Celebrate Bastille Day the French way

By Lizzy Wood

Celebrate Bastille Day the French way
We count down our top five French recipes to help you inject a little 'je ne sais quois' into your Bastille Day celebrations this week. MiNDFOOD reports.

We count down our top five French recipes to help you inject a little ‘je ne sais quois’ into your Bastille Day celebrations this week.

On July 14, French citizens across the world will come together to celebrate La Fête Nationale – a day of celebration marking the 1789 storming of the Bastille which resulted the downfall of the monarchy and the birth of modern France. From Croque Monsieur to Coq au Vin, we’ve comprised our favourite French recipes to commemorate Bastille Day and help you inject some je ne sais quois into your celebrations.

HAM AND FONTINA CROQUE MONSIEUR

Typically made with emmental or gruyère cheese, this hot grilled sandwich is a popular French snack and can make a quick and easy lunch time meal. If you have eggs in the house, top your sandwich off with a poached egg and you have yourself a Croque Madame.

Recipe

COQ AU VIN

Simply translated as ‘rooster in wine,’ Coq au Vin is a French braise of chicken cooked in red wine, with smoked bacon garlic and mushrooms. Traditionally cooked with Burgundy wine, you can use whatever you have to hand.

Recipe

TUNA NICOISE

Taking its name from the city of Nice, Nicoise Salad is a specialty of the Côte d’Azur in France. Traditionally, the dish uses fresh tuna and anchovies on a bed of green salad but if fresh tuna isn’t available it can be replaced with a sustainable tinned variety.

Recipe

TWICE-COOKED CHEESE SOUFFLES WITH HAM

Referring to the French word ‘souffler’ – or ‘to blow up’ – soufflés are renowned for their trickiness to perfect. Unlike traditional soufflés, which can be hard to make, this twice-cooked version, full of nutty, sweet cheeses, is easy to put together and can be made ahead of time.

Recipe

QUINCE TARTE TATIN

Thought to originate from the Hotel Tatin in Lamotte-Beuvron, a tarte tatin is a caramelised upside-down cake, traditionally made with apples. Although nothing beats homemade pastry, if you’re time-poor, try using an pre-made base for this lovely dessert topped with fragrant in-season quince.

Recipe

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