This delicious recipe for steak with red wine sauce from Stephane Nguyen and Kate Blenkiron of the French Cooking Academy, is simple but sublime.

To make the vibrant red wine sauce for this recipe, the pan sauce technique uses the juices produced from cooking the meat blended with a good-quality wine. In France, we live by the maxim “cook with wine that you want to drink.” Now, I’m not saying you need to secure a Bordeaux premier cru to make this recipe, but avoid the bottom-shelf wine selection. Not only will this make the sauce shine, but you will also appreciate a sip or two while cooking. For the meat, rib eye is the way to go.

For the Steaks (serves 2)

2 prime steaks, preferably ribeye
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to season
1 tbsp (15 ml) cooking oil

For the Sauce

¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, divided
2 shallots, finely chopped
½ cup (120 ml) good-quality red wine
1 clove garlic, bruised
1 sprig thyme
1 small bay leaf
½ tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp (6 g) finely chopped fresh curly parsley, to garnish

In a medium-sized stainless-steel skillet or sauté pan, heat the oil over high heat, and sear the steaks. Cook to your desired level of doneness (ideally medium rare), flipping the steak several times in the pan to cook evenly on both sides (this also helps produce lots of caramelized juices at the bottom of the pan). When cooked, transfer the steaks to a plate, cover with foil and keep warm in the oven while you make the sauce.

To make the sauce, remove any oil from the pan, melt 1 tablespoon (15 g) of the butter over medium heat then cook the shallots for 1 minute. Add the wine, garlic, thyme and bay leaf, then increase the heat to high and reduce until roughly ¼ cup (60 ml) of liquid remains and the sauce becomes syrupy. Turn off the heat and whisk in the remaining butter, followed by the mustard. To finish, pour the accumulated juices from the steak into the sauce and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Strain the sauce before serving drizzled over the steak and garnish with the parsley.

Mise en place

Season the steaks with salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 120°F (50°C).

Reprinted with permission from French Cooking Academy by Stephane Nguyen with Kate Blenkiron. Page Street Publishing Co. 2023. Photo credit: Kate Blenkiron.

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This toastie is inspired by a comfort food classic: tartiflette. Layers of creamy mashed potato, sweet caramelised onions, bacon and – the crowning glory – oozing Reblochon cheese, make this a seriously good sandwich. Serve with cornichons and mustard to balance the richness.

Makes 1 toastie

2 slices sourdough bread
100g smoked bacon lardons
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into even-sized chunks
100ml cream
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
1 smashed garlic clove
75g butter
2 onions, sliced
Splash white wine
1 sprig thyme, leaves picked
3 thick slices Reblochon cheese
Cornichons and mustard, to serve

Add the onions to a frying pan with 25g butter and a pinch of salt. Cook for 40 minutes, stirring regularly, until deeply caramelised. Add the thyme and white wine and allow the wine to cook off. Set aside.

Add the bacon lardons to a small frying pan and allow the fat to render over low heat, stirring regularly, until crisp. Set aside.

Cook the potatoes in plenty of boiling salted water, then drain.

Warm 25g butter with the cream and garlic clove.

Strain the garlic clove and mash the potatoes with the cream and butter. Season well.

Heat a skillet or frying pan and add the remaining butter.

Take one slice of sourdough and top with a layer of mashed potato. Add the onions, then the Reblochon cheese and bacon lardons. Add the final slice and transfer to the pan.

This temptingly good recipe is from Helen Graves @foodstories on Instagram, author of BBQ Days and Nights, editor of Pit Magazine.

Cook for 5 minutes each side, or until golden brown and crisp. Serve with cornichons and mustard.Find more fabulous recipes and about French cheese at CNIEL (Centre National Interprofessionnel de l Economie Laitière) the French Dairy Interbranch Organization, is an organisation recognised by French and European public authorities which brings together players from the French dairy sector (milk producers, cooperatives and private companies, people in mass retail, trade and institutional catering).

More delicious cheese recipes

Tear and share baked Camembert in bread

Deliciously comforting tartiflette

Raclette – the divine dish of the French Alps

Baked Mont d’Or

Plus – everything you want to know about French cheese 

Want more France?

Discover more fabulous destinations in France with our free magazine The Good Life France

Love France? Have a listen to our podcast – everything you want to know about France and more!

All rights reserved. This article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translated) or redistributed without written permission.

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Fourme d’Ambert comes from an area around the Puy-de Dôme mountain in the Auvergne region where it was born, it’s said, some 2000 years ago, making it one of France’s oldest cheeses. The Gaulish druids, according to legend, were very fond of it. The cows are milked at 600 to 1,600 metres above sea level, which helps to give the cheese a subtle, delicate flavour. It is aged for around four weeks in cool, damp cellars after holes are poked in it to air the paste and enable the mould to grow. No ordinary Cheese soufflé recipe this. It’s a twice baked Fourme d’Ambert soufflé recipe by Adam Bennett, chef director at The Cross at Kenilworth, England.

Ingredients – Makes 14 as a starter

30g butter
30g plain flour
300g milk
200g Fourme d’Ambert
2 egg yolks
260g egg whites
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
Ramekins lined with butter and fine breadcrumbs

Method

Melt the butter, then add the the flour and cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes

Line the ramekins with butter and fine breadcrumbs.

Whisk in half the milk, bring to the boil, whisking all the time.

Add the rest of the milk and reboil, whisking all the time, remove from the heat and add the Fourme d’Ambert whisk in until melted and smooth then add the yolks off the heat.

Set aside at room temperature covered with cling film.

Whisk the egg whites with the salt, sugar and lemon juice to a soft peak then fold into the lukewarm base then pour into the ramekins to fill by around 4 fifths and place in a Bain marie.

Bake at 180°C for around 8 to 10 minutes.

Turn out the soufflé from the ramekins and chill in the fridge for up to 24 hours, until required.

Re-bake at 180°C for around 5 minutes, serve with a dressed salad with pecans and sliced pear.Find more fabulous recipes and about French cheese at CNIEL (Centre National Interprofessionnel de l Economie Laitière) the French Dairy Interbranch Organization, is an organisation recognised by French and European public authorities which brings together players from the French dairy sector (milk producers, cooperatives and private companies, people in mass retail, trade and institutional catering).

More delicious cheese recipes

Tear and share baked Camembert in bread

Deliciously comforting tartiflette

Raclette – the divine dish of the French Alps

Baked Mont d’Or

Plus – everything you want to know about French cheese 

Want more France?

Discover more fabulous destinations in France with our free magazine The Good Life France

Love France? Have a listen to our podcast – everything you want to know about France and more!

All rights reserved. This article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translated) or redistributed without written permission.

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Parmentier is a dish topped with mashed potato, for instance hachis parmentier, minced beef and mash, or shepherds pie to English speakers! This delicious recipe for confit duck Parmentier has a delectable twist from the usual beef style parmentiers. Parmentier comes from Antoine-Auguste Parmentier (1737-1813, a pharmacist who convinced the French that potatoes were edible. It’s said he discovered he developed a fondness for potatoes whilest held in captivitiy during war with the Prussians. Until then potatoes were considered as pig swill only in France!

Confit duck Parmentier recipe – serves 6

For the filling

6 confit duck legs
6 shallots, chopped
Small bunch of thyme, leaves stripped and chopped
1 ¼ c red wine
1 ¼ c  duck or chicken stock
Handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

For the topping

2.5 lb mashing potatoes, peeled and cut into approx 5cm pieces
⅔ cup warm milk
2.5 oz butter
2.5 oz Comté cheese, grated

Warm the confit duck legs over a gentle heat to release the fat, then pour the fat into a clean jar. You will need some for this dish, but save the rest for roasting potatoes another day.

Boil the potatoes in salted water for 20–25 minutes until tender. Drain them well and let them steam off for a few minutes in the colander then add the warm milk, butter and cheese and mash until smooth. Check seasoning and add salt and black pepper, as required.

Remove the skin from the duck legs and discard it (or slice and roast until crisp as a nibble – these are known as Grattons). Pull away the duck meat from the legs with a couple of forks and shred it, removing and discarding any bones and gristle.

Melt 3 tablespoons of duck fat in a pan, add the shallots, thyme, a pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Allow the shallots to brown gently and, once they are golden, add the wine and stock, then bring to the boil. Cook for a few minutes, then add the duck meat and the chopped parsley. Check for seasoning, stir and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 190°c fan. Spoon the meat mixture into a baking dish then cover with the mashed potatoes. Bake for about 25 minutes until heated through and browned on top.

The cut of duck used for Duck Confit are duck legs. It is the lower leg plus the thigh attached, a poultry cut known as a maryland in Australia.

It must be bone-in and with the skin on. Because it ain’t Duck Confit without crispy skin!

This recipe comes from chef Sylvain Jamois, cheesejourneys.com, a luxury travel brand that curates unique, culinary experiences for artisan cheese, food and wine enthusiasts.

Find more fabulous recipes and about French cheese at CNIEL (Centre National Interprofessionnel de l Economie Laitière) the French Dairy Interbranch Organization, is an organisation recognised by French and European public authorities which brings together players from the French dairy sector (milk producers, cooperatives and private companies, people in mass retail, trade and institutional catering).

More delicious cheese recipes

Tear and share baked Camembert in bread

Deliciously comforting tartiflette

Raclette – the divine dish of the French Alps

Baked Mont d’Or

Plus – everything you want to know about French cheese 

Want more France?

Discover more fabulous destinations in France with our free magazine The Good Life France

Love France? Have a listen to our podcast – everything you want to know about France and more!

All rights reserved. This article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translated) or redistributed without written permission.

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Cold, dark evenings, crisp, fresh mornings and the prospect of ice. Winter in France comes with many charms as well as challenges making it an excellent reason to hunker down and enjoy some really feel-good food. And the good people at Bacon by the Box have put their heads together to come up with some wonderful winter recipe ideas made with some winning ingredients that bring together a dash of French elegance, a whole heap of Irish charm and a familiar soupcon of British tradition. And they deliver direct from Ireland to France – everything you need from fresh products like their beef, pork and lamb coming straight from their family farm in Waterford in Ireland and familiar store cupboard staples from the UK. Dust off your pots and pans, put in your order with Bacon by the Box and look forward to warm winter nights in front of the fire with some of these sublimely indulgent Irish, English and French flavours for warming winter recipes:

Colcannon Mash and Champ

Head down to your local French market and stock up on potatoes, kale (or cabbage as a substitute) and spring onions to make this hearty Irish classic. Guaranteed to keep the cold away and fuel up for the winter, pair it with some traditional Irish pork sausages for a perfect Franco / Celtic marriage. Serve it with a fresh and lively French white wine, like Sauvignon Blanc, to contrast with the rich flavours and you are winning at winter!

Irish Boeuf Bourguignon with English Dumplings

One of the joys of Boeuf Bourguignon is that it cooks slowly so you can pop it in the oven and while wild weather rages outside, the rich aromas slowly fill the house with the expectation of a really good meal to come.

Use Bacon by the Box premium-quality Irish beef from cattle that has been reared on the green pastures of the County Waterford coast along with Lisduggan farm smoked streaky bacon. Add a great French Burgundy to the pot and for that hearty hint of home, add English Dumplings made with Atora suet. It’s a French / Irish / English combo to make you proud to be European.

Curry Nights to Keep the Cold Away

Sometimes, nothing beats a good curry whether you’re cooking for two and a relaxed meal in front of the TV or organising a big get together with friends.

Bacon by the Box can supply premium quality beef, lamb and chicken as well as all the must have curry extras like pappadums, lime pickle, curry kits and a huge range of curry sauces. Cooking curry doesn’t get any easier than this and you’ll still get all the great flavours of home. Add your French veg from the market and grab a few bottles of your favourite French beer for a curry night to remember.

Bangers ‘n Mash Heaven

Ok, when it’s really miserable outside it’s time to pull out the big guns! And they don’t get much bigger (in terms of flavour) or better than this!

Check out the Bacon in the Box range of sausages. They have garlic and leek, pork and apple and even black pudding sausages. And as this meal is all about going big on comfort, what better to serve with it than aligot – that delicious combination of creamy, cheesy mashed potatoes made with Irish cheddar, of course! And did you know, that aligot, which comes from the Auvergne region, dates back to the 12th century and is associated with a number of legends. It was probably invented by monks serving it to the pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela (although the potatoes came as a later addition).

Steak and Ale Pie

Sometimes, you need something quickly and easy that has memories of home and enough substance to get you through the winter weather. Cue a perennial favourite: Fray Bentos steak and kidney pie served with mushy peas (already mushed for you, of course). And just because it is quick and easy doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wash it down with a really good bottle of French Bordeaux wine!

Pudding Perfection

French fruit tarts are the stuff of legends whether your weakness is a classic tarte Tatin, a Normandy apple tarte or Galette de Prunes. And the perfect way to make them just a little bit naughtier and a whole lot more morish than they already are, is by adding a dash (or two) of Ambrosia custard. Thick and creamy from the tin or nice and lumpy like they made at school. That is heaven on a plate.

Irish, English and French flavours for warming winter recipes

Winter is a good reason to slow down and spoil yourself, and really good food is a great way to do that. Celebrate all that is cold, wet and windy this winter with these wonderful warming winter recipes, and you may not want spring to arrive!

Bacon by the Box dispatch delivery weekly to across France and will deliver straight to your door. For more information or to place an order which will be delivered to your doorstep anywhere in France, visit: Bacon by the Box

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Picardy pancakes, ficelle Picarde, crêpes Picardie – they go by several names, invented in the 1950’s in Amiens, northern France by chef Marcel Lefèvre. This tasty rolled Picardy crêpes recipe – crispy ham and cheese pancakes with a rich Bechamel sauce – is easy to make and utterly delicious! It makes for a great light meal with a salad or add chips for more oomph!

Preparation: 1 hour
Cooking: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS – serves 8

3 ½ tablespoons (50 g) butter plus 1 ½ tablespoons (20 g) to butter crepes before filling
¾ lb. (350 g) button mushrooms
1 shallot (50 g)
1 onion (80 g)
1 ½ tablespoons (20 g) parsley, chopped
½ lb. (250 g) ham
4 oz. (120 g) grated Gruyère cheese
Salt, freshly ground pepper

Crêpe batter

2 ¾ cups (250 g) cake or all-purpose flour
3 eggs
2 cups (500 ml) low-fat (semi-skimmed) milk, room temperature
5 ½ tablespoons (80 g) butter
10 sprigs of chives, snipped
1 pinch of salt
Oil for the skillet

Béchamel sauce

4 tablespoons (60 g) butter

⅔ cup (60 g) flour
4 cups (1 litre) milk
A little grated nutmeg
Salt, freshly ground pepper

Prepare the crêpe batter.

Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Crack the eggs one by one into the mixture and whisk briskly with a little of the milk.

Incorporate the remaining milk, beating energetically until the batter is smooth and fluid. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Melt the butter until it browns to a hazelnut color. Mix it into the batter with the snipped chives and chill for about 30 minutes. Heat a skillet over high heat. Drizzle a little oil in and cook the crêpes one by one, turning them when they begin to brown at the edges.

Prepare the mushroom duxelles.

Chop the button mushrooms, the shallots, and the onion. Melt the 3 ½ tablespoons of butter and sweat the chopped shallot and onion. Add the button mushrooms and cook, lid off, until all the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and add the chopped parsley. Finely dice the ham.

Prepare the Bechamel sauce

Prepare the béchamel sauce using the butter and flour to make a white roux. Add 2 cups (500 ml) milk and the grated nutmeg. Bring the mixture to boil over high heat, whisking constantly. Pour in the remaining milk, bring to a boil again, and season. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap flush with the surface. This will prevent a skin from forming.

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).

Place the mushroom preparation, the diced ham, and a little of the béchamel sauce in a mixing bowl and combine. Adjust the seasoning. Spread the crêpes out and butter them with the remaining butter. Fill them with the mushroom and ham mixture and roll up. Arrange them in a shallow ovenproof dish. Pour over the béchamel sauce and scatter the grated cheese on top. Bake for 15–20 minutes.

CHEF’S NOTE

The traditional filling for rolled crêpes uses mushrooms and ham, but feel free to add the fillings of your choice.

Extracted from The Complete Book of French Cooking by Hubert Delorme and Vincent Boué (Flammarion, 2023).

More pancake recipes

How to make the perfect French crepe

Crepes Suzettes recipe

Sweet fillings for French pancakes

The history of la Chandeleur – pancake day in France!

Want more France?

Discover more fabulous destinations in France with our free magazine The Good Life France

Love France? Have a listen to our podcast – everything you want to know about France and more!

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In her delicious new book, Amuse Bouche, a journey through France by its culinary treasures, Carolyn Boyd describes an extraordinary culinary event that honours Napoleon Bonaparte  – the giant omelette of Bessières. Only in France!

France’s love and skill in making the humble omelette has been elevated to legendary status thanks to such figures as Mère Poulard on the Mont Saint-Michel, whose nineteenth-century recipe is kept secret but involves much whisking and butter. More recently Julia Child shared the revered Cordon Bleu technique in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Here, she explained in great detail how the correct pan and a deft wrist action is key; she recommends using just two or three eggs. Imagine then, trying to make an equally delicious omelette with 15,000 eggs. Who could possibly take on such a challenge other than the Global Brotherhood of the Knights of the Giant Omelette?

L’omelette Geante, the giant omelette of Bessières

Every Easter Monday since 1973, the town of Bessières just outside Toulouse has cooked up giant omelette to share with everyone in town. What started as thirty-five eggs grew over the years to be more than 15,000, cooked in a pan that measures 4.2 metres in diameter and has a telephone pole for a handle.

The story that gets quoted as its origin is that Napoleon Bonaparte once stopped off at an auberge nearby, where he was so enamoured with the delicious omelette he was served that he insisted he would return the next day with his army and that the innkeeper would cook one large enough to feed them all. When you go to the festival, though, it becomes clear that this is a yarn that has been spun over the years, inflated in its importance by the internet. The real and more heartfelt reason is that it brings people together from the town and from all over the world, like a kind of giant omelette twinning association. There are brotherhoods of the omelette in six other places around the world: Fréjus in Provence; Malmedy in Belgium; Dumbea in New Caledonia; Granby in Quebec, Canada; Pigué in Argentina; Abbeville in Louisiana, USA.

When I visited, around 1000 volunteers – dressed head to toe in yellow and white – were cracking the 15,000 eggs on a long row of trestle tables, while the Chevaliers themselves in their tall toque hats wheeled the giant frying pan over a bonfire to begin melting 70 litres of duck fat. The aroma was intoxicating. Soon, the eggs were transferred into huge aluminium pots and whisked with hand-held paddle mixers (usually used for concrete mixing), into which chopped chives, the mild chilli pepper piment d’Espelette and salt and pepper were added. When the frying pan had reached its optimum temperature, the knights poured in the egg mixtures and started stirring with huge wooden paddles (usually used for canoeing). As the giant cook off took place, and the frenetic activity hit a lull, I chatted to some of the volunteers; a couple from the brotherhood in Malmedy in Belgium took turns between helping to put slices of sourdough bread on hundreds of paper plates and holding their baby daughter; a lady from Quebec had come as the solo representative from the Canadian contingent to see old friends; and a retired GP from Fréjus explained to me that each of the world’s seven giant omelettes has its own flavour – in Provence, they use olive oil and add fines herbes.

After half an hour, it was time to serve. A military operation saw the volunteers serve the omelette on to 6,000 plates which were quickly distributed with wooden forks to the spectators gathered around the square. I admit, I didn’t have too high hopes on the taste of the omelette, which is really scrambled eggs after all that stirring, but it was excellent. Incredibly tasty, warming and filling. I’d have gone in for seconds but after another half an hour the pan was almost empty. The crowds had had their fill and were now wandering off. I tracked down a chevalier to thank him for welcoming me into the arena, but first asked how they managed to make such a delicious omelette at this size. He reluctantly told me he thought that year’s omelette was a little lacking in salt, which floored me – they’d just cooked a 15,000-egg omelette, an incredible achievement in itself. But this was France, and flavour was everything.

Find out more about the event at: omelettegeante.fr 

Leading expert on French food and culture Carolyn Boyd shares the stories behind the country’s most fascinating foods and ingredients. Spanning every region of France and divided into 200 separate vignettes, each entry blends history and travel, personal anecdote and recipes.
Amuse Bouche is a book to be devoured: a beautifully illustrated, joyous celebration of French food, and a charming, practical guide to inspire your own travels – whether you’re a proud Francophile or don’t know your ficelle from your flûte.

Want more France?

Discover more fabulous destinations in France with our free magazine The Good Life France

Love France? Have a listen to our podcast – everything you want to know about France and more!

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Everyone in France nurses a little fondness for the Parisian flan, or flan pâtissier. This simple custard tart can be found in every French boulangerie and patisserie, with a pastry cream texture that ranges from rubbery to velvety smooth. In French restaurants, chefs are now taking the flan up a notch by experimenting with dark sugars and exotic vanilla flavors. For home cooking, I’ve aimed to keep this Parisian custard tart recipe as simple and delicious as possible without sacrificing taste and texture. We’ll use a fresh vanilla bean, whole milk, cream and short crust for a deliciously creamy flan with a buttery, flaky crust.

Parisian custard tart recipe – Serves 4

1 premade puff pastry sheet
15.2 fl oz (450 ml) whole milk
5 fl oz (150 ml) heavy cream
1 fresh vanilla pod, split in half lengthwise with the seeds scraped
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
4.5 oz (130 g) sugar
1.8 oz (50 g) cornstarch
2 tbsp (30 g) salted butter
1 tbsp (15 ml) pure maple syrup, to glaze (optional)

In a large saucepan, combine the milk and cream and place over medium heat. Add the vanilla pod and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring from time to time.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolk and sugar until the mixture becomes a pale-yellow color, then gently blend in the cornstarch.

As soon as the milk mixture starts to simmer, turn off the heat and discard the vanilla pod. Strain half of the milk mixture through a sieve into the egg mixture and whisk to combine before pouring in the rest. Give the custard a gentle stir, taking care not to whisk too hard, to prevent it becoming too foamy.

Pour the custard into the same saucepan used to heat the milk and place over medium heat. Whisk constantly, but gently, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the custard thickens and starts to boil. When it does, adjust the heat to low and continue to cook for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and incorporate the butter.

Remove the cake pan from the freezer and scrape the warm pastry cream into the pastry casing, smoothing evenly with a spatula. Place the cake pan on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the surface of the flan is golden with large brown patches. Remove from the oven and allow the flan to cool at room temperature before placing it in the fridge for at least 3 hours, ideally overnight. The flan must be completely cold before it’s unmolded. Brush the top of the flan with some maple syrup (if using) to provide some shine before serving.

Note

Double the ingredients for a 10-inch (25-cm)–diameter springform cake pan.

Mise en place

Grease the inside of an 8-inch (20-cm)-diameter round springform cake pan, dust lightly with flour and then line it with the pastry so that it covers the bottom and the sides. Keep the cake pan in the freezer until the pastry is rock solid. Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C).

Reprinted with permission from French Cooking Academy by Stephane Nguyen with Kate Blenkiron. Page Street Publishing Co. 2023. 

Want more France?

Discover more fabulous destinations in France with our free magazine The Good Life France

Love France? Have a listen to our podcast – everything you want to know about France and more!

All rights reserved. This article may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translated) or redistributed without written permission.

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Autumn is such a feel-good season. Fresh, crisp and misty mornings, hearty walks as the trees turn gold, and snuggling up in front of the fire as the evenings get colder. And surely nothing is more feel-good than combining some of the wonderful products of France with the comforting flavours of Britain and Ireland.

This marriage of European flavours is a match made in heaven and means you can enjoy easy to make recipes, great taste and that warm feeling you get from both local produce and memories of home. Bacon by the Box, based in Ireland, ship great Irish and British food to your doorstep in France. With their fresh products and store cupboard staples, here are our feel-good recommendations based on combining cultures to make winning Anglo-Irish-French favourites in autumn:

Sausage Casserole a la France

Sausages are such a great autumn fare, whether you need an easy dish that you can prep in advance or a big bowl of comfort food. You probably have your own favourite casserole recipe but for an Irish flavour with a French twist, try delicious Irish Coddle made with Clonakilty pork sausages and back bacon, hearty vegetables, French garlic and cider (recipe for Irish Coddle here). Wash it down with a good bottle of red French wine like a Côtes du Rhône and you’ve definitely got entente cordial!

Alternatively, you could go for good old Bangers ‘n Mash – we like it French style with a creamy pomme purée, caramelised French onions and Bisto gravy. Enjoy with a glass of spicy Languedoc-Roussillon red. It’s feel-good food at its best and yes, Bacon by the Box can even provide the gravy.

Bacon by the Box – Butties Français

Heading out for a long autumn walk? Fuel up with a bacon baguette made with some of Bacon by the Box Clonakilty traditional dry cured bacon. Their 100% Irish pork is slow cured for lots of flavour and thinly sliced so that it’s fries up nice and crispy. It’s perfect with a crunchy French baguette, and for extra taste, opt for unsalted French butter and a good dollop of Brown Sauce from Bacon by the Box’s condiment range.

Rainy Day Pie

OK, so not every autumn day is about gathering sweet chestnuts to the backdrop of a golden sunset at the end of a warm October day and some days make you want to stay in bed and pull the duvet over your head. When that happens, it’s definitely time for some serious comfort food, so keep a couple of emergency dishes in your store cupboard for this moment.

Cue the world-famous Fray Bentos Steak & Kidney Pie! It’s so easy to cook you can do it in your pyjamas and then serve it up with crispy Parmentier potatoes, baked until golden and drenched in garlic and herbs, and some local veg (smothered French-style in butter of course). Let’s not forget pudding, and what about blackberry and apple crumble made with local French fruit topped with good old Ambrosia Devon custard? Replete with memories of childhood dinners, head back to bed with a good book until the rain washes through or if you have to head out into the world, enjoy a warm glow that is almost tangible.

Erin’s Chicken Fricassée

It doesn’t get much more French than Chicken Fricassée. We love French dishes but we also believe in making life easier as well as tastier. So, cook up this wonderfully rustic and traditional family-style meal using Bacon by the Box’s tinned Erin Cream of Mushroom soup Instead of making the sauce from scratch). Add a little Sauvignon Blanc and a few roughly chopped local mushrooms for added depth and flavour and serve with green beans and warm crusty French bread. Oh la la, ca c’est bon!

Le Snack Attack

Sometimes, you just want to put your feet up in front of the TV and enjoy a snack. Or perhaps, you fancy a get together with friends for a good old natter and a cup of tea – biscuit dunking optional, of course. Did you know biscuit is a French word? It comes from bis cuit – twice cooked! The good news is, Bacon by the Box not only supply the tea but also the biscuits whether you’re dunking favourite is a Custard Cream, a Hobnob or even (gasp) a Jaffa Cake. Yes, Jaffa Cake dunking is a thing. Or what about Tunnocks’ Tea Cakes and a handful of Cadbury’s chocolate buttons for a real treat with a chocolat chaud or a café au lait?

Best of British and French flavours in autumn

Happy autumn, joyeux automne, or Fómhar shona as they say in Gaelic! We hope you’re inspired by these Anglo-French fusion flavour feel good food suggestions. Don’t forget to put in your order (Bacon by the Box deliver to France weekly), then grab your scarf and gloves, and get out there and enjoy this gorgeous season.

Find out more and order your favourites to enjoy the best of British and French flavours in autumn – delivered to your doorstep at: baconbythebox.com

The post The best of British and French Flavours in autumn appeared first on The Good Life France.

Cassoulet might seem like a simple meat and bean dish – but it isn’t! It’s a national obsession for the French. Some like it cooked the Carcassonne way or the Toulouse way, some like the Castelnaudary style dish as in this traditional recipe – with thanks to the Castelnaudary Tourist Office for sharing it.

INGREDIENTS

350 to 400g dried beans ingot type (preferably Lauragais)
2 duck or goose legs confit, cut in two
4 pieces of 80g pure pork sausage known as “from Toulouse”
4 pieces of 50g pork caught in the shank, shoulder or chest
250 g pork rind half of which will be used after cooking to assemble the cassoulet
a little salted bacon
1 poultry carcass or a few pork bones
onions and carrots

For 4 people

The day before: Soak the dried beans overnight in cold water.

The next day : Drain this water, put the beans in a saucepan with three liters of cold water and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, drain the water and reserve the beans.

Proceed to preparation of broth with again 3 liters of water (non-limestone and from Castelnaudary if possible), the rinds cut into wide strips, a poultry carcass if you have it or a few pork bones and, according to your taste, a little onion and carrots. Season with salt and pepper (generously). Cook this broth for 1 hour then filter the broth and collect the rinds.

In this filtered broth put the beans to cook until they are soft but remain intact. For this you need about 1 hour of boiling.

While the beans cook – Preparing the meats:

In a large sauté pan, make degrease the pieces of confit over low heat then set aside.

In the remaining fat brown the sausages from Toulouse then reserve them.

Brown the pieces of pork which should be golden brown and reserve them with the other meats.

Drain the beans and keep the broth warm. Add to the beans a few cloves of garlic and double the weight of salted bacon crushed together.

Assembly of the Cassoulet:

For this we will use the hollow terracotta dish which was called “cassolo” (today “cassole”) and which gave its name to cassoulet, or failing that a fairly hollow terracotta dish suitable for the oven.

Line the bottom of the saucepan with pieces of rind,

Add about a third of the beans,

Arrange the meats and pour the rest of the beans on top,

Arrange the sausages by pushing them into the beans, the tops of the sausages must remain visible,

Complete the casserole pouring the hot broth which should just cover the beans,

Pepper at the mill on the surface and add a tablespoon of duck fat used to brown meats.

To cook :

Place in the oven 150°/160 ° (Thermostat 5 or 6) and cook for 2 to 3 hours.

During cooking, a golden brown crust will form on top of the pan, which will have to be pushed in several times (the ancients said 7 times).

When the tops of the beans begin to dry, add a few spoons of broth.

If you prepare this cassoulet the day before, it will need to be reheated in the oven at 150° for an hour and a half before serving. Don’t forget to add a little broth or, failing that, a few spoonfuls of water.

And a last bit of advice from La Grande Confrérie du Cassoulet de Castelnaudary – “Very important! The cassoulet should be served bubbling in its saucepan. Serve it delicately without stirring it, it will be better and don’t hesitate to add more. It’s a dish that will take you to the paradise of popular gastronomy!”

Recipe from castelnaudary-tourisme.com 

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The post Cassoulet recipe – Castelnaudary style appeared first on The Good Life France.