It’s a stereotype, I know, but “traditional French cooking” can still seem a bit intimidating. Those tall white chefs’ hats! Those grand-sounding recipe names! Those fancy techniques for making all sorts of pastry! It can all feel rather exclusive, but in reality it’s nothing of the sort. In my experience, there are only two actual “secrets” to French cookery: the first is the mise-en-place (that is, getting everything prepped, chopped and ready before you start cooking, so you can stay on top of timings once you get going). And the second? Butter. Lots and lots of butter.
Tomato and gruyere soufflé
Don’t let anyone tell you that soufflé is (too) hard to make. Bof! The only thing you really need to worry about is timing. And get all your prep done first, so the egg whites, say, are ready and whisked for when the tomatoes come out of the oven, and all will be fine. Allez-y!
Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr 20 min
Serves 6
450g baby plum or cherry tomatoes
1 fennel bulb (330g), trimmed and roughly chopped into 2cm pieces
1 tbsp tomato paste
60ml olive oil
2 tsp fennel seeds, roughly crushed in a mortar
Salt and black pepper
125g unsalted butter, plus 5g extra
50g plain flour
450ml whole milk
2 tbsp dijon mustard
6 large eggs, separated
75g pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
50g red onion chutney
150g gruyere, or lancashire, coarsely grated
25g chives, finely chopped
Heat the oven to very high – 240C (220C fan)/475F/gas 9. Put the tomatoes, fennel, tomato paste and oil in a 20cm x 30cm ceramic oven dish that’s at least 6cm deep. Add a teaspoon of the fennel seeds and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, toss to combine and roast for 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are charred and the fennel is tender.
Meanwhile, melt 75g of the butter in a medium saucepan, then add the flour and cook, stirring, for a minute, until the flour has cooked out and the mixture has turned into a paste. Slowly add the milk, stirring the whole time, until it’s all incorporated and the mix has come together into a smooth sauce. Stir in the mustard, another quarter-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, then bring to a simmer, turn down the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for three minutes, until the mixture thickens. Tip the mix into a large bowl, leave to cool for a minute, then whisk in the egg yolks one at a time, until the souffle base is smooth.
Add the olives, chutney and remaining 50g butter to the tomato mixture and roast for another 10 minutes, until the tomatoes are charred and caramelised and the sauce coats the vegetables. Remove from the oven, and turn down the heat to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7.
Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks, then stir a third of them into the souffle base to loosen it a little. Stir in the gruyere, the remaining teaspoon of fennel seeds and the chives, then, with a spatula, gently fold in the remaining egg whites – the key word here is “gentle”; the aim at this stage is to knock out as little air as possible.
Use the extra 5g butter to grease the sides of the hot oven dish – you don’t need to remove the tomato mix to do this, but be careful because it will be hot – then pour the souffle mix on top of the tomato mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the souffle has risen and doubled in size, the top is golden and it has a uniform wobble.
Remove from the oven and serve immediately, using a large spoon to portion the souffle on to individual plates, then drizzling the tomato mix on top.
Sole grenobloise with saffron and preserved lemon
The secret here is browned butter – that is, butter that’s melted and heated until it goes all nutty. At that point, it’s hard to go wrong. Capers would be the traditional accompaniment, but I’ve used preserved lemon and saffron, because they play a pretty similar role in cutting through the richness. Serve with boiled potatoes and, bien sûr, une salade verte.
Prep 15 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 2
1 small pinch saffron strands
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 bone-in sole (300g; or sole or plaice fillets), fins trimmed
2 tbsp olive oil, plus 2 tsp extra
Fine sea salt and black pepper
30g plain flour
100g unsalted butter
1 preserved lemon (40g), cut into quarters, flesh and pips scooped out and discarded, skin thinly sliced
10g picked parsley leaves, finely chopped
Put the saffron and lemon juice in a small bowl and leave to infuse for at least 15 minutes, until the liquid turns golden.
Next, prepare the sole. With a sharp knife, score three diagonal cuts from the top of the fish right down to the bone. Rub the fish with two teaspoons of oil and sprinkle over an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper.
Put the flour on a tray, mix in a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of pepper, then firmly press both sides of the fish into the flour mix so it gets well coated. Spoon the remaining flour on top of the fish and press it on to help it stick.
Put a large frying pan on a medium-high heat and, once hot, add a tablespoon of oil and 40g butter. Once that’s foaming, lay the fish in the pan scored side down and cook for three minutes, until golden underneath. Flip over the fish, leave to cook on the other side for two minutes, then carefully lift out of the pan and transfer to a clean tray.
Discard the butter left in the pan, then wipe it clean and put on a medium heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and 60g butter, and leave to melt and then cook for two to three minutes, until the butter is lightly browned and smells nutty. Return the fish to the pan, take off the heat and, using a spoon, baste the fish a few times in the hot fat.
Using a spatula, carefully lift the fish on to a platter with a lip, pour the hot butter all over the top and scatter over the preserved lemon and parsley. Spoon on the saffron/lemon mix, then serve at once.
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Sesame crepes dentelle
According to legend, these are the accidental invention of Marie-Catherine Cornic, a French home cook in late 19th-century Brittany. The story goes that Cornic inadvertently left a crepe on the heat for so long that it hardened into a light, crisp, buttery biscuit. In France, they’re usually eaten either as they are (and often sold as a pair, wrapped in golden paper) or crumbled over ice-cream. We’ve added sesame seeds, to make them slightly sturdier. Once made, they’ll keep well in an airtight container for up to three days.
Prep 15 min
Cook 30 min
Makes 16
115g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus 1 tbsp extra for greasing
100g caster sugar
¼ tsp flaked salt
½ tsp vanilla bean paste
1 egg white (save the yolk for another use)
70g plain flour
2½ tsp toasted sesame seeds
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Put the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla in a medium bowl and, with a wooden spoon or balloon whisk, cream the mix for five to seven minutes, until well combined and uniform in texture. Add the egg white and flour, and mix again until it’s creamy and smooth. Put to one side to rest for five minutes.
Meanwhile, lightly grease a large, flat 30cm x 35cm baking tray with some of the extra butter, then line with greaseproof paper (the butter will stop the paper moving around when you spread it with the batter). Lightly butter the top of the paper, then scatter over half the sesame seeds. Using a long, flat spatula, spread half the batter as thinly and as uniformly as possible over the paper.
Transfer to the oven and bake for 12 minutes, until the entire sheet is golden brown – you don’t want any light patches, so, if you do, bake for another minute and check again. Repeat at minute intervals until the crepe is uniformly golden brown.
You’ll now need to work quickly, while the crepe is still warm and pliable. With a small knife, release the edges of the crepe from the tray, then, working from one long edge, carefully and quickly fold the crepe over like a slightly flattened tube; use the paper to help you, much as you would when making a swiss roll. Use a sharp knife to cut the crepe into 3cm lengths, or cut it into little triangles, leave to cool completely, then serve.
