Usually associated with Northeastern America, where a hearty clam chowder is a staple on many New England menus, this version has a distinct French kick. Chef Kit Smyth’s Chaudrée Française, or French Chowder, is perfect throughout the year, but all the more so as the days draw shorter.

With its abundance of fresh fish and shellfish, and of course world renowned dairy products, France’s rich gastronomic traditions ensure this thick and creamy soup is perfect for any dinner table.

Ingredients for 6 portions

1 cup/200g lardons/thick-cut bacon batons
1 Tbsp/20ml olive oil
2 Tsp/10ml butter
1 Large/150gr onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 shot/30ml Vermouth, or ½ cup/100ml white wine, dry – Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc
½ cup/65g all-purpose flour
2 large/300g potatoes, waxy, diced large
1 cup/250ml single cream, or thinned creme fraiche
1 cup/250ml fish stock, including tinned/canned clam juice if using.
1 Tsp each dried Tarragon, chives, parsley
300g Seafood: you can use any of the following combinations, depending on what is available in your area and within the season.

Option 1: Clams, tinned or fresh, but keep the juice if using tinned.
Option 2: Seafood mix – often comes with mussels, cockles, calamari rings, etc.
Option 3: Cod or other white fish: always good, but do stir the soup with care, as the chunks can break up.

Method

Heat a large saucepan, or Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, and add the lardons, gently frying until any fat has dissolved and only nice chunks of bacon remain. Remove half and keep for later.

Add the oil and butter to the pan, and wait for the butter to ‌foam. When ready, add the onions and garlic, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the onion is soft and just caramelising. Sprinkle the flour over and stir to mix thoroughly. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Increase the heat to high, wait 30 seconds, and add the vermouth/white wine, then stir vigorously to scrape all the flavourful bits from the bottom of the pan.

Note: BE CAREFUL, the pan will be HOT and adding alcohol can cause spontaneous flames. It’s advisable to step back as you pour the alcohol in, and allow it to ‘flash’ before returning to inspect.

Add the diced potatoes, and the stock/canned juices, together with the herbs, cover and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

Lifting the lid, add the seafood selection, stir thoroughly and check the potatoes for doneness. Re-cover and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.

When cooked, add the single cream or a healthy dollop of creme fraiche to the potatoes, and bring to a gentile simmer.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, and sprinkle the reserved bacon lardons over the top, or fresh parsley if you prefer.

Kit Smyth is a retired chef with a passion for French cuisine. Originally from Australia, Kit is dedicated to exploring both old and new ingredients, techniques and styles, and developing recipes for home cooks, she also teaches these recipes online and in-person. Find out more at her website: TheBiteLine

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Perfect for a light lunch, or a conversation-starting brunch, cake salé is a Provençal classic raises glasses and eyebrows with equal ease. Who says you can’t have cake for breakfast?! This savoury cake recipe is easy to make and utterly scrumptious…

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 10 Portions
Ingredients:

1 cup/200g All Purpose flour
4 large eggs
3/4 cup/180g cheese, grated; gruyere, Emmental, or other strong cheese (Comté also works well)
1/2 cup/125ml milk
1/4 cup/60ml olive oil
1/2 tbsp baking powder
pinch salt and pepper

Flavouring Ingredients

3/4 cup/180g lardons, or chopped ham, cooked and cooled
1/4 cup/60g of pitted green olives, sliced
1 tbsp dried chives, or 2 tbsp fresh chives

Method

Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F and lightly grease a ‘loaf’ or similar sized tin.

Place the oil, milk and eggs in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder, salt and pepper. Once mixed, add the chives and the grated cheese, and mix again.

Next, add the cooked and cooled lardons, or chopped ham, and sliced olives to the flour mixture and combine so that everything is lightly coated in flour.

Finally, add the wet mixture to the dry, and combine thoroughly – being sure not to leave any pockets of flour.

Pour the mixture into the baking tin, and place into the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the top is lightly browned, and coming away from the edges of the tin.

Remove from the oven when cooked, and leave in the tin for 10-15-minutes to set before removing, allowing a further 10-15-minutes before serving.

Serve at room temperature, with a little butter or flavoured spread. Alternatively, gently pan-fry and serve with a poached egg and grilled tomatoes for a tasty breakfast or brunch.

Kit Smyth is a retired chef with a passion for French cuisine. Originally from Australia, Kit is dedicated to exploring both old and new ingredients, techniques and styles, and developing recipes for home cooks, she also teaches these recipes online and in-person. Find out more at her website: TheBiteLine

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A great alternative for any occasion where red meat is a little heavy, or undesirable. Portobello mushrooms are a generous mushroom – large, packed with strong flavours, and versatile too, as they can be used in a variety of ways.

In this instance, they form the cradle that holds a precious cargo of robust ingredients that will have your tastebuds drooling long before they’re finally rewarded with a forkful of autumnal bliss.

Serve them with some tender stem broccoli, lightly steamed French beans, or with a leafy green salad for a lighter meal. Garlic bread also makes a great addition – and to mop up any juices! Great as a starter, snack or side dish too.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 4 Portions

Ingredients:

4 large Portobello mushrooms
20ml/1 tbsp olive oil
50g/ ½ med red onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
80gr/ ½ med green bell pepper (capsicum), chopped
150g/2 small tomatoes, chopped
2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped, or 6 pellets of frozen spinach
¼ cup goat’s cheese, or other soft white cheese (feta, ricotta, etc)
1 large egg
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch cayenne pepper, omit if preferred
80g/ ½ cup breadcrumbs
80g/ ½ cup mozzarella, grated

Method

Preheat an oven to 200˚C/400˚F, place a rack in the upper middle.

Peel and trim the stems from the mushrooms, keeping the stems for the stuffing. On a tray, place the mushrooms gill-side down, and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until most of the water has been removed. Use some paper towel to soak up any additional moisture once removed from the oven.

Place a shallow frying pan or skillet on medium-high heat, add the oil, onion, peppers, garlic, and spinach, and cook to bring out all the liquid and evaporate it. Add the tomatoes, and seasonings, remove from the heat, and allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, egg, and goat’s cheese. Once mixed, add the slightly cooled vegetable mix, and combine thoroughly.

When ready, replace the mushrooms onto a lined baking tray, and evenly divide the stuffing mixture between the mushrooms. Top with mozzarella, and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the mozzarella melts and turns golden on the edges.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Kit Smyth is a retired chef with a passion for French cuisine. Originally from Australia, Kit is dedicated to exploring both old and new ingredients, techniques and styles, and developing recipes for home cooks, she also teaches these recipes online and in-person. Find out more at her website: TheBiteLine

The post Stuffed mushrooms | Champignons farcis appeared first on The Good Life France.

This is a super easy to make dish, plus it’s absolutely perfect for sharing, has plenty of wow factor and takes next to no time to prepare!

I round loaf – sourdough, rye, brown or white (about 400-500g, a large loaf) – any will do.

250g whole Camembert
3-4 garlic cloves
Few sprigs of thyme leaves
Sprig of rosemary
2 Tablespoons white wine (optional)
2 Tablespoons runny honey
3 Tablespoons Olive oil

Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C.

Easy cheesy tear and share Camembert baked in bread

Slice off the top of the loaf (like a lid). Cut a round hole in the middle of the loaf, deep enough to pop the whole round of Camembert in. Keep the cut pieces of bread to one side.

Score the top of the bread across the top.

Unwrap the Camembert and place in the hole in the bread, then pierce the top of the cheese all over with the tip of a knife. Place on a baking sheet.

Mix the garlic and olive oil and pour over the cheese and into the scores of the loaf. Push the thyme and rosemary into the holes in the cheese. Pour the wine over the cheese and drizzle the honey over the cheese and bread.

Tear the remaining pieces of bread (from step 1) into chunks. Scatter on the baking tray and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the bread is golden and toasted and the cheese is melted and scrumptiously gooey.

Slice the bread from the outside in and use the crispy croutons for dipping into the cheese.

More cheesy recipes

Gougères – cheesy balloons of deliciousness

Boozy baked Camembert

Roquefort butter – irresistibly moreish

Reblochon pie – easy peesy cheesy

Love French cheese? Have a listen to our podcast episode – all about French cheese, the tastiest, weirdest and stinkiest cheeses of France!

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Perfect for festive occasions, get togethers or an indulgent treat, Camembert with a drop of Brandy! This boozy baked Camembert recipe is super easy to make and truly delicious!

250g Camembert (you can also use Brie)
Bunch fresh thyme
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoons maple syrup (or honey)
1 tablespoon brandy

Unwrap the cheese and then place back in the box. Tie some string around the box so it keeps its shape.

Make small incisions in the top of the cheese. Peel and finely slice the garlic and poke it into the Camembert with a few small sprigs of thyme.

Mix the honey and brandy together and drizzle over the cheese.

Bake at 170°C for around 20 minutes.

Peel back the top and dip, dunk and dollop chunks of bread in, or crackers. Or a very easy to make tarte de soleil which will give this dish a whole load of wow factor appeal!

More easy cheesy French recipes

Camembert baked in puff pastry

Gourgeres

Reblochon pie

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Like a rather more exotic minestrone soup, pistou soup from Provence is also rather more filling. It’s a staple dish in the south of France and absolutely delicious featuring plenty of garlic, pistou – a pesto-like flavouring and lots of vegetables.

Pistou soup for 4

For the pistou

2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons fresh basil chopped fine
30 g/2oz grated parmesan cheese
75ml (5fl oz) olive oil

For the soup

2 carrots, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 onion , chopped fine
Olive oil for frying
Water
Tin chopped tomatoes
2 cloves garlic chopped fine
2 leeks trimmed and sliced.
2 courgettes, chopped
2 tins beans – can be borlotti, canellini, green beans, haricot etc (two different types of beans works well) or even frozen peas.

To make the pistou

Mix the garlic, tomato paste, basil and cheese together until you have a fine paste (in a mortar and pestle is traditional).

Whisk in the olive oil a drop at a time – works best in a food processor.

To make the soup

Heat a little olive oil in a large pan and sauté the chopped onion, garlic and leeks for about 5 minutes.

Add the rest of the vegetables, the beans (drain them first) and tomatoes. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Leave to simmer until the vegetables are tender (about 20 minutes on a low heat).

When you serve the soup – add a spoonful of pesto and stir in.

More delicious southern French recipes

Daube Nicoise – a tasty southern stew

Calissons de Provence – delectable little biscuity cakes

Fougasse – scrumptious flat bread

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In northern France, every family has their own version of garlic soup. Handed down through the generations, the recipe is one that is often made when someone in the family has a cold or flu.

When I got the dreaded lurgy (as we British call anything catching that resembles flu), my neighbour Constance made me a bowl of garlic soup made to her grandma Blandine’s recipe. I can’t promise you that it made me well though I did recover shortly after consuming it. If you breathe out hard after a few spoons of this soup, I swear you can almost see your breath in front of your face, smoking and filled with garlic vapour. I think a bowl of it would defeat a legion of vampires.

It is delicious, nourishing and according to some scientists, those French grandmas who insisted that this was the best cure for the common cold may have been on the right path. Garlic has antimicrobial and antiviral properties.

Here’s how to make Grandma’s garlic soup

4 portions

2 bulbs of garlic (yes bulbs not cloves) (this works really well with smoked garlic too)
1 leek (white part only)
2 potatoes
1 onion
1.5  litre chicken stock
Liquid cream
Salt and pepper
Butter
Olive oil

Peel and chop onion, leek and potatoes (small cubes). Peel the garlic and crush. I’ll be honest, Constance says she sometimes uses 3 bulbs of garlic – I prefer it with two. But if you are a garlic fan, then fill your boots!

Melt some butter and olive oil in a pan and lightly brown the garlic, add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and the chicken stock and simmer for 25 minutes. You might like to add a little more stock if it’s too thick for your taste. Take the pan off the heat and whisk (or blend in a mixer).

Return to the pan, stir in a drop of liquid cream, season and serve hot.

It’s traditional to serve it with croutons, or a slice of baguette, lightly fried in oil or butter.

Constance likes to grate a little cheese on top of the bread for added comfort. And she sometimes puts a little greenery on top, usually parsley or fresh thyme leaves.

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It might seem unlikely, but mussels and pumpkin are a great pairing! In Touraine, in the Loire Valley, great gastronomy is treasured and this fabulous recipe for mussel and pumpkin soup from the kitchen of the beautiful Chateau de Rivau is a knock out.

The Chateau is famous for its vegetable and pumpkin collection and each autumn the garden is filled with colourful and heirloom varieties – see the Chateau du Rivau in autumn…

Nicolas Gaulandeau, chef of the restaurant Le Jardin Secret at Château du Rivau shares his mouth-watering recipe.

Ingredients

2 kg pumpkin (Cinderella pumpkin works well, or cheese pumpkin)
1 litre of mussels
2 onions
2 potatoes
250 ml white wine
500 ml milk
1 tbsp caster sugar
300 ml liquid cream
12 saffron threads
Small bunch of chervil (or parsley) tied in a bouquet garni
40g butter
Salt and pepper

Method

Peel the pumpkin. Remove the seeds and cut the flesh into cubes. Peel the potatoes and dice. Peel and chop the onions.

Sweat the onions, pumpkin and potatoes in butter. Pour in milk, cream and saffron. Season lightly with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Cook for 30 minutes over low heat. Set aside.

Rinse the mussels and cook in the wine with the bouquet garni. Discard any that don’t open and remove the mussels from the shells. Spoon a little of the mussel juice into the soup mix.

Add the warm mussels and sprinkle a little parsley or chervil and croutons over the top if you wish.

A deliciously creamy and filling mussel and pumpkin soup!

More on the gastronomy of Touraine

Brouillaude au Truffes de Touraine – eggs and truffles, the posh way!

How to make Cormery Macarons – more than 1000 years old, the recipe has endured because it’s so delicious!

Nougat de Tours cake – truly scrumptious

Roasted scallops with touraine saffron butter sauce

Discover what to see and do in Touraine, Loire Valley: TouraineLoireValley

The post Pumpkin and mussel soup, a recipe from Touraine, Loire Valley appeared first on The Good Life France.

Cheese flavoured baguettes – what could be better?!  A ficelle is a long thing baguette and these are perfect with aperitifs, cocktails, for a snack, with a bowl of soup or as a sandwich. Utterly delicious and properly French…

Makes eight ficelles

Active time: 20 minutes
Bulk fermentation: 1½ hours
Resting: 15 minutes
Proofing: 1 hour
Cooking: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1¾ tsp (0.3 oz./9 g) salt
Scant 1½ cups (12.5 oz./350 g) water
4 cups + 2 tbsp (1 lb. 2 oz./500 g) bread or white whole wheat flour (T65–T80)
5 tbsp (2.5 oz./75 g) butter, at room temperature
3.5 oz. (100 g) refreshed levain (see here for how to make/refresh levain/leaven)
0.2 oz. (5 g) fresh yeast
7 oz. (200 g) Mimolette jeune (young) cheese, roughly grated and divided

METHOD

Place the salt, water, flour, butter, and levain, in this order, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Crumble in the fresh yeast and knead for 3 minutes on speed 1, followed by 5–7 minutes on speed 2. At the end of the kneading time, add 5.25 oz. (150 g) of the grated Mimolette and knead briefly until evenly distributed.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1½ hours. Fold the dough three times during the rise time: once after 30 minutes, once after 1 hour, and once after 1½ hours (bulk fermentation*).

Line two inverted baking sheets with parchment paper. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and divide it into eight equal pieces using a bench scraper. Shape each piece into a ball, cover, and let rest for 15 minutes (resting*). Shape the pieces of dough into ficelles (thin baguettes) and place seam-side down on the prepared baking sheets, four per sheet. Cover and let rise for 1 hour (proofing*).

Toward the end of the rising time, place a rack at the lowest oven position and place another rack directly above it. Place an empty heavy-duty baking sheet, oven-safe skillet, or drip pan on the lower rack, and a baking stone or heavy-duty baking sheet on the upper rack, and preheat the oven to 480°F (250°C/Gas Mark 9). Bring 1 cup (250 ml) of water to a simmer.

When the dough passes the poke test* (see below), brush the ficelles with a little water and sprinkle with the remaining Mimolette. Taking great care, slide one batch of ficelles with the parchment paper underneath onto the baking stone. Carefully pour the simmering water into the baking sheet, skillet, or drip pan to create steam and quickly close the oven door.

Bake for 10 minutes at 480°F (250°C/Gas Mark 9), then lower the oven temperature to 430°F (220°C/Gas Mark 7) and continue to bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove the first batch of ficelles from the oven and place on a rack to cool, then repeat with the second batch.

POKE TEST

If the proofing time is too short, the dough won’t build up enough CO2 to rise correctly during baking. Conversely, if the proofing time is too long, the gluten network weakens and the bread may fall during baking. Even professional bakers use the poke test to evaluate the dough’s resistance and determine when it is ready for the oven. Gently press your finger about ½ in. (1 cm) into the dough. If the dough is ready to bake, it will spring back slowly but retain a small indentation where you poked it. If no indentation forms, the dough is not ready; leave it to proof a little longer. If the indentation doesn’t spring back at all, it’s too late—the dough is over-proofed.

Extract from Upper Crust: Homemade Bread the French Way, by renowned food writer Marie-Laure Fréchet. Published by Flammarion and available at Amazon, online and high street bookstores (where it can be ordered if it’s not in stock ISBN 9782081517073). Step by step techniques to turn you into a successful bread maker, 100 recipes include delicious desserts and savoury specialities which feature bread. Plus French bread history and fascinating facts… 

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This tarte de Soleil recipe is one of the easiest snack, apero, party food dishes there is if you buy ready-made puff pastry that is! Why it’s called ‘tart of the sun’ is easy to see, it’s a feast for the eyes! It’s a super simple dish, two puff-pastry slices filled with something tasty, and it’s great for dipping in sauces and tapenade etc.

How to make tarte de soleil

Ingredients

2 rounds of puff pastry
Filling of your choice (see below for suggestions)
Egg to glaze the pastry
Sesame seeds (optional)

Method

Lay one of your puff pastry rounds out. Spread your filling of choice, leaving around 1 centimetre (half an inch) clear around the edge.

Brush the edges with water. Lay the second sheet of pastry over the top and press the edges together gently to make it stick.

Mark the centre with a glass (you don’t want to cut through the pastry, just leave an imprint).

Cut the tart first into quarters, then make four more cuts in each quarter to create 24 strips – or rays!

Twist each strip three times, leaving a centimetre or so from the centre. Brush the strips with beaten egg (and sprinkle some sesame seeds if you like them) and bake for about 40-45 minutes until golden at 350ºF/180°C/Gas Mark 4.

Serve hot or cold – you just tear a ray of sun off! Great for dipping too – try runny cheeses, tapenade or aioli.

Spreads for tarte de soleil

It’s such a versatile tart and you can use all sorts of filling so here’s just a few ideas:

Goats cheese mixed with sun dried tomatoes.

Garlic butter

Tapenade (which also goes well with goats cheese)

Tomato paste and grated cheese (add a sprinkling of herbs de Provence for extra French flavour)

For extra impressiveness, remove the centre of the tart and pop a small round of runny Camembert for dipping!

Cheese and chopped chives

You can also go sweet! Stewed apple or fruit, chocolate spread and frangipane are favourites in my house!

More delicious French snacks

Cheese gougères

Reblochon pie

Three cheese fougasse bread

Courgette (zucchini) fritters

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