French national dishes. Traditional French food and drinks

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

French national dishes are very popular in our country. But to try them, it is not necessary to go to a restaurant. Gourmet frog legs, fragrant onion soup, delicate bechamel sauce - all this can be easily prepared at home.

Making frog legs in French (in cream sauce)

Frog legs in creamy sauce is the most famous dish not only in France but also in other countries. How exactly to cook it, we will tell right now.

So, to make a French dish, we need:

• frog legs - 0.5 kg;
• garlic cloves - 4 pcs.;
• shallots - about 40 g;
• high fat cream - 700 ml;
• leek - a few feathers;
• chicken broth - about 1 l;
• butter - about 40 g;
• s alt, black pepper and other spices - use as desired.

The process of cooking paws on the stove

Despite the apparent complexity, traditional French dishes are made easily and simply.

To prepare a gourmet dinner, frog legs are thoroughly washed under running water and then driedpaper napkins and cut off their bottom part. After that, take the chicken broth, bring it to a boil and add the previously processed meat.

As soon as the liquid in the pan boils again, the paws are quickly removed with a slotted spoon and left aside. In the meantime, finely chop the shallots, pour them into a frying pan with warmed butter and lightly fry. After that, garlic, grated on a small grater, is added to it, and then pre-prepared legs are laid out.

The frog legs are lightly fried and removed from the pan and set aside.

Cream sauce preparation process

The national cuisine of France is divided into two main branches: exquisite aristocratic and regional folk. Dishes with frog legs belong to the second.

To make a delicious creamy sauce, about 100 ml of chicken broth is added to the same pan where the meat was previously fried. Also, heavy cream is slowly poured into the saucepan and everything is brought to a boil. The ingredients are boiled down until a thick sauce is obtained.

Black pepper, s alt and other spices are added to the creamy dressing at your own discretion. Finely chopped leeks are also poured into it.

How to present frog legs to the table?

Traditional French dishes are usually served with a special charm. After frying the frog legs, they are beautifully laid out on a flat plate, and then poured over with a creamy sauce. Fresh vegetables and herbs are also served with the dish.

Classic onion soup:step by step cooking

Onion soup is a traditional French dish that is prepared in almost all regions of this country. It can be done in different ways. However, its classic recipe is the most popular. To implement it, we need:

• red onion - about 750g;
• leeks - approximately 250 g;
• dry white wine - about 250 ml;
• garlic cloves - 2 pcs;
• vegetable oil - about 30 ml;
• butter - approximately 40 g;
• lavrushka - 1 leaf;
• French baguette - a couple of slices;
• Roquefort (a type of cheese) - about 90 g;
• s alt and crushed pepper - use as desired;
• chicken broth - about 2 l.

Processing the main components

French national dishes have always been distinguished by their simplicity and ease of preparation. And onion soup is no exception. Before you weld it on the stove, you should process all the components one by one.

Red onions are peeled and then finely chopped. After that, the leek is thoroughly washed and chopped into strips. They also peel garlic cloves and crush them with a knife.

As for Roquefort, it is simply grated.

French Onion Soup Method

French national dishes can be prepared in many ways. We decided to make onion soup on the stove. To do this, take a deep frying pan, melt the butter in it, and then addvegetable. After that, two types of onions (red onion and leek) are fried in a saucepan. Then garlic cloves, dry white wine, lavrushka and rich chicken broth are added to them.

Onion soup is brought to a boil, peppered and s alted to taste. Cooking this dish is recommended for 20 minutes. After that, it is removed from the stove and left under a closed lid for 5-7 minutes.

Serving a delicious French dish to the table

The national cuisine of France is distinguished by its special sophistication. To get to know her better, most people go to French restaurants. However, today we have proven that it is possible to cook exquisite aristocratic and regional dishes at home.

After the French onion soup is ready, it is poured into portioned plates. Then a couple of toasts made from a baguette are placed in each dish, after which they sprinkle everything with grated Roquefort. After that, the plates are placed in a microwave oven and heated until the dairy product is completely melted. By the way, an oven can be used with the same success.

Cooking the famous French cream sauce

Bechamel is an exquisite white sauce. It can be served with a variety of meat, mushroom, vegetable and fish dishes. By the way, without this ingredient it is impossible to make traditional French lasagna.

It is believed that bechamel sauce was invented by Louis de Bechamel, the chamberlain of King Louis 14 of France. However, according to another version, the authorof this product is the head chef of Versailles, François de la Varenne.

Today it is not so important who exactly should be thanked for the invention of such a popular sauce. The main thing is to learn how to cook it properly.

The main ingredients of the classic sauce recipe are wheat flour, butter and milk. By the way, these products are often used to create other sauces. In addition to them, ingredients such as chopped nuts, fried onions, cheese, various spices, herbs and more can be added to it.

Bechamel is able to turn everyday dishes into real culinary masterpieces, giving them a unique aroma and taste. It is quite easy to prepare it. To make sure of this, we suggest following our recommendations.

So, to make the sauce we need:

• butter - about 40 g;
• whole milk - approximately 800 ml;
• white wheat flour - about 50 g;
• ground nutmeg - about a dessert spoon;
• table s alt - a pinch.

Method of making French bechamel sauce

To make the famous bechamel sauce at home, you must strictly follow the requirements described below. Milk is well heated, but not brought to a boil. At the same time, melt the butter in another bowl. Then wheat flour is added to it and both components are quickly mixed without removing the container from the stove.

Afterof the described actions, warm milk is poured into butter and flour in small parts. At the same time, the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, preventing lumps from forming.

After all the milk is in the pan, it is removed from the heat. If lumps are nevertheless formed in this mass, then it is recommended to rub it through a sieve. This will make the sauce more tender and tasty.

A properly prepared dressing should have the consistency of liquid sour cream.

Finally, ground nutmeg and s alt are added to the finished sauce to taste.

Making a summer French drink Lemon Twist

As mentioned above, the national dishes of France are in great demand in our country. However, it should be noted that non-alcoholic French drinks are no less popular in Russia. How to make them at home, we will consider right now.

So, to prepare the summer drink "Lemon Twist" we need:

• natural apple juice - 100 ml;
• non-alcoholic beer Tourtel - 40ml;
• freshly squeezed lemon juice - 20 ml;
• fresh celery - 80 g;
• boiled beets - 20 g;
• lemon slices for decoration.

How to make a French Lemon Twist drink?

Preparing such a drink is easy and simple. To begin with, apple juice and Tourtel non-alcoholic beer are mixed, and then lemon pomace, chopped celery and boiled beets are added to them. All ingredients are thoroughly shaken with a shaker, after which they are poured into a tall glass glass, which is decorated with lemon slices.

This fruit and vegetable cocktail is very tasty. It quenches thirst well, and also contains few calories. Thanks to these properties, the French drink "Lemon Twist" improves well-being in the summer heat, in the heat, and also does not contribute to weight gain.