Mustard-Roast Chicken

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Requiring a mere 30 minutes to roast to crisp-skinned perfection, this recipe is adapted from one by Jacques Pepin. Coating the chicken with a savory mix of mustard, herbs, spices, and wine, then roasting it quickly at high temperature produces a flavorful, juicy chicken, and delicious pan juices.

Ultimate Roast Potatoes

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Crisp outside, fluffy inside, roast potatoes are a universal favorite. For superlatively flavorful and crunchy roast potatoes, rough up their exterior surfaces and toss them with a small quantity of flour before roasting, use duck fat as the cooking medium, and serve as soon as they are done — if they sit too long, they become soggy.

Strawberry Charlotte

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Charlotte are a classic French desserts composed of a mold of liqueur-soaked ladyfingers surrounding a rich Bavarian cream or mousse filling. This one combines a suave kirsch-and strawberry spiked white chocolate mousse with fresh, ripe strawberries. You could think of this charlotte as a sort of strawberry shortcake… if strawberry shortcake spent a year in Paris and came back unrecognizably glamorous!

Raspberry (or Strawberry) Chocolate Macarons

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Macarons, with their crisp shells and soft fillings, are the current darlings of the pastry scene. Admittedly tricky to make, their finicky nature has resulted in countless, wildly different recipes to produce ‘proper’ macarons, with thin, crisp, un-cracked shells and bubbly ‘feet’ at the base. This recipe uses an Italian meringue as its [...]

Morel, Sausage and Coulommiers Omelet

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Omelets are good, quick weeknight fare. Stuffed with garlicky French sausage, morels, and creamy cheese, they’re also sublime. Coulommiers is a cousin of Brie — made in the same region but with a slightly stronger flavor and a tendency to transform from creamy and solid to unctuously oozy when warmed.

Endive and Pistachio Salad

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Endive makes a perfect salad to accompany a festive and rich holiday meal. The chopped leaves are light, crunchy, and refreshingly bitter, sparked with a tangy sherry-pistachio vinaigrette and topped with sweet, crunchy pistachios. Compared to other nut oils, pistachio oil has a particularly strong flavor. Its rich, slightly sweet taste complements the bitterness of the endives and elevates the salad to “special occasion” status — or even “is there any more salad?” status. Bon appetit!

Chocolate-Madarin Charlotte

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A Charlotte is a classic French dessert composed of a mold of liqueur-soaked ladyfingers and filled with a Bavarian cream or mousse filling. This one combines a decadent dark chocolate mousse, Cointreau-brushed ladyfingers, and the lively tang of fresh satsumas or tangerines. Elegantly tall, crowned with drift of creme chantilly (whipped cream) and bound with a wide ribbon. It makes a glorious finale to a festive holiday meal.

Poached Foie Gras with Grape Relish

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When the occasion calls for an absolutely stunning starter, look no further. Foie gras, gently poached in port and red wine, supported by a crisp fragment of brioche, adorned with a savory grape demiglace. C’est magnifique!

Filet Mignon with Morels and Tarragon-Marsala Sauce

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Morel mushrooms are a treat of nature — only available from the wild and prized for their honeycomb texture and rich, earthy flavor. Combine them with a splash of cream and a hot pan to create an entree worthy of starring at your next dinner party… or the next time you have a hankering for morels.

Almond Poires Belle Hélène — Oven-Poached Pears with Almond Filling and Chocolate Sauce

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Poires belle Hélène is a classic French dessert of poached pears served with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. This recipe adds a decadent twist by oven-poaching the pears and stuffing each with a luscious hunk of almond paste, then further guilds the lily by adding a dollop of Provence lavender honey to the chocolate sauce, its subtle floral notes enhancing the flavor of the pears.