"brioche"

If you’re a first-time bread-baker, this recipe is for you. This Overnight No-Knead Bread is a basic loaf that doesn’t require kneading nor does it include a sourdough starter. The yeast-base dough is simply stirred together and rests overnight on your counter top to slowly ferment, rise and develop flavors. Baked the next day in a sizzling skillet, the bread grows into a crusty bakery-style loaf with a flavorful airy crumb. Trust me, it will not disappoint!

Unfussy, sugary and fried. French Bakery Beignets are nothing like what you’d expect from French pastries, yet they are quintessentially French. These plump buttery pillows rolled in sugar and filled with jams are found on most bakery stalls in France and are kids’ favorites at the time of the “goûter” ( mid-afternoon snack). They are also very popular during street fairs and carnivals across the country. And like most French, I often cave in to the temptation of grabbing one whenever I hit a street festival in France.

With the festivities just a few days away, here is a little roundup of my favorite Winter Holidays-inspired recipes from the blog: Appetizers & Starters; Breads, Breakfasts & Brunch; Mains & Sides; Desserts & Cookies. Take your picks, Happy Cooking, Happy Baking, Happy Holidays and Bon Appétit! 

You may be familiar with dandelion as a rampant weed that invades your backyard every Spring, but did you know they’re in fact packed with nutrients and make a great leafy green to feast on? In France, dandelions bloom from April to June, and the leaves are widely enjoyed in salads, quiches and soups – revered for their health benefits and singular bittery taste. So when Spring comes in Canada, I have kept the habit of grabbing bunches of these big jagged-edged leaves. This Dandelion Bread Soup makes great use …

Just like Crêpes or the Apple Tarte Tatin, this Orange Yogurt Cake is a must-have in your baking repertoire if you are French.  It is one of the most popular cakes to bake (and eat) in the country, as it is a perfect heirloom recipe: it is simple, but it just works so well. A “Gâteau au Yaourt” is actually the first cake I ever baked. One day in primary school, our teacher brought a pack of yogurt cups and we all gathered around a table to make the simplest …

Marmalades and fruit jams of all kinds play a huge part in French gastronomy. Of course, they’re ubiquitous on the breakfast table, enjoyed with the staple bread and butter. But they’re also deeply anchored in a “no-waste” French philosophy. Making jams, marmalades and preserves has always been a privileged tradition in France for home-cooks to ensure no seasonal fruits went to waste, and that they could be enjoyed all year round. So with Spring just around the corner, I wanted to bid a proper farewell to Winter by jarring (literally) …

Pot de crème, crème brûlée, mousse, riz-au-lait, sabayon … there is undoubtedly a strong tradition of creamy, cup-contained desserts in France. And even though the classic “pudding” (pouding, in French) is moreso a British import, it is just as much of a beloved and popular dessert in France.

Early this December, as I was spending a few days in Paris, I yearned for a change of pace and booked an impromptu day-trip to Lille, in the Hauts-de-France region – a city I had always been fascinated with but never had a chance to visit. Located at the Northern tip of France, Lille is the fourth largest city in France (after Paris, Marseille and Lyon), the biggest city of the Hauts-de-France region, and the capital of French Flanders (near France’s border with Belgium).

With the festivities just a few days away, here is a little roundup of my favorite Winter Holidays-inspired recipes from the blog: Appetizers & Starters; Breads, Breakfasts & Brunch; Mains & Sides; Desserts & Cookies. Take your picks, Happy Cooking, Happy Baking, Happy Holidays and Bon Appétit! 

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!)