FRENCH CUISINE

OBJECTIVES
• OBJECTIVES: at the end of the laboratory,
students should be able to:
• apply the proper techniques of preparing and
serving French food through actual cooking.
• identify noted recipes.
• acquaint the uses of herbs and spices as
flavouring ingredients in the French cuisine.
• understand the French cookery terms.
 Classic French Cuisine
Classic French Cuisine has an elegant form of
cooking more demanding and more precise than
any others. It implies careful planning of menu to
ensure a delicious blend of texture, colours, and
flavours; it means sparkling crystal, gleaming
silver, and immaculate napery. It includes
supreme French dishes, those of elegant, inspired
creations of the great French chefs that have
stood the test of time. Perfection is the goal of
Classic French cooking.
• French haute cuisine blossomed in
the palaces and chateaux of the
prerevolutionary era. Many great
chefs were born such as Careme,
Escoffier, and Prosper Montagne.
• It is this rare combination of superior
ingredients, great chefs and
appreciative dinner that has
contributed to making France the
home of the outstanding cuisine.
 French provincial Cooking
• Country cooking in France is characterized by
simplicity, “blended with skill and the highest
regard for the quantity of the ingredients”.
• Provinces near the sea like Bretagne and
Province have abundant used of the seafood
in their cooking; while those inland provinces
like Touraine, Ile de France, and Bourgogne
utilizes more fruits and vegetables, meat and
sausages, cheese and eggs.
• Country people like to take hearty main meal,
called dejeuner. This proceeded by an hors
d’oeuvres. Soups are rarely served at this time
unless some regional dish likes a bouillabaisse
is served as the main course. Salads are always
served after the main course which is usually
of meat and fish. Bread and wine are always
served with the meals. Evening meals are
simpler consists mainly of a big bowl of soup
made with available ingredients. An omelette
of light pudding or fruit compote follows next.
1. French Provincial Cooking

• Simple method of preparation

• Simple ingredients
• Ingredients are available in their gardens
• Ordinary
• Common household recipes prepared by
housewife or member of the family
• Noted recipe like Bouillabaisse
2. Classical French Cooking

• Elegant and complicated methods of

preparation
• Expensive
• Utilized by king and nobles
• Prepared by chefs
• Use formal type of service
• Noted recipe like Terrine Maison
French cuisine is a truly fully develop cuisine, the
reasons are:
1. Number one in Chef.
2. Number one in restaurant. Restaurant began
in Paris, France year 1765.
3. Vast in natural resources like sea foods, dairy
products, cheese, wines, milk, butter,
vegetables, meats, and fruits.
4. Rich country
5. Food lovers
6. Abundant of Chefs
The people who help the development of
French cuisine:
The people who help the development of French
cuisine:
1. Italians – the mother and teacher of French
cuisine.
• Catherine de’ Medici from Florence Italy – the
princess introduced;
• Culinary arts
• Silverware
• Glass goblets and wine glasses
• Fine entertainment
2. Greeks – introduce pleasure
while eating such as entertainment
like music, orchestra, ballads,
classical music, lyrics and Greek
mythology
3. Romans – introduce banquets
4. Russia – Formal service
Le Cuisinier Francaise was the first cook
book, the highlights of the recipe book:
• Meats should be served with their natural
juice (medium rare)
• Mushrooms and truffles use for garnishing.
• Roux as thickening agent for sauces and cream
soup
• Butter as substitute for fat in cooking
• Fish must be serve with fumet - a stock made
of wine herbs
Regions that gave rise in the development
of French Cuisine
• Normandy – noted for dairy products
• Bretagne – credited for inventing pancakes or
crepes.
• Champagne – noted for sparkling wine
• Touraine – considered the most abundant
garden in France. Noted for fruits and
vegetables
• Ile de France – birth place of classical French
Cuisine. The placed of where classic French
cuisine developed. The competition of the
Chefs held in this place.
• Franche-Comte – popular is the chicken called
• Franche-Comte – popular is the chicken called the
“bresse chicken”, a small bird.
• Bourgogne (Burgundy) – noted for red wine, is the
key ingredients for Boeuf Bourguignon.
• Bordeaux – place for white wine
• Alsace and Lorraine – noted for “Quiche Lorraine” a
tart with an egg, cream and bacon. And “Potee”
cabbage soup with pork and vegetables.
• Languedoc, Foix, Roussillon – noted for Spanish
cooking like Spanish omelette (with tomato and
garlic) and Cassoulets, a rich concoctions of goose
or duck or mutton, sausage and white beans.
 Menu format:
• Appetizer – usually hors d’oeuvres. Dressings:
Vinaigrette, hollandaise – made of butter incorporated
with egg yolk to make it thick yellow and creamy sauce.
• Soup – mostly clear and thin soup to serve (consommé)
• Entrée – serve before the main dish; poultry,
vegetables, dairy products, sea foods and beef but not
grilled or roasted.
• Main dish – beef or veal usually roasted or grilled
• Salad – light green salad
• Dessert – cheese, fruit, sweet
• Beverage – black coffee / demitasse – strong black
coffee to complete the meal.
• Noted Persons:
• Marie-Antoine Carême – Father of classic
French cuisine
• Auguste Escoffier – King of Chefs, chef of Kings