Favourite French Foods!

 

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A few weeks ago I made a list of Ten French Foods that I personally avoid,  so now, here is the list of my Top Ten Favourite French Foods.

 

Each of these choices has a story and happy memories of discovering them on my many trips to France over the years.

 

1. Gratin Dauphinois

 

I gained thirty pounds almost directly related to discovering this French version of scalloped potatoes when I was in my twenties.  It came with most meals I ordered and I devoured it.

Made with cream, butter,  Gruyere cheese and garlic, it is irresistible and one of my French comfort foods.  I am salivating just thinking about it.

 

 

2. Trout Amandine

 

When I first went to a more upscale restaurant on my journeys in France, I ordered this.  The fish is usually prepared with the head attached, which might put some people off.  Not me. I don’t mind

the fish staring back at me as I eat him (or her).  It is cooked in a butter sauce with sliced almonds, lemon and parsley.  Delicious.

 

 

 

3. Confit du canard

 

Confit de canard is a French delicacy made from salt-cured duck legs and then cooked and preserved in duck fat.   Confit involves pre-cooking the meat and then preserving it in fat, most commonly

duck or goose fat. Anyway, ignore all that and tuck into this fowl that will delight the palate.  I order this regularly, especially on a cold day.

 

 

 

4. Foie Gras

 

Ok. I know this is controversial.  Foie gras is made from duck livers, and supposedly the farmed ducks are force-fed to make them fat. So I am loath to order this but when I have … oh boy.

A ten on the yum scale.  I remember having lunch with a friend and she ordered a large piece of foie gras (I had the duck confit coincidentally) enough for two, along with half a baguette.

That was her lunch.  I didn’t dare ask her to share it!

 

 

 

 

5. Steak-Frites

 

This is technically a Belgian specialty (I will be going to Belgium to find out!) but in any French bistro or brasserie, you will find this standard on the menu.  It is often made with rump steak, but

depending on the restaurant also porterhouse, rib eye, and flank steak will be used.  The frites|French fries vary from place to place but generally must be thin strips and crispy.  I tend to eat this

when I’m super hungry and tired. It gives me a little boost … must be the iron. 

 

6. Escargots

 

I was invited to a long lunch in the country years ago, and this was the first course. Picked from the forest that morning, the snails were very large and their shells were pumped full of butter, garlic and parsley.  There were multiple trays of them.

I thought THIS was all we were having for lunch, and so I ate 16 escargots (yes 16! Normally you get a serving of about 6 ) with lots of bread to mop up the butter. However, as it turned out this was only the first of many many courses, a 5-hour affair as it turned out.

I do not recall anything else about that meal, but I do remember how I happily gorged on escargots that day. And as long as I don’t think of them as slimy slugs crawling on damp earth I still order them from time to time.

 

 

7. Croque Monsieur

 

I always tell people; if you are in France, and you missed lunch and it’s still too early for dinner,  you can always find a bar/ brasserie to order a Croque Monsieur, the French equivalent of  ham and

cheese sandwich.   The French elevate it with Gruyere cheese, parmesan and a simple béchamel sauce, toasted in the oven.

The origins of this snack go back to when French factory workers brought their ham and cheese sandwich for lunch and left it on a hot radiator in the morning while they worked.

They were surprised to discover how yummy it was at lunchtime!

 

 

 

8. Salade de Tomates

 

When I was really trying to stretch out a budget, this would be my lunch with slices of fresh baguette.  What makes it so special are the wrinkled dry-cured black olives and the emulsified French

vinaigrette.  The latter is a staple for my salad dressings, and the recipe and ratio of mustard, vinegar and oil are very specific — 1 to 1 to 3 in measurements whether it is teaspoons or tablespoons.

Recipe for French Vinaigrette Dressing

 

 

9. Salade Nicoise

 

Again, a real go-to for when I want a satisfying but simple lunch.  It is always fun to see the variations of this salad when I travel in France but the ingredients are always the same; lettuce, boiled egg,

tuna, green beans, tomatoes, black olives and boiled potatoes.  The best one I ever had was in Nice of course.

 

 

10. Scallops in White Wine

 

When I was TV News Correspondent, I had to go to Paris to cover a conference. I had finished my report which was sent by satellite back to Canada and it was late. About 11 pm and I was starving having not eaten any dinner.  I landed around the corner from the Paris news bureau in a tiny bistro and asked the chef if he had anything left that he could make for me.  He disappeared back into the kitchen while the waiter poured me a glass of crisp cold wine. About 10 minutes later the chef arrived with a plate of succulent sea scallops, braised slightly on the outside, cooked to perfection, in white wine and of course butter.

I still hold up that meal as one of the best I ever had.   If you ever see this on a menu in France, order it!

 

*Note: Images are all from Google Images.  The feature pic of the pizza is my own! I think the French make a great pizza, especially on the Riviera near Italy.  This one was consumed in a restaurant in Cannes.

 

 

Top Ten French Foods To Avoid

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that I avoid CLICK HERE

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