Mad About French Food: Easy Home Cooking for Spring

More recipes in the index l How to make macarons & patisserie in my books…

french monkfish stew no bones optJill Colonna

French Monkfish Stew (Lotte à L’Américaine/L’Armoricaine)

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A delicious fish stew with garlic, wine & tomatoes that shows off monkfish at its best - no bones about it! The French serve this classic dish on special occasions and we can see why.
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french chocolate mendiants easter optJill Colonna

French Chocolate Mendiants – Perfect Easter Hats!

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Meaning "Beggar" in French and representing four mendicant monastic orders from the Middle Ages, these popular chocolates make great celebration hats for macarons or cupcakes at any time of year!
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Pink-rhubarb-compoteJill Colonna

Rhubarb Hibiscus Compote – How to Make Green Rhubarb Pink with Tea!

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Rhubarb too green? Naturally infuse it pink with an hibiscus teabag! The humble compote is low in sugar, vegan and freezes well too. No rhubarb? Try this recipe with summer fruits - it's a treat. Now on video!
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French Asparagus ClafoutisJill Colonna

Asparagus Clafoutis with Parmesan Sauce

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An elegant yet simple French starter or lunch. Serve with a crusty baguette to mop up that gorgeous cheese sauce! Also on VIDEO.
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Strawberry Pistachio ClafoutisJill Colonna

Strawberry Pistachio Clafoutis – A Twist to the French Classic Cherry

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Now on video! Enjoy summer's fruity season with this twist to the French classic cherry baked custard. With pistachios or almonds for a gluten free breakfast, dessert or teatime treat.
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Palets Bretons easy French recipeJill Colonna

Palets Bretons: French Salted Butter Biscuits

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See how quick & easy these treats are: irresistible salty-sweet biscuits from Brittany - now on video. Enjoy plain or dress them up for Spring.
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Sesame Tuiles Best RecipeJill Colonna

Crispy Sesame Tuiles

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Bring a taste of Paris to your kitchen. Got 2 egg whites to use up? Rustle up these easy, delicious tuiles in just 30 mins! Now on VIDEO. Perfect with a pot of tea, served with ice cream or chocolate mousse.
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Rose Rhubarb Orange CakeJill Colonna

Rose Rhubarb Orange Cake (Gluten Free)

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Celebrate rhubarb and rose season with this light financier-style French cake for teatime, breakfast or brunch - and an easy bake for Easter or to say Merci to Maman for Mother's Day.
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Chocolate Easter Bunny Birthday CakeJill Colonna

Triple Chocolate Easter Bunny Cake – No Packet Mixes!

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Great for Easter, birthdays or baby showers: hidden dark, moist chocolate cake topped with the easiest reduced sugar white chocolate buttercream.
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Goat Cheese & Walnut Pasta SauceJill Colonna

Goat Cheese & Walnut Pasta Sauce

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Add some French sunshine to your table with my saucy, creamy pasta version of the French classic, Salade de Chèvre Chaud.
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pure vegetable soup

Pure Vegetable Soup

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Pure and simple genius: no stock, just butter, the freshest of veg and herbs make this a chunky healthy bowl of only 55 calories
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almond lemon easter cake

Almond Lemon Easter Cake (Gluten Free)

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Celebrate Spring with this moist lemon cake infused with more lemon syrup. Decorate for Easter with edible flowers, French chocolate mendiants and macarons
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Your favourite blog recipes now on YouTube video HERE

Gourmet Travel Articles in France & Beyond

A Taste around Paris to whet the appetite

Bourdaloue Pear TartJill Colonna

Parisian Bourdaloue Pear Tart – a French Classic

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Say Bour-da-loue! Found in many French patisseries, this almond tart has been a favourite around Paris since the 1900s when it was invented in Rue Bourdaloue in the 9th arrondissement. Read on for the story and the recipe...
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Montmartre macaronsJill Colonna

Montmartre Chocolate Pastry Walk

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Join me for an online stroll on my self-guided Montmartre walk - with less tourists. Taste the artistic ambience, macarons, madeleines & chocolate - and perhaps leave 'Absinthe'-minded!
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Saint-Germain almond cakeJill Colonna

Saint-Germain Almond Cake

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Created in the royal market town of Saint-Germain-en-Laye outside Paris in 1920. This delicious almond and rum glazed tart is so easy and a real crowd-pleaser.
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Béarnaise SauceJill Colonna

Béarnaise Sauce – Recipe & Origins Near Paris

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Ooh the simple Béarn-ecessities of life! This sublime French sauce is so easy to whisk up - did you know it was invented where Louis XIV was born near Paris?
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Saint-Germain-en-Laye Castle Roof VisitsJill Colonna

Saint-Germain-en-Laye Chateau Roof Visit (Paris Day Trips)

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A taste of royal history from the birthplace of Louis XIV, Debussy and some culinary origins too. Only 30 mins from Paris. Plan ahead your rooftop visit May to end September.
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10 reasons to visit HonfleurJill Colonna

10 Reasons to Visit Honfleur, Normandy

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A virtual see and do - and eat! - in this romantic French town & what makes it such a popular getaway - only 2 hours' drive from Paris
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Poire Belle HeleneJill Colonna

Pear Belle Helene – A Parisian Musical Story

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When dessert was inspired by Helen's 'beautiful pear' (pun intended). This classic Parisian dessert was created by France's legendary chef, Escoffier, inspired by a French soprano singing Offenbach in Paris
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Renoir Walk Chatou Carrieres Cave HousesJill Colonna

Renoir Tour: Chatou – Carrieres-sur-Seine

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Join me online for this Impressionist Renoir Walk starting at Chatou in les Yvelines (just 10km west of Paris), along by the Seine & discover the medieval town of Carrières-sur-Seine with its troglodytes cave houses.
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Denise Acabo A l'Etoile d'Or Paris chocolateJill Colonna

Paris Chocolate Golden Star, Denise Acabo – A l’Etoile d’Or

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Ready for a healthy dose of contagiously cheerful chocolate-induced endorphins? Meet the golden star of chocolate in Pigalle.
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Teatime in JapanJill Colonna

Teatime in Japan

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Join our discovery of traditional sweet treats (wagashi), ice creams and a traditional tea ceremony learning some Japanese culture along the way
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Teatime Ritz Paris TableJill Colonna

Putting on The Ritz – Paris Teatime

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For the ultimate luxury Parisian afternoon, let's head to Proust's room for a French Afternoon Tea and experience his famous Madeleines by his favourite fireplace.
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best bakeries in Lyon

Lyon’s Best Pâtisseries, Chocolates & Macarons

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A selection of the finest bakeries for the sweet-toothed in France's gastronomic capital.
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