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French cooking is one of the world's most revered, yet feared, cuisines. Because the stereotype of French cooking includes long lists of hard-to-find ingredients and complicated instructions, never has a cuisine been so misunderstood.
The average person in France has a hectic lifestyle and faces the same dilemma that most people do at the end of each day: what to make for dinner. The difference in France is that, in general, people don't view food and cooking as necessary evils. People look forward to each meal with great anticipation. When you figure out how to think like the French when planning a meal and shopping for the ingredients, you'll come to view food as they do: with joy and respect!
All cooking is local
Classic French cuisine, or haute cuisine, is considered one of the greatest cuisines in the world. What with pressed duck and succulent poached lobsters served in their shells with truffles and artichoke bottoms, this is the food that true gourmands dream of. Consisting of rich and elaborate dishes based on generations of tradition, only a small percentage of people indulge in this type of French cooking — and usually in elite restaurants. The average person on the street is usually at home enjoying simpler, homemade fare that reflects regional cuisine. Both styles of cooking share the French appreciation of quality ingredients.
To understand French cooking, you have to know a little something about the history of France. France was originally divided into duchies (small city-states, ruled by minor nobility) and small kingdoms until the 17th century, and each area or region had a distinct language and culture and, in many cases, its own cuisine. Authentic French cooking, therefore, like that of many other countries, is regional fare based on the traditions, geography, and climate of the area. French cooking can be divided into at least 12 different regions, each with its own distinct personality and traditions.
Although maybe France doesn't have what you would call a national cuisine, even the staunchest supporter of traditional, regional cuisine would have to acknowledge some distinct similarities in how people cook today throughout France.
The French approach
To truly understand the intricacies of a cuisine, you have to be willing to learn about the people and culture where it originated. There is always a reason things are the way they are in the French kitchen, and that word is freshness.
Spontaneity: The key to good eating
 | At the supermarket, shop for pantry basics and staples such as milk, butter, sugar, olive oil, pasta, and canned tomatoes. For perishable items, however, do as the Europeans do by trying to find a few minutes every day to visit your local vegetable store, butcher, or fish market to see what's available. Base your shopping decisions on what looks best. By going to the same small mom-and-pop stores all the time, you can develop a rapport with the shop owners. Deciding what to cook becomes a collaboration of your preferences and the shopkeepers' recommendations. Cooking also becomes more of an adventure, although you need to be flexible and know how to prepare at least a few simple dishes. |
Cooking in season
Almost every fresh food has its own season and place in time, as well as in the kitchen. Finger-thin stalks of asparagus in the spring; vine-ripened tomatoes during the hot days of summer; crisp, sweet, and tart apples in autumn; and juicy oranges in winter. Why, then, do so many people insist on eating tasteless peaches in January and mealy apples in April? Granted, new methods of long-term storage and different growing seasons in the southern hemisphere mean greater flexibility and availability as to what people can eat year-round, but you often pay a steep price for this. Consider what means more to you: eating whatever you want, whenever you want it, or eating the very best that is available seasonally.
Common ingredients
The following are examples of commonly used ingredients in French cooking:
- Butter (beurre): Unlike American butter made with sweet cream, French butter is made from cream that's slightly fermented. Higher in fat than its American counterpart, French butter is a golden yellow and very rich. American unsalted butter is an acceptable substitute.
- Chervil (cerfeuil): This delicate anise-flavored herb should be added to foods like omelets, cream sauces, and soups only right before serving because its flavor dissipates rapidly when heated. It combines well with other herbs, such as parsley, chives, and tarragon.
- Chives (ciboulette): This delicately flavored, spiky herb tastes mildly of onion and should be added to egg dishes, sauces, and soups only right before serving, to retain its flavor and bright green color. Chives are easy to grow in pots and are also available packaged at most supermarkets. The easiest way to cut chives is to take a bunch and snip them into 1/8-inch pieces with a pair of scissors.
- Dijon Mustard (Moutarde de Dijon): The most famous of any mustard, true Dijon mustard is made in the French city of Dijon with ground mustard seeds and white wine vinegar. With a certain amount of spiciness, Dijon mustard is used sparingly in vinaigrettes for a little added zing as well as binding the dressing. French home cooks also rub Dijon mustard on a leg of lamb before roasting it and spread it on slices of country pâté.
- Fennel (fenouil): Not to be confused with the fresh, light green bulb, dried fennel seeds taste of anise and licorice. Used traditionally in the Provence region of France, fennel seeds are used in fish and seafood dishes such as bouillabaisse. Use judiciously — a little goes a long way!
- Marjoram (marjolaine): Fresh marjoram is a wonderful herb that looks like thyme but has its own very distinct flavor. It goes especially well with eggs and vegetables such as zucchini.
- Tarragon (estragon): A very popular herb in France, tarragon is best used fresh. Considered a bitter herb, it is best used alone and with discretion, or it will overpower a dish. Tarragon is used extensively in preparing things such as chicken and béarnaise sauce (sauce béarnaise). A couple of tarragon leaves also pair well with some chopped parsley, chives, and chervil.
- Thyme (thym): Perhaps one of the most popular herbs used in French cooking, thyme is subtler than oregano, with tones of mint providing well-balanced flavor to most dishes. Fresh thyme leaves should be removed from the woody stems before use in cooking. The fresh leaves have a light, bitter, refreshing taste. Dried thyme blends well in most dishes, holding up well without overpowering the food. Use judiciously when roasting and grilling because the dry heat tends to accentuate its flavor.
- Shallots and leeks (échalotes et poireaux): Both are members of the allium family, which also includes onions, garlic, chives, and scallions. In addition to slicing and sautéing leeks, you can steam them and treat them like a vegetable, not unlike asparagus. Shallots are used in sauces, soups, and braised and stewed dishes when a mild onion flavor is desired. They look like small teardrop-shaped onions and require a bit of patience to peel and chop.
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