Summer

Even as a butter devotee, I’ll admit olive oil is an essential in your baking pantry – because olive oil simply makes outstandingly good cakes. It lends a rich moisture to the crumb (that develops further with time) and a distinct herbaceous aroma, only true to olive oil. Olive oil cakes are deeply anchored in Mediterranean baking traditions, and France is no exception. I actually remember one of the first cakes I ever made on my own as a child, being a simple olive oil cake with orange zest. It …

This post is sponsored by Oliv. All text and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands who help make Pardon your French possible! With summer barbecues on all of our minds, here’s a recipe to behold: Lamb Chops and Summer Veggies, topped with a fragrant Nice-style Pesto Sauce. As you’ve seen from my previous recipe, I am partnering with Oliv this Summer to bring you delicious recipes that are bursting with Balsamics and Extra Virgin Olive Oils – two ingredients utterly prevalent in Southern French cuisine. …

This post is sponsored by Oliv. All text and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands who help make Pardon your French possible! This Summer, I am partnering with Oliv to bring you delicious recipes that are bursting with Balsamics and Extra Virgin Olive Oils. These two ingredients are utterly prevalent in French cuisine, especially in Southern France. And like most French cooks, I always have a bottle of EVOO and a bottle of balsamic laying on my counter – which find their way into my vinaigrettes, …

Known in French as “Le Fouesnantais”, this Cherry Bread Pudding recipe originates from Fouesnant, a small town in Brittany where cherries are a big part of the local economy. Filled with clusters of cherries and topped with a fragrant cinnamon crumble, it is rich and satisfying with bursts of sweetness (and it makes great use of whichever leftover brioche, pain au lait or bread you might have on hand!)

Known as “riz au lait”, the typical French rice pudding is made with the simplest of pantry ingredients: rice, sugar and a lot of milk, simmered or baked together until creamy. No eggs, no cornstarch, no gelatin. The starch of the rice does all the work and thickens the mixture until it’s amazingly rich. It is one of the ultimate French comfort foods, and I never tire of making and eating it. 

When it comes to Spring – specifically strawberry season – it doesn’t get any more traditional than a Strawberry Charlotte Cake, in France. This dessert has a retro feel to it (and granted, it might not be the most modern dessert out there), but come Spring, it is always present in bakeries and cake shops throughout the country.   It is also a favourite amongst home bakers, because despite its fancy appearance, it is actually easy and quick to throw together (less than 30 minutes) and looks much more complicated …

Like most French people, I have an extreme fondness for mustards. And although the Classic Dijon Mustard is one of my favourites, I think my number one has to be the grainy Old-Style Mustard – known in French as “Moutarde à l’ancienne”. Its delicate sweetness and gritty texture makes it a condiment so unique, that I often think you don’t need anything else with it to make a dish shine. It is particularly true in this Kasha Green Bean Potato Salad,  where I think a tablespoon or two of the …

A Sabayon is a great reminder that the simplest things can often be the most delicious (and sometimes the most unique too!). A Southern-French classic, this egg-based frothy sauce is effortlessly whipped together, yet it makes for a unique and elegant dessert poured over fresh fruits. And with the arrival of Berry season, I wanted to revisit it using orange juice instead of alcohol (for a more affordable and approachable version). A truly simple, early-summer pleasure.

Buckwheat crepes are commonly known in French as “crêpes de blé noir” or “crêpes de sarrasin” (blé noir and sarrasin both translating to buckwheat). They are the quintessence of traditional Brittany cuisine, and if you’re visiting this beautiful North-Western French region, going to a “creperie” to enjoy one (or two, or three…) of these buckwheat crepes is an inevitable must-do.

White wine in a biscuit? Oh, oui! These rustic-looking White Wine Almond Canistrelli biscuits are a local specialty hailing from L’Île de Beauté: the sun-kissed Island of Corsica. Naturally vegan, delicately crunchy and best eaten after being dunked in coffee (or wine!).