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I have rounded up all my favorite Holiday recipe ideas from the blog that are sure to impress and make your guests happy! From classic appetizers like a “cake salé”, a crowd-pleasing side of Potato Gratin Dauphinois, to a classic Bûche de Noël, I have over 40 recipes for you to choose from and add a little French touch to your festivities this year.

Table of contents

1. Appetizers
2. Soups & Starters
3. Mains
4. Sides
5. Desserts
6. Sweet Treats

1. Appetizers

Ham Cheese Olive Bread – Known in French as a “cake salé” (savory cake), you’ll often find this type of rustic bread/loaf served at friendly get-togethers or for pre-meal snacks and drinks in France. They come in all variations and are traditionally cut in thin slices or cubes for guests to pick at, while mingling before dinner.

Gruyère Cheese Twists – Known as “Torsades au Fromage”, these Gruyère Cheese Twists are the perfect crowd pleasers to serve with the French apéro – the traditional pre-dinner drinks and snacks in France. Made of flaky puff pastry twisted with nutty Gruyère Cheese, they are quickly assembled and deliver big buttery and cheesy flavors. 

Baked Cheese Puffs (Gougères Au Formage)- Originally from Burgundy, gougères are often served to accompany wine tastings in the region, but there’s no wonder why they’re such a beloved appetizer all over France too. They’re cheesy, crisp, airy and simply impossible to stop at one. For me, making a batch of gougères is a must as a host. You can serve them on their own (they pair wonderfully with any wine or beer) or split them to fill with rolled-up charcuterie, or even more cheese! This recipe is available in my cookbook Rustic French Cooking Made Easy (p21).

Sardine & Cream Cheese Rillettes– Growing up in Brittany, on the Atlantic coast, sardines were a staple food – coming in fresh every morning from the harbor and sold at the local “poissonnier” (fish shop); in cans or in the form of the utterly popular sardine rillettes. This tasty spread is a delight for sharing during the French Apéro : pre-meal drinks & small bites. 

Classic French Quiche Lorraine – With a buttery crust, cheese-filled custard and bits of smoky bacon, the Quiche Lorraine is classic French at its best. A Quiche is typically enjoyed for lunch, dinner or brunch – but I also love to serve it when hosting, warm or cold, cut in thin slices or cubes for guests to pick at as appetizers. 

Spinach and Cheese Quiche – This classic French savory custard-filled deep-dish French tart is made with a buttery crust, a silky filling of eggs and cream, a healthy amount of spinach and lots of melty Gruyère cheese. It’s an easy recipe that you can make ahead. Serve it in thin slices as a starter and in small cubes as appetizers. 

2. Soups & Starters

Creamy Leek & Potato Soup (Soupe Vichyssoise)– This Creamy Leek and Potato Soup, known in French as Soupe Vichyssoise (or sometimes “Potage Parmentier) is made of puréed leeks and potatoes, enriched with cream. This is a simple soup that’s comforting yet it makes for a nice healthy-ish starter before a big festive meal. Top it off with cream, fresh herbs like dill, parsley, chives and/or even a few chopped walnuts or hazelnuts. 

Creamy Chestnut Soup – This “Soupe Aux Marrons” is a wholesome soup and a French favorite all throughout Winter. Fresh chestnuts are simmered in an aromatic broth and then pureed until smooth, creating a luxuriously thick, creamy texture with the full-on sweet buttery taste of fresh chestnuts. 

Cauliflower with crumbled egg vinaigrette (Chou-fleur Mimosa)– Cauliflower season usually wraps up in November, but you can still find some beautiful seasonal cauliflower in December! Known in French as a “Chou-fleur Mimosa”, this Whole Cauliflower with Crumbled Egg Vinaigrette is as easy to make as it looks impressive.  This recipe packs on layers of flavors! The cauliflower head is poached until tender, topped with a tangy shallot vinaigrette, parsley and lastly some crumbled hard-boiled eggs (know as “mimosa” in France – nothing to do with the brunch cocktail!).  

Split Pea Bacon Soup (“Potage Saint-Germain”) – A staple French recipe that combines earthy green split peas with vegetables, pureed until smooth, and topped with crispy bacon for good smoky flavor. This is an easy and affordable soup to make. It’s thick, creamy and very satisfying. 

Poitou-style braised beets with kale–  This traditional dish hailing from Poitou features vibrant pink beets braised in white wine until sweet and tender, mingled with chopped kale, goat cheese and crusty bread. It is a simple, beautiful-looking and unfussy started and it’s a wonderfully different way to enjoy beets.  

Pickled Herring and Potato Salad (“Harengs Pommes à l’Huile”) – A classic Bistro starter in France. The tang of the pickled herrings compliments the creaminess of simple boiled potatoes, all bound together with a tangy red onion vinaigrette. This humble dish is often served during Winter as it is nutritious, packed with good fats from the fish and very satisfying.

Frisée Salad with Bacon, Egg and Croutons (“Salade Lyonnaise”) – A bistro classic from the city of Lyon, in southern France, renowned as being the gastronomic capital of the country. As a representative of its origin city’s cuisine, this simple recipe relies on everyday ingredients—leafy greens, bacon, bread, and eggs—thoughtfully combined to create a timeless dish.

3. Mains

Clementine Roast Chicken with Fennel & Honey – This Clementine Roast Chicken with Fennel and Honey is a lovely Winter dish that is light and zesty, but very comforting as well. This is a simple sheet-pan dinner recipe that comes together effortlessly and makes the best of two seasonal ingredients – citrus and fennel – paired with succulent roasted chicken leg quarters. A winning trio all the way.  

Chicken Chasseur (Classic French Hunter’s Chicken) – A classic from the French repertoire, this is a dish originally born from hunters returning home with their bounty of small game and wild mushrooms. In this classic version of the dish, bone-in chicken pieces and loads of mushrooms are braised in tomato sauce with white wine and fresh herbs, with a big dollop of butter to enrich the sauce at the end.

Classic French Beef Bourguignon – Fork-tender beef in a rich red-wine gravy nestled with veggies makes the Beef Bourguignon one of the most acclaimed French recipes around the world. A great recipe for the Holidays to impress your guests. 

Chicken in creamy mushroom sauce (Poulet à la Forestière)– This dish of chicken nestled in a creamy mushroom sauce is an Autumn staple in French kitchens; but it also makes a fantastic festive dish for the Holidays (and all throughout Winter if you ask me!) Chicken pieces are pan-fried, braised in white wine and finally garnished with a creamy “Forestière sauce” – a typical French sauce of mushrooms and crème fraiche. This is an easy recipe that is cozy and incredibly flavorful. 

Braised Rabbit with Prunes (Lapin aux Pruneaux) – This is a great classic dish from the French repertoire. Delicate rabbit meat gets braised in white wine with salty bacon and sweet prunes –beloved by the French- to create a deliciously rich, thick and slightly sticky sauce. This succulent combination of sweet and salty flavors is quite unique in French cuisine, which makes this dish very memorable. 

Braised Chicken Thighs with garlic & onions – In this favorite braised recipe of mine, onions and loads of garlic are caramelized in butter, and plump chicken thighs are seared on the stovetop until crispy. Everything then get braised in the oven in white wine and aromatics. It makes for a delicious combination of sweet and salty flavors, with crisp and melty textures.

Bacon-wrapped chicken breasts in grape sauce– Inspired by the famous dish of “Cailles Aux Raisins” but made simpler, this festival recipe features chicken breasts draped in bacon strips and served on a bed of creamy grape sauce, made with crème fraiche, honey and spiked with sage. Absolutely divine! 

Roasted Chicken with Dijon Herb Butter – Who doesn’t love a perfectly roasted chicken, with juicy flavorful meat and crispy skin? One of the simplest and most delicious dinners, a roasted chicken sure is a crowd-pleaser. Now add slabs of tangy Dijon herb butter to the mix, and you’ll have yourself an unforgettable meal.

Pork Chops in grainy mustard and mushroom sauce – The blend of mushrooms, crème fraiche and grainy mustard makes for an utterly creamy and flavorful sauce that’s the perfect topping to plump pork chops.

Pork chops with apples & cider sauce – Pork chops, apples and cider collide in this typical dish from Brittany – a French region famous for its apple orchards and pig farms. These Pork Chops with Apples served in a cider-spiked creamy sauce are a favorite recipe amongst Brittany home cooks, as it’s a simple one-pan dish that boasts delicious sweet and savory flavors.

Coq Au Vin Blanc – Quintessentially French, Coq au Vin (literally “rooster in wine”) is a mastodon of our cooking repertoire. Made from a whole chicken cut in 8 pieces, with bacon, mushrooms and carrots, it is traditionally cooked using red wine resulting in a purple-ish sauce. But its “Blanc” version, using dry white wine, is lighter, with brighter flavors and is just a little bit more elegant, if you ask me. 

Flemish Beef and Beer Stew (“Carbonnade” ) – The stew of choice in Belgium as well as the North of France. With plenty of beef chunks, caramelized onions, brown ale and the inclusion of brown sugar, this dish has a distinct sweet and salty taste that makes it stand out from the crowd. Its rich glistening gravy and fork-tender beef chunks are pure comfort food, and makes it a perfect dish to indulge in during the cold season.

4. Sides

Green Beans Almondine – A classic French side dish that’s quick, easy and elegant. Crisp green beans are tossed in brown butter with toasted almonds and shallots for a healty-ish side that’s buttery, nutty and crunchy. 

French Peas with lettuce, carrots & pearl onions – Known in French as “Petits Pois à la Nivernaise”, this recipe is a very traditionnal and classic way to cook peas in France. This is the kind of go-to recipe that most French cooks have in their repertoire and that you’ll find featured on Holiday tables alongside the classic meat and potatoes.

Classic French Gratin Dauphinois – In this traditional French gratin, thinly sliced potatoes are baked slowly in creamy milk until utterly tender. It is a great classic of the French culinary repertoire, and one of the most beloved dishes to make in the Winter. 

Crispy Duck Fat Potatoes (Pommes Sarladaises) – Known as “Pommes de Terre Sarladaises”, this side dish of potatoes cooked in duck fat is an absolute classic of south-western French cooking. It features potato slices seared in duck fat and finished with garlic and fresh parsley. It is a very simple recipe but with big flavors – thanks to the duck fat. The potatoes are tender on the inside, extra crisp on the outside and have an incomparably luscious and nutty taste.

Classic French Celeri Root Remoulade – Celery Root is in season in the Spring and then again in late Fall – early Winter, perfectly on time for the Holidays. Ubiquitous in France, this Classic French Celery Root Remoulade features raw celery root sticks tossed in a creamy mayonnaise and Dijon dressing with bits of tangy cornichons. It is a very popular salad in France – often alongside the equally beloved “Carottes Rapées”. It’s a breeze to recreate at home, and tastes both crisp and creamy, tangy and smooth – it has it all!

5. Desserts

Classic Chocolate Bûche de Noël – In France, a proper Christmas dinner wouldn’t be complete without a traditional Chocolate Bûche de Noël. This wooden log look-a-like cake, traditionally made of a rolled-up Génoise cake frosted with Chocolate buttercream, is part of the official conclusion to a Christmas feast. A holiday ritual no one will pass on – even with an overfilled belly. 

Alsatian Kugelhopf Cake – I discovered the Kugelhopf as a child, in Alsace. It was served to me in gigantic slices in the morning, and I felt like I was eating dessert for breakfast. This cross between a brioche and cake is moist, fragrant, not too sweet, and has a festive feel to it that always makes a great impact. It’s fair to say, it is one of my favorite regional treats. This recipe is available in my cookbook Rustic French Cooking Made Easy (p 141). 

Meringue & Chocolate Cream Sandwich Pastries (Merveilleux) – These meringue and chocolate cream sandwich pastries are a famous specialty from French and Belgian Flanders and can be spotted across bakeries and pastry shops all over the city of Lille. A Merveilleux is a flawless marriage of textures: crispy-melt-in-your-mouth meringues wrapped in fluffy chocolate cream and covered in crunchy chocolate shards.

Chestnut Cream Cake (Gâteau Ardéchois) – Known in French as the Gâteau Ardéchois, this Chestnut Cream Cake originates from the French Ardèche and is a Winter classic for French homebakers. Made with homemade chestnut spread, this is a simple yet moist cake, with an incomparable taste and texture from the chestnut spread.

Winter Fruit Salad – After a festive or comforting meal, a fruit salad is always a welcome ending on a lighter and more refreshing note – even in the Winter! This Winter Fruit Salad plays with in-season fruits: pears, apples, clementines, kiwis and pomegranate seeds. This is a colorful, vitamin-packed mix of sweet flavors and crisp textures, that looks as beautiful as it tastes.

Classic French Crème Brûlée – Crème Brûlée (which translates to “burnt cream”) is one of the most raved about French desserts of all time – and for good reason. The two contrasting layers of luscious vanilla cream under a crackly caramelized sugar top are a match made in heaven and make this dessert stand out from all the others.  

Classic French Lemon Tart (Tarte Au Citron) – A crisp buttery crust with a smooth tangy lemon custard. That is all you need to recreate this utterly iconic French dessert: a Classic French Lemon Tart. A must to have in your baking repertoire as a French host(ess). This is a perfect dessert to transition from Winter to Spring. It’s bright and sunny, while still making the best of these citrusy winter fruits.

Classic Tarte Tatin – As apple tarts go in France, I don’t think you’ll find more iconic than the classic Tarte Tatin. This tart of caramelized apples and crisp buttery crust turned upside-down, is an icon of French cuisine and a must to have in your baking repertoire as a French host(ess).

Classic French Chocolate Pots de Crème – These little Chocolate Pots de Crème are incredibly simple to make at home and are Perfect for making ahead too. You can pop them in the fridge for as long as two days, and serve them when needed.

Classic French Chocolate Mousse – Decadent yet elegant, a Classic French Chocolate Mousse is a must in your repertoire as a French host(ess), or just to treat yourself. This timeless dessert relies on only a few ingredients – chocolate, eggs, butter and sugar – to create a smooth, airy texture with intense chocolatey taste. It is a great make-ahead dessert to serve in individual cups.

6. Sweet Treats

Classic French Spiced  Bread (Pain d’Épices) – Rye flour, a good amount of honey and a unique spice blend are the key components of a great Classic French Spiced Bread – also known as Pain d’Épices. This cross between a cake and a bread is a holiday staple in France. It can be found on most Christmas market stalls, sold in big slabs. It is also a favorite to make amongst home bakers as it is a really simple recipe that makes the house smell wonderful. This is a perfect crowd pleaser for the Holidays.

Spices Cookies with Candied Citrus peels & Almonds (Leckerli)– Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, candied citrus peels, honey, almonds, kirsch liquor… if you like all kind of Holidays spices and fixings, you’re in for a treat! These popular Leckerli cookies embrace all the flavors of the Holidays in a delicious tiny format. “Leckerli” means “little treat” and that’s exactly what they are: sticky, chewy yet crisp edged, and so fragrant from all the spices.

Butter Sables from Alsace (Butterbredele) – If there’s one French Holiday cookie recipe to have in your repertoire, this is the one. These Butter sablés from the Alsace region, known as “butterbredele”, are the most common cut-out cookies made and enjoyed over the Holidays in France. They are buttery, subtly flavored with lemon zest and satisfyingly crisp yet sandy.

Thin Spiced Almond Cookies – Known as “Pains d’Amandes”, these thin Spiced Almond Cookies are a beloved specialty from the Flanders region, straddling Northern France and Belgium. Made with cinnamon, nutmeg and almonds, these slice-and-bake oblong cookies pack warm holiday-spiced flavors and a great crunch.

Cocoa Almond Thumbprint Cookies from Alsace (Linzele)- These little Holiday treats are a specialty from Alsace, France – a region that has an extensive repertoire of Holiday cookies. In essence, they are simple thumbprint cookies filled with raspberry jam, but the dough is made with ground almonds, cocoa and cinnamon. They are ultra sandy with a sweet sticky middle, and bring the taste of all the warm Holiday spices we love. 

Classic French Chocolate Truffles – Homemade chocolate truffles are as decadent as they are simple to make. These bite-sized chocolate confections are made with only 4 ingredients, yet they’re blissfully elegant and so delicious. They’re creamy, melt-in-your-mouth and will satisfy all chocolate lovers’ cravings. They’re a luxurious treat that makes the perfect gift, or to serve as an after-dinner dessert.

Chocolate Almond Twice-Baked Cookies (“Croquants”) – These little twice-baked cookies may remind you of the Italian biscotti, but I promise they are French through and through. They are very popular in the South of France, and especially in Provence, where almonds grow abundantly. Just like biscotti, they are quick and easy to assemble, cut cross-ways and twice baked for an incomparable crispness. And they are very hard to stop at one!

Roasted Hazelnut Financiers – While classic French financiers are typically made from ground almonds, these Roasted Hazelnut Financiers are made from – you guessed it – roasted hazelnuts, to help provide bolder flavors. This variation on these iconic French bite-sized cakes is a favorite of mine for its perfectly-matched notes of nutty brown butter and rich, toasty hazelnuts. 

Did you make one of these recipes?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram: tag @pardonyourfrench  and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench.  Bon Appétit!