FRENCH MARKET RECIPES
French Market Recipe 2026 16 L’Agneau au romarin en croute Lamb and rosemary pie
For this week’s recipe I decided to share a fragrant lamb pie. My favourite accompaniments to lamb are rosemary, garlic, and red wine; by combining these in a pie one captures all the flavours. I used a large lamb shank and marinated the meat for 24 hours to get the best flavour. Once the pie is cooked, a delicious fragrance escapes, as you cut into the crusty pastry. The pie went beautifully with some garlic potatoes and a good bottle of red wine. This is a warming dish to have on a cooler evening, and it is easy to make.
French Market Recipe 2026 14 L’agneau roti au Calvados
For this week’s recipe I decided to share a tasty roast lamb dish based on a recipe from Normandie, the sauce is made with Calvados (apple brandy) which gives it a fragrant taste. I suggest pairing with a Southern Rhone wine, the Pavillon St Pierre a blend of grenache and Shiraz, or a glass of Calvados.
French Market Recipe 2026 13 Petit dessert aux myrtilles et framboises
In Cape Town we have lots of fresh berries in season right now, so today’s recipe is an easy dessert of fresh berries, meringue base and yoghurt. We stock amazing fresh meringues, sometimes these crumble. In this easy recipe I used broken meringue pieces topped with yoghurt and decorated with blueberries and raspberries. This is such an easy and quick recipe (if you have a meringue available) and is most attractive, with the blue and red of the berries nestled in the whiteness of the yoghurt. It takes less than 5 minutes to assemble. For wine pairing I would recommend a fresh, delicate, bubbly wine such as the Crémant from Alsace, which we stock in our shop.
French Market Recipe 2026 12 Home-made Pasta
If you have never tried to make pasta, now is the time to try, I have made it once and it’s a lot more work than just opening up a packet of dried pasta, but…its infinitely better. If you prefer to buy pasta, I can recommend our stock of truffle flavoured pasta and the black squid ink pasta we get in from Italy.
French Market Recipe 2026 11 Figue au chevre Baked figs with goat’s cheese
We have lots of trays of dark red, fresh Persian figs in stock, therefore I am sharing a baked fig and goat’s cheese recipe with you. This is really easy to make and the soft goats cheese gives a tangy flavour. You can switch the goats cheese with triple cream Delice if you prefer. I sprinkle Tariquet Armagnac over the figs but you could also use Grand Marnier or a cognac.
French Market Recipe 2026 10 Tartiflette Savoyard Potato bake
We have also received a stock of Reblochon style cheese Fleur des Alpes. It has a dry crust and soft centre. Very popular with the French to make a dish called Tartiflette. This traditional dish is a creamy potato bake made with lardons (strong flavoured chunks of bacon) onions, cream and wine, then a whole Reblochon style cheese is sliced in half and placed on top of the potato bake. You cook it in the oven until the cheese has melted completely over the potatoes and has turned a dark golden colour. I paired this full flavoured, creamy dish with a Gustave Lorentz Riesling from Alsace as this wine has plenty of flavour to balance the strong cheesy taste of this dish.
French Market Recipe 2026 09 Liqueur de figues Fig Liquor
From the abundant orchards many liqueurs are also made with the fruit harvest. My neighbour in France, Corinne gave me an interesting Fig Liqueur recipe. I know most of us in the Cape have fig trees somewhere close by, so it is easy to find the baby fig leaves. She uses “Eau-de-Vie” (Water of Life) clear white spirit which I think can be found in a bottle store, otherwise use a bottle of clear schnapps as the base. The young fig leaves are cooked with the sugar and Eau de Vie then preserved. The flavour of this liqueur is similar to Chartreuse. Serve the liqueur slightly chilled with some little sables (small butter biscuits).
French Market Recipe 2026 08 Lentilles du Puy Puy Lentils
For my recipe this week I decided to share a simple country recipe made with Puy lentils because we now have them in stock. I suggest pairing with a Louis Latour Valmoissine Pinot Noir.
French Market Recipe 2026 06 Soupe de patate douce et citronelle Sweet potato and lemongrass soup
For my recipe this week I decided to share a chilled soup that I based on a vichysoisse but morphed it into a more Asian flavoured dish with lemon grass, sweet potatoes, coconut cream and some chicken satay on top (see last week’s recipe because I wanted to pair this with the new Cidre bouchée and the fruity flavours worked well together.
French Market Recipe 2026 05 Satay de poulet Chicken Satay
For my recipe this week I decided to share my favourite dish that I always have on my first night in Singapore. Satay is a local, Singapore / Malaysian traditional street market dish of thin slices of meat on skewers that has been marinated in a spicy sauce, then braaied over a wood fire. The grilled meat is served with a traditional spicy peanut sauce and chunks of cucumber, raw onions and small balls of rice. Its quite a long process but really worth the effort, and I recommend serving this with a glass of Gustave Lorentz Gewürztraminer.
French Market Recipe 2026 04 Canapes de concombre et caviar Cucumber and avo cocktail snacks
Post Festive season many people are looking for light, healthy nibbles. For my recipe this week I decided to share an easy and light canape recipe, it is healthy, quick and easy to make, using cucumber bases topped with a mixture of avocados and cream cheese and a topping of Baerii caviar which I have in stock at the shop. It took just a few minutes to assemble, looked most attractive and tasted great. You could also use Black Lumpfish roe instead of the caviar. I served this with a glass of Pol Roger Brut NV available from our store.
French Market Recipe 2026 03 Poires au chocolat Pears coated with chocolate
For this week’s recipe I am sharing an easy dessert made with fresh pears, chocolate, spices and red wine. The spices and wine give a beautiful flavour to the pears, and the chocolate creates a lovely sauce. The dish has a strong spicy flavour, and it is easy to make. Add a bowl of crème fraiche on the side. I suggest pairing with a glass of Gustave Lorentz Gewurtztraminer from Alsace.
French Market Recipe 2026 02 Oranges givrees au Grand Marnier Frosted oranges with Grand Marnier
This week’s recipe is an easy, refreshing dessert recipe for lunchtime on a hot summer’s day. It does not require much skill and the iced orange juice with the hint of Grand Marnier is most refreshing. Pair with a glass of Grand Marnier and some macarons.
French Market Recipe 2026 01 Gazpacho Chilled tomato soup
A chilled soup is perfect for this hot sunny weather so for my recipe this week I am sharing a recipe for a quick and easy chilled tomato gazpacho made with some Fallot mustard. See recipe below. Pair with a glass of Tio Pepe Fino Sherry available at our shop.
French Market Recipe 2025 45 Galette des Rois by Chef Raymond Blanc Kings’ Cake
Today’s recipe is a Galette des Rois (The Kings’ cake) from one of the great French chef’s Raymond Blanc. Raymond decided to become a chef when he looked through the window of the Michelin starred restaurant, Le Palais de la Biere, and saw a waiter flambéing a crepe Suzette, he was so intrigued that he made the decision to learn to be a chef at that moment. What I so admire about Raymond is that he worked his way up from washing dishes to being one of the most recognised chefs in the world. Inheriting his mother’s love of cooking good food, made with fresh produce grown in the surrounding French countryside, he took his passion and created a world class restaurant Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, which has been recognised with a 2 Michelin star for years.
French Market Recipe 2025 44 Buche de Noel aux marrons Gluten free Christmas Log cake made with chestnut puree
We have lots of chestnut products in stock for your Xmas recipes, unsweetened puree, sweetened puree and whole cooked chestnuts. Chestnuts make a good alternative to flour. This week I am sharing a recipe for a gluten free Buche de Noel made with chestnut puree, butter and chocolate.
French Market Recipe 2025 43 Bouchee a la Reine The Queen’s mouthfuls
For easy canapes you can use our readymade “Bouchée a la reine” (mini sized vols aux vents cases with a savoury filling) to make an easy, bite sized treat to accompany cocktails. In the 1700s the chef of French Queen Marie Leszczynska created these bite sized treats for the queen to enjoy and called them “Bouchee a la Reine” (the queen’s mouthful). The larger size vols aux vents (fly in the wind) can be used to make a main course. Whilst you can make any filling, here is one with ham, cheese and mushroom in a bechamel sauce.
French Market Recipe 2025 42 Le vrai Pudding de Noel The real Christmas pudding
For my recipe this week I am sharing my favourite traditional Christmas Pudding recipe. It should be made well before Christmas, so the flavours develop. Most important is a good Cognac, try some of our Cognac Frapin 1270. It is smooth and has a great depth of flavour, you can also have a swig or two of the Cognac as you prepare the pudding. Pairing is easy – a glass or 3 of Cognac.
French Market Recipe 2025 41 Saumon sauce citron beurre Salmon with lemon butter sauce
For my recipe this week I am sharing an easy dish of fillet of fried salmon with a beautiful lemon and French butter sauce. The sauce is made from thin slices of fresh lemon, salted capers and basil tossed in French butter. This is quick to make and tastes great. You can accompany the dish with steamed noodles made from courgettes or a side dish of mashed potato if you want a meal with more substance.
French Market Recipe 2025 40 Souffle à l’Emmental Emmental Cheese souffle
For my recipe this week I am sharing one of my favourite dishes, a cheese soufflé made with Emmental. The secret to a good soufflé is to ensure that you don’t get any yolk mixed in with the egg white prior to whisking the egg whites. The bowl you use for whisking must be dry and wide. Suggest you try pairing with a glass of Le Mesnil Blanc de Blanc Champagne.
French Market Recipe 2025 39 Croustade de chevre et tomates Goat’s cheese and tomato toasts
For my recipe this week I decided to share a quick and easy recipe for grilled Buche de Chevre, goat’s cheese and baby tomato toasts. This can be served as an aperitif or as a light main course. I suggest pairing this with a glass of Cheval Noir Sauvignon Blanc, a regional wine produced by Mahler Besse in Bordeaux.
French Market Recipe 2025 38 Crumble de framboises Raspberry crumble
For my recipe this week I thought I would use seasonal fresh raspberries which are easy to find now as the weather warms up. This is an easy crumble with raspberries instead of apple. It only takes a few minutes to prepare and tastes delicious. Serve it with a slice of Triple Cream delice and a glass of Dry Prosecco available at our store.
French Market Recipe 2025 38 Pommes de terre Duchesse Duchess potatoes
For my recipe this week, I am sharing a side dish which I will serve with my asparagus recipe from last week. This is Pommes de terre Duchesse, a classic French recipe for mashed potato. This is a great side dish for a creamy main course.
French Market Recipe 2025 38 Canapes de concombre et caviar Cucumber and caviar canapes
For my recipe this week I am sharing with you a light canape (cocktail snack) to serve with drinks, especially if this is before dinner, because guests can lose their appetites if they have too much before the meal. Also good for guests who are watching their carb intake as the cucumber base makes a great substitute for a bread or pastry base. This canape is quick and easy, using cucumber bases topped with a mixture of avocados and cream cheese, topped with caviar which we have in stock at the shop. It takes only a few minutes to assemble, looks most attractive, and tastes great. You can substitute the caviar with our Keta wild salmon pink roe, or the Black Lumpfish roe instead of the caviar. See recipe below. Pair this with a glass of Louis Roederer Rose champagne, it is delicious and its available in our shop.
French Market Recipe 2025 37 Asperges blanches à la sauce de Cantal White asparagus with Cantal sauce
This week’s recipe is white asparagus coated with a delicious creamy, fondue style sauce made with some tart flavoured Cantal cheese and a dash of Kirsch (Eau de Vie from black cherries). I recommend that you mop up the sauce with chunks of baguettes and pair it with a glass of De La Doucette Pouilly Fume, as the unique flinty flavour in this sauvignon blanc wine pairs well with the earthy flavour of the asparagus.