STARTER: FRENCH ONION SOUP
This historic French classic has its origins in the Burgundy region of France and is quick and easy to put together. There are only a handful of easy-to-find ingredients and you can do it all in just one pot. CRISTEL® has the perfect stainless steel pot for the occasion. The aromas of onions sizzling in butter and enhanced by some fresh thyme will get mouths watering in no time.
French Onion Soup is also great for using up any not-so-fresh bread you may have lying around the kitchen. Start out by frying the chopped onions in butter for 15 minutes then dusting them with flour. Once browned, add 1.5L of hot stock, a bay leaf, and leave to simmer for 15 minutes. During this time, place some grated cheese onto slices of bread to grill in the oven, which will then be placed into the soup to serve. Salt and pepper to taste. So, get into the Bastille Day spirit and enjoy dabbling in a little hearty French cuisine shared amongst friends and family.
MAIN: BEEF BOURGUIGNON
This delicious stew is well-known across France and internationally, and with good reason. Julia Child has described the dish as "certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man". Celebrate Bastille Day in style with the Frenchest of French – a beef bourgignon prepared in a CRISTEL® pressure cooker.
You’ll need cubed beef, carrots, onions, button mushrooms, beef stock, garlic, thyme, a little flour and a bottle of red wine (for cooking! You may need a second bottle for drinking). Everything may be prepared step-by-step in the one cooker, and you’ll need to leave time for the dish to cook and infuse properly so it is truly delectable (approximately 3 hours).
MAIN: COQ AU VIN
Coq au vin is a wonderful French poultry dish which is said to have been invented by of Julius Caesar, truly standing the test of time. It is a hotpot of either rooster or chicken with bacon, mushrooms, a marinade and red wine. The process is rather simple – so long as you have the right pot, such as a top-of-the-range CRISTEL® stewpot or pressure cooker.
The heady aromas will have your guests licking their lips in anticipation. Coq au vin can be served with potatoes, pasta or rice. Ideally, the poultry is cut into pieces and left overnight to marinate before cooking, but we know this is not always possible.
MAIN: RATATOUILLE
Ratatouille is a well-loved French favorite around the world. The rich Mediterranean flavors of summer vegetables is hard to beat, and can accompany a large number of dishes. This Provençal dish is composed of tomatoes, onions, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, garlic and herbs. Occasionally green olives are added into the mix.
You can fry this all up together with a dash of extra virgin olive oil in a 100% French CRISTEL® stainless steel frying pan, which can then be transferred to the oven for the final 20 minutes of cooking to really bring out all of the flavors.
DESSERT: CREPES SUZETTE
Crepes Suzette are a lovely variation on traditional French crepes, as they are accompanied by a delightful orange-butter sauce with a dash of Grand Marnier. This delightful dessert is easy to prepare and can be made in advance. The base crepe recipe involves eggs; milk, flour, butter, sugar and a touch of salt and vanilla. Your crepes should be thin and easy to fold, not fluffy like pancakes.
For the sauce, start by zesting and juicing half an orange. Mix together with sugar, butter and the Grand Marnier using a whisk or a fork. You will then spread this butter mix onto each crepe, then folding them into four, and heating them up in the oven to finish with a beautifully warm melt-in-your-mouth dessert. You can top it off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
