Gratin Dauphinois is a huge classic in French cuisine. It’s from the Dauphiné region situated in south eastern France (next to Italy) and made with potatoes, milk, cream, garlic, salt & pepper. Cheap, easy to make and tasty…We’re not asking for more!

Preparation time: 20m – Cooking Time: 50 mn

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs of potatoes
1/8 lbs (55 g/2 oz) of butter
2 cups of milk
5/8 cup of sour cream (creme fraiche)
1 garlic clove
Salt & Pepper
1 pinch of nutmeg

Instructions

1/ Peel potatoes and clean them. Dry them in a clean cloth. Cut them into very thin slices. (Dont wash them after cutting, it wouldn’t come out as good).

2/ Cop garlic. Boil milk with garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

3/ Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C/Th 6).

3/ Pour sliced potatoes into the milk. Let it boil smoothly for 10 mn stiring often.

4/ Grease a baking pan with butter. Dice the rest of it. Pour potatoes and milk into the pan. Pour cream and top with butter dices.

5/ Bake in oven for 50 minutes. (It’s ready when potatoes are tender and sauce slightly boiling)

Serve with meat and a salad.

I know Tiramisu is not French but it’s so easy to make, it definitely has a place on this blog It’s a perfect last minute making dessert. This recipe is so simple you’ll end up making Tiramisu quite often, believe me.
It’s an amazing Italian dessert; if you’ve never tried it, what are you waiting for?!

Preparation Time: 15 mn   +1 h or 2 in the fridge

Ingredients (for 6 servings)

5/8 lbs (285 gr) of mascapone cheese
1/2 lbs (225 gr/8 oz) of lady fingers
1/8 lbs (55 gr/2 oz) of sugar
2 eggs
1 cup of expresso
1 teaspoon of Marsala or coffee liquor
Cocoa powder

Instructions

1/ Separate yolks (and set aside) from egg whites. (The easiest way to do it is by taking the broken egg in one hand and let white fall in a bowl when keeping yolk over your fingers). Beat the egg whites until stiff.

2/ Add sugar to yolks and beat until they turn white. Add mascarpone cheese and mix thoroughly. Fold stiff eggs into mixture.

3/ Dip ladyfingers in expresso and cover the bottom of a pan (or 6 small glasses as on picture) with it. Add a layer of cream, reapeat with ladyfingers and finish with cream.

4/ Let chill in the fridge and dust with cocoa right before serving.

We’re not exactly in the middle of the tomatoes’ season but I made these stuffed tomatoes a few days ago for a dinner with a vegetarian friend of mine and it came out pretty good

Preparation Time: 15 mn – Cooking Time: 15 to 20 mn

Ingredients (for 4 to 6 servings)

8 big tomatoes
1/2 lbs (225g) of feta cheese
4 slices of bread
2 garlic cloves
5 tablespoons of olive oil
3 tablespoons of fresh cream (crème fraiche you can replace it by Quark or fromage blanc)
1 tablespoon of capers
1 tablespoon of thyme (or parsley if you prefer)
Salt & Pepper

Instructions:

1/ Clean tomatoes and carefully cut off the tops. Scoop out pulp (very easy with a teaspoon, just be careful not to break the bottom of the tomato). Chop pulp finely and leave aside.

2/ Take out crumb from bread and dice it.

3/ Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan; brown crumb dices and chopped garlic.

4/ Preheat oven to 400° F (200° C – Th 7).

5/ Dice feta cheese. Combine it with fresh cream, salt and pepper. Add thyme, capers and crumb dices.

6/ Put tomatoes in an oiled baking dish. Fill with mixture. Put tops back on tomatoes.

7/ Pour chopped pulp between tomatoes (not everything if you have a lot). Add salt & pepper and 3 tablespoons of olive oil on top.

8/ Bake in oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with a salad or rice.

Note that the picture was taken before the dish was ready, your tomatoes should have more « wrinkles » when ready to get out the oven.

Here is a fantastic recipe if you want to impress your guests but have little time to spend in the kitchen. Warm or cold, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it either way

Preparation Time : 10 mn

Ingredients (for 4 to 6 servings):

1 lbs (16 oz/450g) of carrots
2 oranges
1 onion
1 cup (250 ml) of chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup (125 ml) of fresh cream (crème fraiche you can replace it by Quark or fromage blanc)
3 tablespoons of cilantro leaves
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of pepper

Instructions:

1/ Peel and heat carrots in a large saucepan half filled with water.

2/ Squeeze oranges and cut onion. Set aside some cilantro leaves for decoration.

3/ When carrots are done, mix them with onion, cilantro, orange juice and stock.

5/ Add salt, pepper and cream.

6/ Leave in fridge for 30 mn if you’d like to enjoy it cold or heat slowly if you’re on the mood for a warm soup.

7/ Decorate with cilantro right before serving.