Food & Cooking Recipes Recipes by Region French Recipes 32 Classic French Recipes That Bring the Bistro Closer to Home Expand your repertoire with these time-honored dishes, from bouillabaisse and coq au vin to tarte tatin. By Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer Victoria Spencer is an experienced food editor, writer, and recipe developer. She manages the Martha Stewart recipe archive and is always curious about new ingredients and the best techniques. She has been working in food media for over 20 years. Editorial Guidelines and Randi Gollin Randi Gollin Randi Gollin is a freelance food writer and editor who has been covering food, travel, and fashion for over 20 years. Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 26, 2024 Close Photo: Jenny Huang Ooh la la! Where to start with these classic French recipes? Should we share all the irresistible appetizers first, then the plats principal, and finally the best French desserts and most delectable pâtisserie? Rather than stick to a menu, we've mixed it up so our selection of time-honored recipes ranges from savory to sweet and back again. There are dishes you know and love from your favorite Gallic bistros and brasseries, whether located in your town or the 12th arrondissement. Also, the country favorites of the French grand mères, plus some surprisingly easy recipes you really should make—oui, a soufflé is one of those! 12 Fabulous French Appetizer Recipes That Bring the Bistro Home 01 of 32 Mixed-Olive Tapenade William Abranowicz This pungent Provençal spread of olives, anchovies, capers, and garlic is one of our go-to appetizers for easy entertaining. It pairs well with sliced baguette or crudités. View Recipe 02 of 32 Chocolate Mousse Brie Goldman Almost every French restaurant features chocolate mousse on its menu; not all are as heavenly as this one. Our recipe has just five ingredients—egg yolks, sugar, heavy cream, bittersweet chocolate, and vanilla. Buying quality ingredients is the key to this perfectly decadent dessert. View Recipe 03 of 32 Steak Tartare Bryan Gardner Bring the bistro to your house with this classic French appetizer. Be sure to use the best quality beef tenderloin you can find and freeze the meat for a short time so it firms up and is easier to cut into small, even pieces. View Recipe 04 of 32 Coq au Vin Yunhee Kim One of the most famed French dishes, coq au vin is a rich chicken stew made with red wine and a touch of cognac. The result is a luxuriously rich, velvety sauce studded with bacon and mushrooms. Our streamlined version uses chicken legs and thighs rather than a whole chicken and takes about one hour to cook. View Recipe 05 of 32 Crème Caramel Bryan Gardner A silky baked custard with a caramel topping, crème caramel is also known as crème renversée. This is because the caramel is on the bottom when the dish is assembled and baked, and the individual flans are then inverted for serving, revealing the gooey caramel. View Recipe 06 of 32 Flat-Iron Steak au Poivre Bryan Gardner C'est formidable! The ultimate dinner for two, this bistro classic pairs affordable flat-iron steak with a crushed peppercorn crust and buttery, shallot-specked sauce. A healthy dose of cognac further elevates the flavors. View Recipe 07 of 32 French Macarons Linda Pugliese A French classic, these almond meringue cookie sandwiches are gluten-free and endlessly versatile. You can flavor the cookies and fillings (buttercream, jam, or chocolate ganache, perhaps?) and customize the colors. View Recipe 08 of 32 French Onion Soup Jenny Huang A bistro favorite, French onion soup is made with a rich beef stock and topped with Gruyère toasts. We add a splash of fortified wine to the broth for extra richness. View Recipe 09 of 32 Salade Niçoise Bryan Gardner The Niçoise is one of our favorite salads. One bite and it's plain to see why: The combination of olive oil-packed tuna, green beans, tomatoes, potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, and olives dressed in a bold vinaigrette is hard to beat. View Recipe 10 of 32 Simple Crepes Mike Krautter They're thinner, more delicate, and more versatile than pancakes but just as easy to make as your favorite flapjacks. Our basic crepe recipe uses the blender to streamline prep—and you don’t need a special crepe pan to cook them in; a nonstick skillet is fine. The hardest part is deciding whether to make crepes for dinner or dessert. View Recipe 11 of 32 Croque Monsieur Kelsey Hansen A decadent take on the ham and cheese sandwich that only the French could come up with, the croque monsieur is truly next level. It’s built with thinly sliced French ham, Gruyère cheese, and a creamy Mornay sauce between slices of pain de campagne or other firm white bread. More cheese tops the sandwich before it’s toasted in the oven and finished under the broiler. View Recipe 12 of 32 Fricassee de Poulet a L'Ancienne Tara Donne A cross between a sauté and a stew, this chicken fricassee is a one-pot classic that features simmered chicken with hearty vegetables in a rich, silky sauce. It might be the original French comfort food. Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, or with buttered egg noodles. View Recipe 13 of 32 Sole Meunière A true classic, sole meunière is also a simple dish made with whole Dover sole lightly dusted in flour and cooked with butter and oil. The fish is served with beurre noisette, brown butter with lemon, parsley, and capers. View Recipe 14 of 32 Crème Brûlée The contrast of the crisp brûléed sugar topping with the creamy custard underneath is one of the many reasons we love this sublime combination. Even better, this rich, make-ahead dessert requires just four ingredients: heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar, a vanilla bean, and a broiler or kitchen torch to caramelize the crust. View Recipe 15 of 32 Ratatouille Marcus Nilsson This much-loved country dish from the Provence region of France stars zucchini, red bell peppers, and eggplant in a tomato sauce. It's exquisite alongside grilled tuna or chicken or simply served with crusty bread and a glass of wine. View Recipe 16 of 32 Le Grand Aioli Chris Simpson A grand spread sure to transport your guests to the South of France, this lavish appetizer is hearty enough to stand in for dinner. There's a platter of shrimp and vegetables with two delectable sauces for dipping: an avocado aioli and a sprightly mint-mustard vinaigrette. View Recipe 17 of 32 Chocolate Soufflé Jacob Fox A dessert that’s guaranteed to wow your guests, chocolate soufflé is light and airy. Pair it with crème anglaise or chocolate sauce—and be sure to serve it straight from the oven. View Recipe 18 of 32 Baked Brie With Boozy Fruit Aya Brackett A French classic that’s been a hit stateside since the 1970s, this pastry-encrusted baked brie is a crowd-pleasing way to start a meal. (And using frozen puff pastry makes it easy to put together.) Serve it with Boozy Fruit, a fig, and raisin concoction cooked with potent port wine. View Recipe 19 of 32 French 75 Bryan Gardner For over a century, this gin, lemon, and Champagne spritz has been de rigueur for toasting all kinds of celebrations. The sparkling cocktail takes its name from a fast-firing 75-millimeter field gun used by the French during World War One. View Recipe 20 of 32 Beef Bourguignon Bryan Gardner An iconic dish of beef and vegetables cooked in red wine with parsley, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves, beef Bourguignon is, bien sûr, the finest stew around. View Recipe 21 of 32 Frisée Salad With Lardons and Poached Eggs A staple of bistro menus all across France, this classic salad is made with curly frisée. Its slight bitter flavor is balanced by the richness of the bacon and the egg. View Recipe 22 of 32 Potatoes Dauphinoise Diana Chistruga Similar to scalloped potatoes, this dish of sliced potatoes cooked in cream is a luxurious side for just about any entrée. Our version includes Gruyère, but not all gratin dauphinoise recipes use this rich, nutty cheese. View Recipe 23 of 32 Tarte Tatin This French-style apple tart is a true classic. It's an upside-down dessert; the apples caramelize in a skillet on the stovetop before they're topped with pastry, and the pan is transferred to the oven to bake. There's a great reveal when, voila!, the tarte is inverted for serving. View Recipe 24 of 32 Bouillabaisse Frederic Lagrange A dish that tastes like summer and the sea, this famed seafood stew originated in the city of Marseilles. It's chock full of crustaceans, bivalves, and fish in a tomato-saffron broth. View Recipe 25 of 32 Tarte Flambée Also known as flammekueche, this creamy, cheesy bacon and onion tart originated in the northern French region of Alsace, which is renowned for its hearty dishes. Tarte flambée has a thin yeasted crust and is baked on a peel, making it more like a tomato-free pizza than a savory tart like a quiche. View Recipe 26 of 32 Ile Flottante With Caramel A showstopping dessert that's as light as air, that’s île flottante. This "floating island" is an ethereal meringue that sits atop a bed of caramel. Crème anglaise or custard sauce is served on the side. View Recipe 27 of 32 Mussels With Red Wine and Roasted Garlic John Kernick Our twist on the traditional bistro dish of moules steams the shellfish in fruity red wine infused with roasted garlic and thyme. Serve it with a green salad and hunks of crusty bread to complete the transporting experience. View Recipe 28 of 32 Christmas Cassoulet There's a reason why we call it Christmas Cassoulet: this special layered casserole from Southwestern France, made with pork, goose, duck, lamb, and Tarbais beans (to name a few ingredients) is not only festive, but it also takes two days to assemble and feeds about 50 people. Bookmark it for the holidays! View Recipe 29 of 32 Lamb Navarin Bryan Gardner Traditionally made in the spring with turnips ('navets'), this rich variation calls for cooking the lamb and vegetables in white wine. The result is a hearty yet elegant dish. View Recipe 30 of 32 Spinach and Gruyère Soufflé Believe it or not, perfection is not required with this spinach-flecked Gruyère soufflé. Whether it rises unevenly or deflates after baking, it will still taste incredible (or, incroyable). It’s wonderful for lunch or a dinner main course served with a salad. View Recipe 31 of 32 Nectarine Clafoutis Mike Krautter A French country classic that's so easy to make, clafoutis is like a puffed pancake or shallow custardy cake. We use sliced nectarines in this version, but you can easily substitute peaches or just about any seasonal fruit (think cherries, plums, pears, or berries). View Recipe 32 of 32 Chicken With 40 Cloves of Garlic Roasted chicken meets sweet, soft, nutty garlic in this French classic. It sounds overpowering, but the 40 cloves are just right—and using Martha's two-bowl technique makes peeling them a snap. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit