Go Back
Print this page
Confit Duck Legs

Confit Duck Legs

As convenient as store-bought duck confit is, we find that its quality tends to vary. Making your own allows you to control the spicing and the cooking time to produce a velvety piece of meat. This ancient preservation method has three parts: First you cure the duck legs in salt (drawing out the water in which microorganisms can live), then you slowly cook them in fat, and finally you store them fully covered in the cooking fat so air can’t get in.

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

French Red Onion Soup

French Red Onion Soup

In this redesigned French bistro classic, softened red onions join salty Manchego, and star anise gives the peppery broth a subtle undercurrent of sweetness.

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

Beef Cheeks

Joues de Boeuf aux Agrumes (Beef Cheeks Braised in Red Wine with Orange Zest)

The flavor of the wine looms large in this meaty braise, lending an extraordinary savoriness to the melt-in-your-mouth carrots.

Photograph by John Kernick

Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup with Chestnuts

While eating at one of the coveted counter seats at Les Cocottes, Christian Constant’s chic restaurant, food editor Paul Grimes was deeply inspired by the pumpkin soup, which surprised him with savory little chunks of foie gras waiting at the bottom of the bowl. Here, Grimes explores squash’s more savory side by cooking it with a touch of tomato and providing that little bit of sweet surprise in the form of chopped chestnut. With just a dollop of whipped cream, it is rich only in looks and spirit—a spoonful will reveal how unbelievably light it is.

Photograph by Martyn Thompson

Chocolate Glazed Chocolate Tart

Chocolate-Glazed Chocolate Tart

A triple layer of crumbly crust, a truffle-like interior, and an almost patent-leather-shiny glaze make this tart the chicest take on chocolate we’ve come across in a long time.

Photograph by Martyn Thompson

shrimp in ginger butter sauce

Shrimp in Ginger Butter Sauce

Ginger and cilantro add Southeast Asian oomph to this French-style butter sauce, which lightly coats big, meaty shrimp.

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

Fricassee

Fricassee of Game Hen with Creamy Leeks and Vadouvan

This fricassee couldn’t be more French, but its velvety sauce carries the flavor of vadouvan, a South Indian spice blend that has started to crop up on Parisian menus. We find it irresistible.

Photograph by Martyn Thompson

espresso blackberry macarons

Espresso-Blackberry Macarons

We loved the surprising combination of blackberry and espresso. Each one really seems to deepen the flavor of the other.

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

Coq au Vin

New Coq au Vin (Braised Chicken with Celery and Garlic)

Celery—often dismissed as one of the produce world’s poorest relations—contributes an intriguing earthiness to moist chicken infused with the flavors of white wine and garlic.

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

Noodles with Duck Confit

Asian Noodles with Barbecued Duck Confit

Glazed with a mix of hoisin, lime juice, and Sriracha sauce, duck confit happily travels from France to China. This exciting dish blends the fresh flavors of carrots, long beans, and herbs with slithery rice noodles and tender duck, its skin crisped under the broiler. When roasting the duck, be careful not to overcook it—you don’t want it to dry out and become stringy.

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

keywords
poultry
french
paris
seafood
soup
Subscribe to Gourmet