Category: Food

Italian food, developed to perfection over more than 1.000 years

Italian cuisine (cucina) is much more than a form of food; it is a way of life in a country where family, friendship and celebrations are indelible. Italian cuisine is simple, vibrant, and good for you.

Italy is one of the oldest countries in the world, and thanks to the geographical limits of the Mediterranean Sea and the Alps, it has remained largely unchanged throughout history. Even during the Roman Empire, Italy was set apart.

Italian cuisine is a top food brand

Italian cuisine is very famous: much appreciated and tirelessly imitated around the world, it has been a source of endless pleasure and joie de vivre in countries all over the world. Italian cuisine is not just for Italians, but for everyone.

If you are going to take a trip to Italy, you will definitely want to experience what this beautiful country has to offer, and that is the fact that Italian cuisine is exotic. This food is what you would expect when traveling to distant lands, and you would be hard pressed to soak up all the culture and flavors of this food because even in its country of origin it is so diverse.

People love Italian cuisine all over the world.

Pizza Napoletana (Naples)

Maybe no other popular dish in Italy captures the essence of Italian cuisine better than a pizza. The history, simplicity, and new, high-quality ingredients come together to make the best, most authentic form of pizza.

A Neapolitan-style pizza is a flatbread topped with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and extra virgin olive oil. Making a real Pizza Napoletana is an art involving more than 3 or 4 basic ingredients.

Tomatoes must be grown in the volcanic soil of San Marzano sul Sarno, while paste must be prepared with unique ingredients, formed by hand and topped only with D.O.C. Mozzarella di Bufala Campana. The pizza should be baked in a wood-fired oven with two forms of wood at 900 degrees for 60 to 90 seconds.

There are three official variants of Napoletana pizza. The famous pizza pie is said to have been created by Neapolitan pizza maker Raffaele Esposito in 1889, during a visit to the city by Queen Margherita of Savoy.

Spaghetti carbonara (Rome)

Rome, the “dispenser of spaghetti” and one of the pillars of  Italian cuisine as well as “Carbonara”, a southern Italian staple, has become over the years one of the most popular food choices of our world.

It contains guanciale (a pig-based meat) instead of bacon, egg yolk, and cheese. The cream was omitted in favor of a taste of the preparation.

A Roman pasta dish is followed by a carbonara (bacon, parmesan and tomatoes) or its ancestor the gricia (same ingredients but without tomatoes) or “cacio e pepe” (pecorino cheese, black pepper and pasta cooking water).

Spaghetti is seldom the main ingredient, but this is always supplemented by the cacio e pepe pasta and bucatini with amatriciana.

Risotto

Rice, which is often eaten as a creamy and luxurious risotto, complements the holy trinity of Italian starches. Ironically, Italians are not big rice eaters, with all the pasta and polenta, but they are the biggest rice producers in Europe. While southern Italy is often called the country’s bread basket, northern Italy, especially Lombardy and Piedmont, is its bowl of rice. It is therefore normal that the Arborio and Carneroli varieties grown in the vast rice fields of these regions are made into one of Italy’s most iconic dishes by being mixed with broth and stirred until they form a half. – velvety soup that perfectly transmits the flavors of everything. cooked with. Probably the most famous type of risotto is saffron-infused risotto alla milanese, which was invented, according to legend, by workers at the Milan cathedral who used saffron to stain stained glass and thought they would throw it away too. in their rice. Other classic versions of the dish include risotto al nero di sepia (with cuttlefish and ink) and risi e bisi (with pancetta and peas), both from Venice.

Lasagna (Bologna)

One of the oldest pasta recipes in the world, lasagna is a traditional Italian comfort dish prepared by alternating layers of pasta sheets, meat, sauce and cheese.

While there are countless ways to prepare Garfield’s favorite food, the most popular variation is still the classic Lasagna alla Bolognese, made with ragù (meat-based bolognese sauce), Béchamel sauce and Parmigiano cheese. Reggiano.

Lasagne Napoletana, on the other hand, features meatballs, sausages, as well as ricotta and mozzarella instead of Béchamel sauce, and is typically served in Naples during the Carnivale.

There is a dispute as to whether it was invented in the Middle Ages in Naples or if its origins date back to ancient Greece, but one thing is for sure, lasagna is one of the most delicious baked dishes that the Italy has to offer.

Prosciutto

Prosciutto is a sliced dry-cured ham, served as an antipasto, which means it is a dish to be eaten or served before a meal.

Although uncooked, prosciutto is healthy to eat due to the drying process.

It is made from pork or bacon or the ham from the upper part of the neck and is sometimes served on breadsticks or a sliced or cubed melon. Prosciutto is not only for slicing and grilling up into sandwiches but is used in various dishes and stuffings, such as in pasta dishes.

Prosciutto di Parma is named after the city of Parma in Italy, where the best quality is made. It is the best-known prosciutto and is prepared by a method of salting and air drying from the month of March, which is done at a very low temperature. This is one of the reasons Prosciutto di Parma is more expensive than other prosciuttos.

Truffles

One of the most expensive and desirable foods in the world is this tangy, elusive mushroom – and Italy is one of the few countries where they can be found in abundance!  Well and in France (Perigord) and Japan.  Truffles are “hunted like an escaped convicts with dogs and captured”  in the forests and mountains of Umbria and Piedmont. They train truffle pigs and dogs to find the truffles. Try white (more expensive) and black truffles and decide which one you prefer.

Although Japan prides itself on being the truffle capital, the best truffles in the world are found in Italy. Unlike Japan, however, Italy celebrates these less common varieties of truffle. The flavor may be a little bit more pronounced to some people, who do not like it very much because they feel, it tastes and smells a little bit like gasoline, which to connoisseurs is good. Their popularity is increasingly growing, but their widespread use in Italian cuisine makes it an all-time favorite variant of expensive Italian food. We are talking 100s of dollars per pound.

Truffles grow naturally all over Umbria, Tuscany and Piedmont, so you’re more likely to find fresh truffles in local dishes in these regions, but only if you go in the fall. If you want to visit the truffle country in the fall, then you can visit a truffle festival in November. The legend says that Alba International White Truffle Festival in  Piemonte, Italy is the most prestigious.

If you are new to truffles, we recommend that you start with fresh pasta, such as macaroni, and drizzle a fine amount of truffle oil on top.  But you can also use bread or crusty baguettes. Truffles are usually spread over pasta, risotto, or other forms of dishes, which itself may be used to spice a steak.

World´s biggest truffle company is Sabatini in Italy

Mozzarella

Mozzarella has historically been referred to as a raw spun cheese obtained by a particular method of processing (the method of filata pasta) in which the cheese dough is spun (stretched and kneaded to achieve the correct consistency) and is then cut to size.  From buffalo milk, you will get the finest mozzarella (mozzarella di bufala) (mozzarella di bufala).

Mozzarella is now sold in various forms (fresh, smoked, wrapped in leaves, stuffed or seasoned) and in various shapes and characteristics ( mozzarella di bufala Campana, mozzarella di bufala, mozzarella tradizionale, mozzarella fior di latte

The best mozzarella can still be found south of Naples, near Battipaglia and Caserta, where, according to the traditional recipe, it is made with raw milk. This form of mozzarella, sadly, has a very limited shelf life and can rarely be found outside its area of origin.

Notice that authentic and fresh (non-industrial) mozzarella should not be stored in the refrigerator.   This goes for mozzarella, of course, bought in Italy. If it has to be stored in the refrigerator, this indicates that it has been handled or processed in a manner that is not compatible with how genuine mozzarella is produced. True mozzarella is stored in its siero (the liquid in which it is stored) in a dry and cool position and must be eaten within 5 days of production (approximately 24 hours after purchase, so be careful).  Keeping it in the fridge makes it spongier and less “milky” (approximately 24 hours after purchase, to be careful).

Osso buco alla Milanese

Food lovers have the luxury of joining the osso buco alla Milanais!

A variety of vegetables are eaten with tender veal shanks, slowly braised in white wine. To complete the sauce, a serving of aromatic gremolata, a condiment made from  garlic  lemon zest, and parsley, is added.

When you’re finished with the meat and veg, the meal doesn’t end, as the best part of the dish is scraping the creamy marrow from the veal bones and enjoying it.

Panzanella (Tuscany)

Panzanella is a balanced and delicious bread and tomato salad usually served in central Italy during the hot summer months, and it is a staple of Tuscan cuisine, or better still, called the Italian’cucina Povera ‘.  The poor cuisine of Italy has created some of the best food ever. It has its roots in the lush green fields of Tuscany, where farmers had to rely on locally grown produce for food while working.

The love affair with bread salads in the area dates back to the 14th century, but the original recipe was based on stale bread and onions prior to the discovery of the New World and the introduction of tomatoes to Europe.

Meanwhile, today’s Panzanella is made from juicy sun-ripened tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh basil and leftover bread, and seasoned with vinegar and olive oil.

Saltimbocca

Small slices of veal are used in the dish, garnished with salted prosciutto and herb leaves. Coupled with a toothpick, these ingredients are sautéed in a pan until the meat is cooked. To prepare saltimbocca, various types of meat, such as chicken and mutton, are also used.

A well-made saltimbocca serving promises to be a sweet, melt-in-your-mouth dish. This savory delight is certainly not to be missed and is very popular among locals and travelers to Italy.

You can learn to prepare this dish yourself while you are in Rome. You will be taught the elegance of Italian cuisine with a cooking class right in the heart of Rome during a market tour.

Cicchetti (Venice)

Similar to Spanish tapas, in typical Venetian wine bars called bacari, Cicchetti are moderately priced small plates served traditional Venetian ways. This can vary from artichoke hearts to bachelà mantecato pieces (cod in cream) and is usually accompanied by Ombra (a small glass of wine).

Cicchetti bars are a breath of fresh air in a city full of tourist restaurants like Venice, offering you the opportunity to mingle with the locals and sample the authentic local cuisine.

In the back alleys of Venice, especially in the area around the Rialto Market, Bacari can be found in abundance, but make sure you go early, as they typically close at 8 or 9 p.m.

Gelato

Without gelato, no trip to Italy is complete! If you’re tempted to grab a scoop (or two) a day, don’t worry, eating ice cream regularly in Italy is perfectly normal, particularly in the summer.

Although gelato translates to “ice cream,” it is not exactly the same. Ice contains much less fat than ice cream. around 4 to 8 percent in contrast with 14 percent in the United States for ice cream. The low fat content ensures that the ice cream is eaten a little warmer and appears to melt quicker in the mouth, intensifying the taste and giving it a smoother texture as well.

ice has a much higher density. Regular ice cream has air and water added to increase bulk and weight. Unfortunately, these additions also make it less tasty. This practice is illegal in Italy, leaving the ice cream (at least, the traditional homemade ice cream) super soft and super tasty. Finally, good ice cream is not made for long term storage.

Looking for the good stuff? Find the best ice cream in Rome, Florence and Milan.

Focaccia (Liguria)

Often associated with Ligurian cuisine, focaccia is one of the most beloved and delicious breads of Italian food. Its name derives from the Latin term “panis focacius”, which means baked flatbread.

While there are countless varieties throughout Italy, the classic Genoese focaccia alla (known locally as fugassa) found in Genoa and villages on the Italian Riviera is considered the best in the world. This is usually made with a combination of soft and hard wheat flour, yeast, water, salt, and high quality extra virgin olive oil.

Outside of Liguria, focaccia is often flavored with herbs, as well as garlic, tomatoes and basil. A popular variation is focaccia al rosmarino (rosemary focaccia), which is often served as an antipasto or table bread.

Other regional Italian food:

Caponata (Sicily)

Italian food is also Sicilian food and food from Sardegna. Sicilian cuisine is a wonderful blend of Greek, Arabic and Spanish influences, but if you only have one meal here, let it be caponata, the island’s beloved eggplant dish.

The star of this hot vegetable salad is eggplant, but it’s the gorgeously sweet and sour sauce that makes it an unforgettable vegetarian delight. It usually contains onions, celery, capers, and all the vegetables that people have in their kitchen. Otherwise, there is no standard recipe for caponata, as every house and restaurant has its own version.

For this reason, when eating in Sicily, it is not uncommon to find olives, raisins, pine nuts and even octopus in your caponata.

Tiramisu

Light and creamy, tiramisu is a well-known dessert in Italian food sought after by locals and travelers. Ingredients such as lady’s fingers, coffee, eggs, sugar, cocoa and mascarpone cheese needed to make this sweet treat.

If you are visiting Rome, you can also attend a fresh pasta and tiramisu cooking class to learn how to make homemade tiramisu.

The dessert makers have given an innovative twist to the traditional tiramisu recipe, offering varieties such as fruit tiramisu, chocolate tiramisu and intriguing sounding ch’tiramisu.

Digestives

The term “digestive” or “digestive” does not refer to a drink, but to a class of drinks that are enjoyed after a substantial meal with the aim of calming the stomach and helping you feel less full. Their consumption dates back to the Middle Ages when people across Europe believed in the medicinal properties of alcohol mixed with sugar and herbs. While doctors still don’t know the medical benefits of drinking medium to strong liquors after a meal, the point is, you can’t say you’ve enjoyed a real Italian meal unless you top it all off with a dose. of hard substance. Popular digestives include limoncello, Sambucca, Grappa, Amaro, Cynar, Amaretto. If you’re feeling sweet and perhaps party oriented, Sambuca is your go to Digistive. You coffee beans and light them up for a perfect “roasted digestive”. If you think outside the box in Italy, you will also discover all types of good after-dinner dishes made with local fruits and herbs.

French food is in a league of its own. When it comes to food, France seems to have had a clear advantage from a long culinary history with excellent cuisine and good food in constant and continuous development. Escoffier, the French master chef more or less created the modern gastronomic kitchen in the 18th century. And others followed in his footsteps like Paul Bocuse, who for many years ruled in Lyon in the restaurant l’Auberge du Pont de Collonges. Here in Lyon he more or less single-handedly created la nouvelle cuisine. For a full 55 years, this restaurant had 3 Michelin stars until 2020, 2 years after Bocuse’s death.

We have a lot to thank the French for in terms of food culture. Judging by the quality food from Alsace to Provence, and genuine food joy as well as respect from traditions, it is clear that the French have all the ingredients to set new standards in the culinary world in years to come. Food is a central part of French culture, and the joy of life is tied to togetherness and the joy of sharing a good meal.

But in fact, it is not as difficult as some might imagine to produce and enjoy similar food quality in a style that traditional French cuisine exhibits, neither on holiday in France of course nor at home. Just find some French, simple dishes you like and then take it from there. That’s what we’re doing here.

Bon appetit!

The starters on the French food menu

Cognac Shrimps with White Butter

We cannot discuss French cuisine without mentioning the combination of shallots, wine, cream, butter and cognac. These ingredients come together in this delicious, easy-to-cook main dish.

The name of this brandy shrimp recipe makes it more sophisticated and perhaps more difficult than it actually is – a butter blanc is simply a butter and wine sauce. You will be delighted to see how short and common the ingredient list is. You may already have everything you need in your kitchen.

Savory Soufflés, where to put this French dish on the menu?

Soufflés can be savory or sweet.

The dish got its name from the French word souffle meaning to whisper, and in the 18th century, in France, the sweet and savory versions of this delicacy were first made.

There are many variants of the dish today, including inventive ingredients such as chicken, figs, kiwi, broccoli,  corn, sweet potato, pineapple and vegetables.

Sweet souffles: In the middle of the dish, sweet soufflés usually have a sauce and are served almost entirely as a dessert. Ingredients such as cheese, lobster, or onions are sometimes found in savory soufflés and they are typically served as an appetizer.

Beef Bourguignon

Boeuf Bourguignon is a rich and varied stew that comes from France’s Burgundy region.  A robust red Burgundy wine is the star of the dish and it’s used to flavor and tenderize hard Charolais beef cuts, with savory additions such as onions, garlic, thyme, carrots, potatoes and mushrooms. And often a few orange peel strips to make the flavors even better.

The ingredients are cooked for quite some time until the meat is absolutely soft and succulent, and all the juices are blended together in a dark, hearty sauce. After being kept in the fridge for 24 hours and then reheated, some say the dish tastes even better.

Beef Bourguignon reaches back to the Middle Ages, when, using only readily available ingredients, the slow cooking technique used to soften harder pieces of beef. It is a true gastronomic joy to combine a serving of beef bourguignon with a glass of red burgundy.

Ratatouille

It started out as a poor man’s dish, but ratatouille has found its way into French restaurants and tables of all calibers. It’s basically an eggplant-enhancing vegetable stew that sits on the stovetop to cook until tender. It’s incredibly easy and inexpensive to make, so if you’re on a budget but need to impress, this recipe is also for you.

Piperade

Piperade, which was invented in Basque Country towards Spain, falls under the same label as ratatouille: it is a vegetable dish prepared by boiling vegetables in olive oil or duck fat, then cooking them in their own juice until they are melted into a delicious and tender mix. But if ratatouille regards eggplant to be its key player, piperade relies on peppers.

Red peppers are the traditional base for piperade, but you can swap hot peppers if you want to increase the spice level. The piperade also contains smoked Spanish paprika to enhance the flavorful nature of the dish, but if you can’t find it, the cayenne pepper will add extra heat.

Steamed mussels

If you are in the south of France, it’s inevitable that you’ll come across meat and fries. This dish is magnificent in its simplicity, implying’ mussels with fries’. You can choose between white and red meat sauce, but whatever you choose, the salty fragrance of the sea matches well with the unsalted fries for the best fast food.

Burgundy Snails, a famous dish in French cuisine

As one of the most classic French dishes, snails are up there with frog legs, a treat or a challenge, it depends,  that many tourists to France find it necessary to try. Burgundy is home to the best snails in the world, they claim, and the preparation is actually much more complicated than you would expect. You definitely can’t pinch one of these animals and put it in your mouth on the garden wall. They are fed cleansing herbs and thoroughly washed before they are boiled with plenty of butter, garlic and parsley, they are then baked in the oven. All in all, the process takes up to three days, which is one reason, why it is relatively costly.

Quiche Lorraine

A quiche is a type of savory pie served with a garnish of salted custard, cheese, meat and/or vegetables. Although the quiche originated in Germany, today it is known exclusively as a French dish. Quiche means cake and has its roots in the German word Kuchen. The most popular variation of quiche is Quiche Lorraine made with a garnish of smoked bacon and custard.

Baguette, the bread of life

Around 350 baguettes are eaten every second in France, making it a traditional French dish to try.

While French baguettes are strong enough to stand on their own, they are even better when made into a sandwich. Try a ham sandwich to taste a baguette in a whole new light. Prepared by simply cutting the baguette lengthwise, spreading it with a schmear of fresh unsalted butter, and topping it with ham and a little lettuce, they are simply amazing.

Main dishes in the French cuisine

Coq Au Vin, a signature dish in the French cuisine

Many traditional French recipes started out of necessity as a way to make cheap food taste good. This is the case with this classic chicken dish, which is both hearty and surprising.

Coq au vin means “coq au vin” and it was intended as a way to cook the tough meat of an old bird. It’s a country-style dish now made with chicken and filled with vegetables. It takes a few steps and many hours of unattended cooking, but the techniques aren’t that difficult and the end result is well worth it. This casserole has become a new family favorite.

Pesto Soup, the less known, tasty soup of Southern France

Pesto soup, like ratatouille, is native to Provence, and it is another example in the French culinary canon of a great vegetarian dish. The soup contains pancetta in its original form, but changes can definitely be made to the recipe if you are dining with vegans.

Bouillabaisse, no 2 bouillabaisse are the same

In a tomato and saffron broth, the Provencal fish soup, bouillabaisse is a celebration of fresh seafood at its finest. This stew underlines the hospitality of the sea across the region’s usual flavors like garlic, saffron, olive oil and tomatoes. You would be hard-pressed to determine if the best part is the delicate broth or the huge pieces of seafood.

Foie Gras, the great divide in Frenc cuisine

It’s the French delicacy that “everyone” loves to hate. Foie gras is made by feeding ducks and geese large amounts of grain in the weeks before they are slaughtered, a process known as force-feeding, in order to engulf their livers at about 10 times their usual size. Producers say it is an exaggeration of a natural migratory survival technique while activists see it as a shameful abuse of animal rights.

Perigord in Dordogne, famous for both Fois Gras and Black truffles, this is French cuisine at its finest

Périgord is world-famous for its highly prized black truffles. Some livestock is raised in Aquitaine, mainly for meat. A significant number of farms raise ducks and geese for the production of foie gras. It is also one of the major wine-producing regions of France.

Without being discouraged, as it is a long-standing tradition, the French appreciate the rich buttery pâté on toast and especially during the holiday season.

Cassoulet

Cassoulet is another hearty dish to get out of the French cookbook. Okay, maybe it’s not originally French; historians have found traces of a cookbook with a form of Arabic cassoulet that is believed to have been imported to France in the seventh century. Either way, this herbed meat and bean stew has now achieved iconic status. However, there is still no consensus on the recipe. The “classic” cassoulet will contain everything from duck to short ribs to sausage. Really, this uncertainty is great because it gives you the license to play around with the recipe until you find the one that is exactly right for you.

Duchess Potatoes, the upgraded potato

Known as Duchess potatoes in French, Duchess potatoes are one of the classic components of French cuisine. They are basically mashed potatoes that are well seasoned and have a shape that resembles a meringue. Duchess potatoes consist of a purée of mashed potato and egg yolk, butter, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, which is forced from a piping bag or hand-molded into various shapes which are then baked at 245 °C until golden. They are a classic item of French cuisine. These spoonfuls of potatoes can come in different sizes and can be served with any kind of meat like duck, see picture above.

French food: The desserts and cheeses of the French Cuisine

Brioche

Brioche is a type of bread made with egg and butter. Bread is bloated by nature, due to the large amount of eggs and butter used. Sometimes brandy and sugar are also added in the process (for taste). It is usually eaten for breakfast or as a dessert, and can also be served with tenderloin in a crust.

Black Pudding

Blood sausage, a charcuterie style, is exactly what it sounds like: ground pork mixed with pork blood. It appears in the kitchens of many cultures, and the French call their interpretation black pudding.

This dish dates back several centuries and historians believe it to be the oldest item of cold cuts still consumed today. To do this, meat and blood are traditionally mixed with cream, onions, apples and herbs before sliding into sausage casings. The blood provides a metallic flavor that acts as a pleasant counterpoint to the richness of the cream and pork, and many French brasseries serve black pudding with baked apples to accentuate those flavor notes.

Ganache

In order to create the simplest type of the world-famous sweet creation called ganache, finely chopped chocolate and hot cream are carefully blended. Optionally, this smooth and velvety chocolate mix can be mixed for a smoother texture with melted butter and improved by the addition of a wide range of extracts, oils, liqueurs, herbs, spices, or even salt.

High-quality semi-sweet or sweet and sour chocolate and heavy cream are required for traditional ganache, but milk chocolate and white chocolate can are also be used while whipping cream or double cream are equally suitable.    The quality of the ganache can also differ in addition to the ingredients used for its preparation, and mostly depends on the chocolate and cream proportions used.

Ganache is commonly used, whether as a filling or coating, in the preparation of cakes, pastries, and various confectioneries, and is also an essential element of chocolate truffles.

Roquefort, the preferred cheese of Charlemagne

Made from unpasteurized whole sheep’s milk, Roquefort is one of the best cheeses in France. Before the cheese is pressed, it has blue veins dispersed on its body, formed from Penicillium Roqueforti spores. Penicillium Roqueforti is a common saprotrophic fungus in the genus Penicillium. Widespread in nature, it can be isolated from soil, decaying organic matter, and plants and put to good use.

It is so tasty and cherished that it was Emperor Charlemagne’s choice, and it is called the ‘cheese of the kings and popes’ locally. On the outside, Roquefort has a moist rind, while its texture is crumbly and creamy on the inside, tangy, complex, intense, sharp and salty in terms of taste, with a blue mold-marbled white paste.

it must mature inside caves in the south of France, for a minimum of 5 months. It is also good for your well-being, being high in fat and salt, as it is known to have unique anti-inflammatory properties. With figs, nuts, sweet white wines, and good red wines, Roquefort goes very well.

Camembert from Normandy. French food at its best

Made from raw cow’s milk, Camembert de Normandie, Normandy’s most popular and classic cheese, weighs an average of 250 grams. The taste is strong, pungent, mushroom-like, grass-like and butter-like, while the scent is musty and frankly a little cabbage-like.

A farmer named Marie Harel, as legend has it, sheltered a fugitive priest and, in exchange, gave him the Camembert recipe that we know today. The cheese is ladled by hand into molds, dried and salted, then aged for 30-35 days.

Its body is smooth and creamy, while a white, moldy layer covers its exterior. Camembert cheese is normally wrapped in a small wooden box to keep its gooey interior from leaking and spilling out. Sliced apples, crispy baguettes, hard ciders, or even sweets, are the perfect way to try it.

Pancakes aka Crêpe Suzette

What would French cuisine be without pancakes? Essentially, a pancake is a thin pancake that can be filled with anything you want. Crêpes are everywhere in France and can be sweet or savory, serving as main dishes, side dishes or desserts.

Crêpe Suzette is a very typical French dessert consisting of crêpes with Beurre Suzette, a sauce of caramelized sugar and butter, tangerine or orange juice, zest, and Grand Marnier, triple sec or orange Curaçao liqueur on top, prepared in a tableside performance, typically flambé.

Your French cooking classes won’t be complete until you learn the beauty of pancake-making. Mastering the technique of tilting the pan to distribute the dough evenly can be a little difficult, but it just takes practice.

Puffs

This very popular French dessert is loved around the world – known to foodies for its soft, airy texture, and infamous among chefs for its ruthless nature, which leaves little to no room for error during the cooking process. This delicate cake consists of two elements: a base of pudding or cream and a meringue made from egg whites.

Hot Chocolate

A sachet of hot cocoa mix speckled with marshmallow chunks can certainly warm you up on a cold winter day, but if you really want to improve your chocolate drinking experience, the French version is well worth a try.

Hot chocolate requires melting semi-sweet chocolate in hot milk on the stovetop, resulting in a thicker, richer, and more luxurious drink than you typically get with powder.

Homemade Chocolate Mousse

It’s so simple, with just five ingredients, but it remains a mystery to many home cooks. Basically, a custard with whipped cream incorporated, the chocolate mousse is one of the icons of the French dessert table – and you’d be surprised at how easy it is to make this romantic dessert.

After you enjoyed the French Cuisine: Chartreuse, French Liqueur, try the green one?

One of the oldest and most famous French liqueurs is Chartreuse. The drink is thought to come from a medieval manuscript that was sent in the early 18th century to the Grande Chartreuse monastery. In 1764, the paper was decoded by the Carthusian monks and the first version of a health elixir that was mainly used as a medicine was made.

In 1840, the monks then modified the recipe to make the original Green Chartreuse – the first version of Chartreuse liqueur that is still made according to a secret formula containing about 130 herbs, spices and other plants. The extracted macerate is then aged in oak barrels.

A variety of varieties of Chartreuse are available, including the original Green Chartreuse (55% ABV), distinguished by its complex aromas of herbs and flowers. The yellow chartreuse (43 percent ABV) is made the same way, but due to the use of various herbs, the result is a slightly milder and sweeter drink.

Chartreuse is best enjoyed as a digestif, served pure or on the rocks. it works well as a cocktail ingredient. Numerous flavored varieties such as orange, anise or myrtle were included in the limited editions of the drink.