Leek and potato soup smells good, tastes good, and is simplicity itself to make. It is also versatile as a soup base; add water cress and...

The onions for an onion soup need a long, slow cooking in butter and oil, then a long, slow simmering in stock for them to develop the de...

This sauce most nearly approaching the traditional demi-glace. Its preliminaires are somewhat exacting, and it requires at least two hour...

Hollandaise sauce is made of warmed egg yolks flavored with lemon juice, into which butter is gradually incorporated to make a thick, yel...

These delicate little entrees (also called mousses, pains, and soufflés) are usually baked in individual ramekins and served hot with a b...

Every French household makes use of crêpes, not only as a festive dessert for Mardi Gras and Candlemas Day, but as an attractive way to t...

An amusing entre or main-course dish can be made by piling crpes, a filling between each, in a shallow baking dish. (It looks like a many-layered cake or cylindrical mound.) Then the whole mound is covered with a good sauce and heated in the oven.

This good recipe may be prepared in advance and gratinéed just before serving. The following proportions are sufficient for a first cours...

Here is the simplest version of this most typical of French methods for cooking mussels. They are steamed open in a big pot with wine and...

Spit roasting, where the chicken is wrapped in fat and continually rotated, is far less exacting than oven roasting where you must constantly turn and baste. Small French chickens are frequently roasted without a stuffing.

For this traditional Sunday dinner dish, which is not difficult to execute, the chicken pieces are turned in hot butter, sprinkled with f...

White-braised onions may be served as they are, or they may be simmered for a moment in a good cream sauce. Use them also as a garnish fo...

When mushrooms are used in white sauces, or in a garniture in which they must remain white, they are cooked this way.

Here the chicken breasts are lightly dusted with flour and are sauted in clarified butter. (Ordinary butter will burn and form black specks on the suprmes. Clarified butter may be heated to a higher temperature before burning.)

One of the most well known of all the duck dishes, caneton lorange, is roast duck decorated with fresh orange segments and accompanied by an orange-flavored brown sauce.

A little concentrated chicken stock is easy to make with the giblets and neck of a chicken and will always give more character to your sauce, however simple it may be.

Bearnaise sauce differs from hollandaise only in taste and strength instead of lemon juice, its basic flavoring is a reduction of wine, vinegar, shallots, pepper, and tarragon. The techniques for making the two sauces are similar.

As is the case with most famous dishes, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good boeuf bourguignon. Carefully done, and perfectly flavored, it is certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man, and can well be the main course for a buffet dinner. Fortunately you can prepare it completely ahead, even a day in advance, and it only gains in flavor when reheated.

Brown-braised onions are used whenever you wish a brown effect, such as in brown fricassees like coq au vin and boeuf bourguignon, or in ...

Use these mushrooms either as a vegetable alone or in a combination with other vegetables, or as an integral part of such dishes as coq a...

This casserole with its full-bodied Mediterranean flavor goes with roast lamb or beef, steaks, chops, or grilled mackerel, tuna, or sword...

Blanquette de veau, a much-loved stew in France, is veal simmered in a lightly seasoned white stock. It is served in a sauce velouté made...

Placed on a bed of spinach braised in stock, surrounded with broiled mushrooms or sauted potatoes, this is a delectable ham dish. Serve with it a light red wine, or a Chablis or Pouilly-Fuiss.

This dish is considered the glory of pea cookery it should really be served as a separate course and eaten with a spoon. If you wish to have a wine with the peas, serve a chilled white that is not too dry, such as Traminer or Graves, or a chilled ros.

Add that extra bit of taste, flavor, and texture to a favorite main dish when you make this recipe for Braised Rice and Onions by the celebrated Julia Child. This recipe may sound intimidating, but your mind will be at ease when you see that it only has a total of five steps. You can make this mixture in advance, giving you more time to entertain guests at your dinner party. Just reheat and you're ready to serve it! Your dinner guests will be suitably impressed when you add a bit of French cooking to the dinner menu.

The following mousse may be packed into a decorative jar and used as a spread for cocktail appetizers, or molded in aspic for an hors do...

If you're looking for a showstopper to serve at your next dinner party, then consider including an orange dessert recipe on the menu. This recipe from Julia Child for Orange Mousse will be a refreshing dessert that can be served after just about any meal. If you are a host or hostess who always seems to be short on time, but still wants to serve something special for dessert, then you might want to include this recipe in mind. Simply whip up the mousse the night before and place it in the freezer so that it's ready to serve at the end of the party.

This fall, impress your dinner party guests with this recipe for Apple Charlotte, Unmolded (A Hot or Cold Dessert). This apple recipe is truly a show-stopper, and will be the perfect finish to just about any meal. If you're looking for a dessert that packs a dramatic punch and is a departure from the usual fare of pies or ice cream, then this apple recipe needs to be on your radar. To take this dessert to the next level, you can even serve it with custard sauce or whipped cream, with instructions included below.

When it comes to dessert toppings, this recipe for Light Custard Sauce needs to be on your radar! This easy dessert recipe will be the crowning touch to ice cream and more, and is even used in Julia Child's famed recipe for Apple Charlotte. You and your guests will love the light and delicate flavor in this custard sauce. In addition, this recipe offers several ingredient options, so you can make the sauce just the way you like it. The next time you feel a dessert needs a little bit of "oomph," consider whipping up this easy dessert recipe.

If you can't get to the French countryside, then bring some of the French countryside to you when you whip up this Cherry Flan for dessert! This easy dessert recipe will be an elegant show-stopper for just about any meal that you have planned this summer. Although fresh cherries are ideal, you can use frozen or canned cherries, too simply see the Notes section below for additional tips by Julia Child. If you'd like, you can serve each portion with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. This dessert recipe is decadence at its finest!