Here are four French dishes which have wild mushrooms as one of the main ingredients in them and which are truly delicious.

1 French Onion and Morel Soup

This is a truly wonderful soup which is full of flavour and absolutely delicious served with a very chilled dry white wine and lots of hot crusty pain de campagne. Morels are my favorite type of wild mushroom and I do love it when I find them in the woods.

2 Stuffed Wild Mushrooms

I really love this recipe because it is so tasty with lots of garlic, parsley topping the mushrooms as they are slowly cooked in butter over a low heat. The aromas of the mushrooms as they are cooking are simply gorgeous.

3 Guinea Fowl with Wild Mushrooms

I really do like cooking guinea fowl and I love its delicate flavor so when you add wild mushrooms with plenty of garlic and flat leaved parsley with a dash of Calvados, this dish is simply scrumptious.

4 Wild Mushrooms in Madeira en Croute

I love shortcrust pastry and these parcels filled wild mushrooms which have been cooked in a good quality butter and Madeira wine with garlic and herbs are absolutely out of this world. I like to dish these parcels up at a dinner party as a starter served with a fresh green salad.

There are so many wonderful French recipes and I am always on the lookout for new ones. Do you like to experiment with new recipes and do you have your favorite ones?

This toasted cheese and ham sandwich is a firm favorite in many French cafés as well as boulangeries and patisseries all over France. If you would like to try to make a Croque Monsieur, here is how you do it.

The ingredients you will need for your cheese and ham sandwich:

2 large slices of good-quality white bread – buttered

50g Gruyère cheese finely grated

2-3 slices of smoked cooked ham

10g butter, melted

1 level dessert spoon finely grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly milled black pepper

How to make your Croque Monsieur:

Butter one slice of the bread generously, on the other slice spread half of the grated Gruyère and then cover this with slices of ham. Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese on top of the ham and then press both slices of bread together. Brush some melted butter on the top half of the sandwich and sprinkle half the parmesan cheese on top, turn it over and sprinkle the rest of the parmesan cheese on the other side. Place under the grill and cook for 2 minutes. When cooked cut the sandwich in quarters and eat it whilst it is still hot and crunchy.

Another very popular lunchtime snack in France is Croque Madame which is very much the same as a Croque Monsieur only it has a fried egg and béchamel sauce spooned over the prepared sandwich. I love to have some cornichons, small gherkins with my Croque Monsieur or Madame and occasionally some pickled onions.

Have you ever tried either of these sandwiches? They are so easy to make and I know my kids love it when I make them these at the weekends.

Here are a few of my favorite traditional French potato dishes that accompany many meat recipes so well.

1 Gratin Dauphinois

If you are stuck for what to serve with a Sunday roast, gratin Dauphinoise is the solution to your problem. This rich dish is full of cream and Gruyère cheese and the great thing about it is that the earlier you make it the better is becomes, so if you make it the day before you are in for a treat the next day.

2 Les Pommes de Terre Sarladaises

This is a very traditional dish that comes from the Dordogne region of France. It is very simple to make but it is extremely tasty with garlic and parsley added to sliced potatoes that are slowly cooked in goose fat. Absolutely delicious served with steak and haricot verts.

3 Pomme de Terre aux Cepes

I love the taste of wild mushrooms and I am particularly fond of cèpes. This dish is wonderful rich with sliced potatoes, garlic, parsley and sliced cèpes all cooked to perfection in goose fat. The great thing is the potatoes are wonderfully crispy whereas the mushrooms stay wonderfully soft.

Do you have a favorite way of cooking potatoes? I really love the aromas of baked potatoes especially when they are covered in a cheese sauce and the combination of the two go so well with meat dishes, especially beef whether roasted or beautiful tender cuts like sirloin or filet.

In the winter when it is cold outside, I like to make hot starters whereas during the warmer summer months I prefer cold ones which include lots of salads and crudités. Here are my favorite choices for starters when the weather is cold outside.

1 Deep Fried Camembert with Raspberry Sauce

This is a really lovely rich starter with the camembert cut into wedges and then coated with bread crumbs and then deep fried. I make up my own raspberry sauce although you can buy it ready made. The combination of flavors is simply exquisite and although it is rich, this starter leaves plenty of room for the main course. I serve a nice light red wine when I dish up deep fried Camembert.

2 Vegetable & Chervil Soup

This is a truly tasty soup and although chervil is a very popular herb in France, is less used in other cuisines. The great thing about preparing a soup as a starter, is that you really can prepare well in advance, in fact it just gets better if you make it the day before and then just before you serve it to your guests, add a spoon full of crème fraiche to make it really rich. I use onions, garlic, carrots, leeks, celery, courgettes, tomatoes with chervil and I blend all these vegetables together so that the consistency is smooth and thick. Served with lots of crusty French bread, this soup is very good to keep the chill out.

I love to search out recipes on the Internet because there is always something new and innovative that a master chef has created and it is great fun trying out their recipes. Have you found a great French recipe for a wonderfully starter and did you try it out on your guests at a dinner party?

With the advent of the Internet, it is so easy to find just what you are looking for when it comes to exciting and new recipes. Here are three that I found not so long ago and must say my family really loved them.

1 Braised Lamb Fillet with Butter Beans & Garlic Sausage

If you have a hungry crowd arrive on your doorstep, this is the perfect dish to serve up. I adore butter beans and I love garlic sausage, so the combination of these tastes and the braised lamb is absolutely delicious. This is the perfect choice because you can cook it the day before everyone is due to arrive. I serve this dish with a nice light red wine and lots of crusty hot bread.

2 Semolina & Gruyère Quenelles with Tomato Sauce

If you are not familiar with quenelle, then you are really missing something which is delightfully light but very tasty. Quenelles are a mousse of either fish or meat which has been enriched with cream and eggs and then shaped delicately with spoons and then poached. This particular recipe uses semolina and gruyère cheese as a base and it is shaped by rolling the mixture on a floured surface. I always make my own tomato sauce to pour over the quenelles, but you can buy readymade French tomato sauce which is really very good. Again I prepare my quenelles the day before my family arrives, so I don’t have to spend too much time in the kitchen when they are at home.

I love cooking for my family because they, like me love their food and I like to try out new recipes on them to judge how good they think they are. Do you like to experiment in the kitchen and let you family try out your new French recipes?

Here are two of my favorites which are so nice to prepare and the aromas that come out of the kitchen as the dishes slowly cook, certainly gets everyone’s appetite ready for a tremendously wholesome meal.

1 Garbure Jambon de Bayonne

Garbure is a wonderful thick French soup made with cabbage, pumpkin, carrots, turnips, onions, potatoes, white beans with Bayonne ham and herbs. I like to add confit de porc to the recipe to add that little bit extra richness to the meal. I like to serve this thick soup piping hot with a full bodied red wine and of course lots of hot crusty bread. I always make this soup a day or two in advance, because it just gets better the longer you cook it for.

2 Pot au Feu – Foie gras de Canard et Legumes

This is a variation of a very traditional French stew which is very rich and simply delicious. The ingredients include duck, onions, carrots, Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, bouquet garni and the best ingredient of all – foie gras. I like to use foie gras made from duck liver but you can also use goose liver. Again I make this stew a day ahead of time, so that all the ingredients really get a chance to gel together wonderfully. I like to serve a very full bodied red wine with Pot au Feu because it really goes so well with it.

Like me do you like to cook stews, casseroles and thick soups during the cooler winter months? I would love to hear if you have a favorite French soup or stew that you enjoy preparing.

Whenever I prepare a special meal either for the family or friend who come over for dinner, then there are a three French desserts that I do enjoy making because I know everyone really loves them.

1  Crème  Brulée

This is a classic French dessert which you will find on most menus in French restaurants all over the world. If well prepared it is light and rich as well as being very moreish. The best part is torching the crème brulée just before serving it.

2 Crème Caramel

Crème caramel has got to be one of the best French desserts ever and I like to make a large crème caramel instead of individual smaller ones which are normally served as desserts in restaurants. My grandmother would often make this for us as children and I loved the brown syrupy sauce that she poured over the caramel just before serving it to us after a meal. I love crème caramel as a dessert all the year round but in winter I like to add a little Calvados to the sauce.

3 French Chocolate Truffles

If you love chocolate, then this is the dessert for you. It is rich, creamy and extremely chocolaty and although the dessert does take a little time to prepare, it is definitely worth the effort. I like to serve the chocolate truffles at room temperature covered in crème fraiche and if I am having a dinner party I serve a sweet chilled white wine with the dessert.

Do you have a favorite French dessert that you enjoy eating at a restaurant and have you ever tried to make any of the three above? If you have never had French chocolate truffles, I highly recommend that you do, they are simply gorgeous.

1 Poulet à la Crème

This is a very traditional French dish which originates from the Normandy region of France. The ingredients include chicken, lean bacon, onions, Calvados, celery leaves, dry still cider, apples, egg yolks and of course thick double cream. I love to serve this dish with boiled potatoes with lots of fresh parsley and lots of good quality unsalted butter over them. A really nice dry white wine goes very well with Poulet à la Crème.

2 Poulet à la Crème Fraiche

Although you may think this is the same recipe as the one above, it is not as it is a lot sweeter in taste and includes button mushrooms with the chicken as well as onions, shallots, granulated sugar, dry white wine, chicken stock, thyme and lots of crème fraiche.  This dish is very rich and extremely filling so I like to serve it simply with green beans which have been slightly fried in garlic butter.

I do love the winter months and I particularly love the build up to the festive season. I like to get all the meals and dishes worked out well in advance. We are enjoy the wonderfully rich food that we eat during the Christmas period and chicken casseroles like the two above are great to dish up in the evenings. Do you have a favorite chicken recipe that you really enjoy preparing?

Here are three of the dishes that my family really enjoy eating and which I love to prepare for them:

1 Cognac Shrimp with Beurre Blanc Sauce

I recently found the recipe for this dish on the Internet and must say that I absolutely adore it. The ingredients include shrimps, dry white wine, lemon juice, butter, Cognac and lots of thick fresh cream. It is wonderfully simple dish to prepare and makes a really delicious main course. Served with very chilled wine and lots of crusty French bread goes down really well with my family.

2 Crab Quiche

I absolutely adore this dish. The salty-sweet crab meat mixed with fresh herbs and cheeses and cooked to perfection, it is very filling yet moreish. The recipe has lovely aromatic herbs like dill, chives and parsley and I like to add some nutmeg which really adds the finishing taste to the quiche. Served with a dry chilled wine, this quiche is simply scrumptious.

3 Halibut Provençale

Halibut is such a lovely tasty fish and in Provence they traditionally cook this with a Provençale sauce which is made up of shallots, fennel, tomatoes, olives, garlic and fresh sage all cooked in clam juice. The sauce is rich and full of flavors that really compliment the taste of the halibut extraordinarily well.

Do you have a favorite French seafood dish that you like to prepare at home? I often have a meal in a restaurant which I have not tasted before and like it so much that I have to make it at home for my family, do you do the same?

I like to buy my meat a few days before I intend cooking it as like this I know it will be rested and therefore tender. However, if I am preparing a seafood dish, then I buy the fish on the same day that I cook it.

Here are three courses I like to prepare for a special dinner party.

1 Lotte a L’Imperatrice

This is a lovely light starter originates from the region of France called Poitu-Charentes which is a coastal area. The French word for monkfish is ‘baudroie’ and it is a very popular in France. The great thing about this fish is that it is boneless which makes it very easy to prepare and cook. Monkfish mold is full of flavor with ingredients which include Cognac, fish stock, tomato puree, chopped tarragon, cayenne pepper and is a really fantastic starter for a dinner party because you can make it the day before.

2 Civet de Cerf

Braised venison is a very traditional French dish which is very rich and truly delicious, especially when the weather is cold outside. The ingredients include venison, onions, carrots, celery, rind of oranges and red current jelly. The marinade the venison is left to soak up and tenderize the meat is full of herbs and spices such as juniper berries, allspice, bay leaves and parsley stalks all mixed in a very good quality red wine. I love to serve this dish with a selection of boiled vegetables with plenty of unsalted butter on them.

3 Tarte aux Fruits

Fruit tart and crème fraiche for me, finishes off a meal perfectly. I like to use a mixture of fruits such as apples or pears as well as strawberries or peaches all cooked to perfection on a very flaky shortcrust pastry base and I like to douse the fruit tart in icing sugar just before I serve it up to my dinner guests.

Do you have a favorite combination of starter, main course and dessert that you enjoy preparing for a dinner party? Which is your preferred French main course?