In his show French Country Cooking, Michel Roux showcases the unique cuisine of Southern France. He sources incredible local ingredients, samples delicious dishes and shares his favourite recipes. Luckily for us, many of the fabulous, crowd-pleasing plates he creates are actually easier than they look, too. So, whether you're a complete novice or you know your way around the kitchen, we've handpicked a few recipes from the show, paired with Michel's expert advice, so you can recreate them at home and impress your guests.
Michel Roux's Perfect Vinaigrette and Salad
For the salad dressing: The cornerstone of a good salad is the dressing, and a well-balanced vinaigrette can lift a dish in a way similar to seasoning. His tip? Don't use your expensive, cold-pressed or extra-virgin olive oil for cooking! As soon as you heat it up, you'll lose that lovely fragrance and flavour. Instead, save it for this vinaigrette recipe. The rule of thumb is five parts oil to one part vinegar.
For the salad base: it's important to be able to eat a salad without using your knife. Everything should be able to be eaten in mouthfuls, so make sure to chop the ingredients down into bite-sized pieces. When building your salad, there's no set recipe for a salad composee, but it should have at least seven or eight ingredients with varied flavours and textures. You almost want every mouthful to be revealing and different! Finally, don't overlook the leaves. It's important to have a variety of leaves for the base: bitter, sweet, crunchy, and colourful. From baby spinach to wild rocket, get a full mixture in there!
A Succulent Steak Hache
What is steak hache, you ask? It's minced beef- but minced to order. You can select whichever type of beef you wish, and it's minced and formed into a patty in front of your very eyes. While this is readily available in France- You can ask your local butcher at home to do this too! This quality and freshness makes all the difference. Serve with golden onions, a fried egg and pommes sautés. Don't forget the crunchy side-salad for extra luxury!
Warm Goats Cheese Tart with Figs
While it might not be a classic tart, this delicious treat with a part-bread, part-pizza dough base, is the perfect way to showcase the beautiful ingredients of the region of Provence. The goats cheese adds saltiness and acidity. With a drizzle of honey on top, you have the perfect combination of flavours. Finishing touches and attention to detail are important, no matter where you're cooking! Brush the base with a glaze of beaten egg for a gorgeously golden finish.
Scallops with Vermouth
White vermouth and seafood are a match made in heaven. If you've never cooked with vermouth before, this recipe showcases its flavour perfectly. It livens up the scallop and makes a sauce with the butter and herbs.
Scallops with corals still attached mean they were brought to the shore alive- so they're incredibly fresh. Take the small mussel off which is quite chewy, but the rest is sweet and succulent, ready for grilling. Grill them in their shell rather than on a skewer, that way they will cook without sticking to the grill and can stay warm once cooked in their buttery shell.
Salad Lyonnaise
Saucisson is a way of life in France; it can be used for aperitifs and as a snack, but can also be used in cooking- just like in this recipe! The secret of this dish lies in the contrasts- salty fried meat, an unctuous egg yolk and bitter leaves. For a true authentic version, use Dandelion leaves. However chicory, or curly endive are great alternatives.
Use a clean tea towel to gently dry the leaves. You don't need a salad spinner- go outside and get some exercise in! Gently swing the towel with the leaves inside to get all of the water out so the salad doesn't go soggy. Plus, if you have a leftover, stale baguette- put it to good use! Croutons made with stale bread go crunchier than fresh.
Michel's Tips for a Perfect Poached Egg:
Break the egg into a dish and then pour it into the pot, rather than trying to break it into the water. The eggs need to be fresh, not cold. The water needs to be boiling, but not a fast boil. Michel doesn't put salt in, as he thinks the salt stops the egg from becoming a lovely shape. A large egg takes about 4 minutes to reach the point where the white is soft but cooked, and the yolk runny.
Rare Beef with Blue Cheese and Wild Asparagus
What's vital when serving rare beef is buying top quality meat (and of course, spotless kitchen hygiene). The asparagus used in this recipe is not technically asparagus- but looks so pretty and has a lovely mild nutty flavour! The first pickings of the British season are in April and May for sprue- a thinner, younger asparagus that cooks in a matter of seconds. Don't forget to chop off the ends- they can be quite tough!
Poulet au Vinaigre
The traditional, French name of this dish describes the cooking method- fricassée, so, it can be made with lamb or rabbit too! Fricassee means how the chicken is cut, and the key is that each cut needs to be on the bone- Cut off 2 pieces of wing, 2 pieces of the breast, 2 winglets, 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, and one neck.
Strawberry Soufflé with Pistachios
Michel urges you not to be afraid of a soufflé- they aren't as tricky as they seem! Soufflé means breath because the dish is so light, and Michel's secret to this lightness is how the moulds are prepared. Pop the moulds into the fridge first and once they're cold, coat the insides with melted, unsalted butter using brush strokes going upwards. The cold temperature of the moulds will help the butter set immediately, and the upwards brushstrokes will help the soufflé to rise true and straight. When pouring the soufflé into the moulds, make sure to push the mixture down so there's no air bubbles- these will prevent the soufflé from rising well.
Steak Tartare
Raw meat often topped with an egg yolk- you need the best quality beef for this dish. Michel keeps the raw beef refrigerated until the very last moment. He uses fillet of beef, a prime cut which is very tender and chops it up using a knife- he cannot abide a steak tartar that's been minced. Hand cut is always better!
