-style passionfruit and raspberry eclairs from Australian Women's Weekly.

You need two medium pomegranates (640g) to get the required amount of pomegranate pulp. Note

Keeping time: 4 days. Note

A flavour-packed Provençal salad with eggplant, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, haloumi, olives and garlic croutons.

A traditional Sunday dinner dish in the French countryside that literally means, 'chicken in a pot'.

Raid the delicatessen shop to create this exquisite French platter.

The best French dessert of all time: delicious mini french éclairs with rich praline and smooth vanilla custard.

If you have an electric pressure cooker you won’t need to reduce the heat to stabilise pressure, your cooker will automatically stabilise itself. Always check with the manufacturer’s instructions before using. This dish is traditionally German or Eastern European, but France adopted it when it annexed the Alsace region in the mid 17th century. It […]

A member of the onion family, the leek resembles a green onion, but is much larger and more subtle in flavour. Baby or pencil leeks are beautifully tender and can be eaten whole with minimal cooking, but adult leeks are usually trimmed then chopped or sliced and cooked as an ingredient in stews, casseroles and […]

Soufflés must be made just before serving. Note

Rollmops are herring fillets wrapped around a slice of gherkin, red capsium and/or onion preserved in a spiced vinegar brine. Note

This is a complete meal in a dish, but, it doesn’t reheat or freeze well, as the breadcrumbs absorb the moisture as it stands. Packaged japanese breadcrumbs (panko) can be bought from supermarkets which stock Japanese ingredients, they’re an excellent substitute for stale breadcrumbs. Note

Recipe is best prepared as required. Note

When peeling parsnips, make sure you remove all the bitter outer layer. Persillade is a mixture of chopped garlic and parsley traditionally used either as a garnish or to flavour a sauce, as we have done here. The secret to tender calves liver is to make sure you slice it into paper-thin scallops and then […]

You can substitute rib-eye (scotch fillet) or sirloin (new-york cut) steak for the eye fillet in this recipe. Note

Preserved lemons can be bought from delicatessens and some supermarkets. Remove a piece of lemon from the jar, discard the lemon flesh. Rinse the rind under water; dry, then chop finely. Note

Velouté, a white sauce made from roux (a cooked butter and flour mixture) and stock, is one of the five “mother” sauces in French cooking from which all other sauces are derived. Note

Cool the quiches before packing into airtight containers. Refrigerate for up to 2 days. They are not suitable to freeze. You need four 10cm (4-inch) spring-form tins for this recipe. Note

You can use any flavoured jam you have on hand. Note

A healthy and filling vegetarian casserole packed full of flavour.

Ratatouille can be made a day ahead; store, covered, in the refrigerator. It is great on its own, or served with pasta. In a Provencale dialect, touiller means to stir and crush, thus the name ratatouille perfectly describes this rich vegetable stew. Note

storage Friands will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 days, or in the freezer (without frosting) for 2 months. Note

These pork buns are the perfect fusion of French and Vietnamese cooking.

A French pastry of unknown origin whose modern form was influenced by Marie-Antoine Carême.

This recipe can be made up to 2 days ahead; store, covered, in refrigerator. Note

A sweet puff pustry pie that hails from France, where desserts simply taste better.

This recipe is best made on day of serving. Note

Cook a double or triple batch of these quinces and store them in their syrup in the fridge. Serve with porridge or muesli for breakfast. Note

Also known as floating islands, this dessert is an adaptation of a French pudding, in which a stale sponge cake, steeped in liqueur, was floated in a bowl of custard. Note

Grand Marnier or Cointreau can be used for the orange-flavoured liqueur. Store truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Truffles, without cocoa coating, can be frozen for up to 3 months. Remove from freezer 1 hour before serving and dusting with cocoa. Note

Originally a French dish, this potato is all the better with rich and delicious caramelised onion.

Buy the freshest beef available; it is always a good idea to check with your butcher to find out if the meat you purchased can be eaten raw. It is very important to keep the beef as cold as possible when preparing this recipe. Use a sharp knife to chop the beef so that it […]

Invented in the 18th century by the Duc of Levis-Mirepoix, mirepoix has since become a classic preparation of French cooking.

This gorgeous French dessert is worthy of any dinner party or family event. The combination of cream-filled puffs, crisp, spun toffee and a buttery pastry base creates the ultimate sweet recipe.

Croissants are by far the most famous of all the French pastries and are made using a butter-rich flaky pastry. In France they usually eat them just with jam, while around the world they have become popular filled with both savoury and sweet fillings. If you prefer, you can replace the fontina with a good-quality […]

Use a clean piping and tube for each different coloured meringue. Note

You can serve fresh berries instead of the berry compote, if preferred. The berry compote can be prepared a day ahead; keep, covered, in the refrigerator. The parfait can be made a week ahead up to step 3; slice with a knife that has been dipped in hot water, before allowing to soften in the […]

Sometimes called Indian blood plum, the large plum used in this recipe has a distinctive dark red to purple fibrous flesh, is extremely juicy, pleasantly sweet, and is the plum most often found canned. Canned apricots or peaches can be substituted for the plums. A delicious time-and waist-saving recipe. Note

If you have an electric mixer with a dough hook you can use it to knead the dough for 5 minutes. Rolls are best served slightly warm on the day of baking. They are not suitable to freeze. Note

Available at some nurseries, rose geranium is an aromatic member of the geranium family. Use the leaves to scent a madeira or butter cake, before baking, line cake pan with leaves. The tart shell is suitable to freeze. Note