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    Home » Food » Entertaining

    December 3, 2023

    25 Best French Holiday Recipes

    Here are the 25 Best French Holiday recipes, made simple, from Le Chefs Wife.com which are sure to impress your guests this holiday season. Whether served at a holiday cocktail party or the starring attraction at Christmas, these dishes will elevate your holiday menu. From French Onion Soup Gratinée to Duck Magret with squash and apples to the best crème brulée recipe ever, you will find everything you need to host your next Holiday dinner party here.

    French Christmas Traditions

    There is something so incredibly magical about French Christmas Traditions. The French Riviera, in particular, does Christmas so well. The backdrop of the mediterranean sea, the convergence of cultures, (Provence! Italy! North Africa!) and the glitter of the Riviera makes for a stunning month of December.

    You can read more about French Christmas Traditions in particular in the post I shared here: French Christmas Traditions: The French Riviera or about New Year's Traditions with French Themed New Year's Eve at home or 6 Tips for Hosting a Chic French Themed New Year's Eve Party

    In this post I outline over 25 French Christmas foods, made simple, to bring joy to your household this holiday season.

    buche de noel

    French Holiday Appetizers:

    french charcuterie board

    French Charcuterie Board

    French cheese board

    French Cheese Board (though the French usually serve Cheese before the dessert course.. unless you are hosting a cocktail party - then it is perfectly correct to serve cheese at the same time as everything else)

    L'Apéro - Cocktail Hour - this post explains how to host a French Apéro - one of my favorite way to gather friends. It is informal, low stress and so much fun!

    Authentic Olive Tapenade

    Seared White Wine Scallops and Leeks Recipe

    Sea Scallops with leeks
    Seared White Wine Scallops and Leeks Recipe

    French Holiday Soups:

    Do yourself a favor and make a big pot of vegetable soup before the start of the holidays. It freezes beautifully and will offer you a light, healthy meal when you need to balance out all the Christmas Cookies and Roasts.

    Magical Leek Soup (The French woman's trick to eating a balanced diet during the holidays)

    a bowl of leek soup with sauteed leeks as a garnish
    Magical Leek Soup

    Fancy Cream of Cauliflower Soup

    Fancy cream of cauliflower soup in a bowl with roasted cauliflower
    Fancy Cream of Cauliflower Soup

    La Soupe de Mamie - Grandmother's Vegetable Soup

    french onion Soup gratinée in a white bowl with wine
    Le Chef's French Onion Soup Gratinée

    La Poule au Pot

    Creamy Butternut squash Soup with Crispy Sage

    two bowls butternut squash soup with cream and sage on a table with a fresh baked baguette
    Creamy Butternut squash Soup with Crispy Sage

    Potage aux Légumes

    French Holiday Main Dishes

    christmas capon

    Christmas Capon

    Roasted Duck Magret with Apples and Squash

    duck magret with apples and squash
    Roasted Duck Magret with Apples and Squash

    Lemon Thyme French Roast Chicken (Poulet Rôti)

    Coq au Vin

    Coq au Vin with mushrooms, chicken, onions and parsley served with mashed potatoes
    Coq au Vin made simple

    Turkey au Vin

    Roasted pork tenderloin with apples and sage

    Simple Rosemary Roast Rack of Lamb and Potatoes

    La Daube Provençale made simple

    Daube provençal in a white bowl - beef stew with fettucine
    Daube Provençale
    beef bourguignon in a plate with potatoes tournées and a glass of wine
    Classic Beef Bourguignon

    Authentic Swiss Cheese Fondue

    Swiss Cheese Fondue
    Authentic Swiss Cheese Fondue

    French Holiday Desserts

    Crème Brulée

    homemade creme brulee that has a bite out of it - sugar crackly crust
    How to make Crème Brûlée like a French Chef

    Mousse au Chocolat

    Chocolate Soufflé

    The Best Lemon Sugar Crêpes Recipe

    close up of lemon sugar crepes
    The Best Lemon Sugar Crêpes Recipe

    Le Chef’s Moelleux au Chocolat

    Moelleux au chocolat

    Bûche de Noël Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache

    Making a Buche de Noel from scratch - the finished cake with chocolate ganache and hazelnut brittle
    Bûche de Noël Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache (French Yule Log Cake)

    Les Treize Desserts - The 13 Desserts a Provençal Tradition

    les 13 desserts thirteen desserst laid out on the table
    The 13 Desserts: A Provençal Christmas Tradition

    Thanksgiving Recipes

    Thanksgiving is not a French holiday, but that doesn't mean some of your favorite French dishes wouldn't make a chic addition to your traditional Thanksgiving Menu.

    I wrote an article about how to host a Thanksgiving Dinner Party that you will enjoy. It includes hosting tips and a selection of elevated Thanksgiving recipes

    Here are my favorites:

    The best Tomatoes Provençale Recipe (Great Vegan Side Dish)

    tomatoes Provençale with garlic pesto in a copper baking dish
    The best Tomatoes Provençale Recipe - love the festive colors!

    Le Chef's Mashed Potatoes

    Buttery mashed potatoes

    Authentic Ratatouille Recipe (Vegan too!)

    Simple Confit Bayaldi Recipe (Vegan as well)

    Confit Bayaldi a dish of layered eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes and onions
    Confit Bayaldi by Chef Sébastien Giannini

    La Salade Parisienne - the best French Potato Salad

    Creamiest homemade Lobster Mac and Cheese

    Lobster Mac and cheese gratinee 1
    Lobster Gratinée Mac & Cheese

    French Holiday Breads

    La Pompe a l'huile - Provencal orange blossom brioche

    La Pompe à L'huile: Provençal Olive Oil Brioche

    French Baguettes

    French Holiday Cocktails

    Vin Chaud au Grand Marnier Recipe

    vin chaud au grand marnier
    Vin Chaud au Grand Marnier

    Kir Royale

    kir royale cocktail made with creme de cassis and champagne

    St-Germain Spritz

    I hope you have enjoyed this roundup of my 25 Best French Holiday Recipes...plus a few more. Please leave a comment below if you make any of them - I LOVE to hear from you!

    Joyeux Noël, mes amis.

    Bon appétit,

    Le Chef's Wife

    Le-Chefs-Wife-logo-final

    ABOUT LE CHEF'S WIFE

    le chefs wife in her kitchen serving capon

    Bonjour! I am Anina Belle. I translate the fancy cooking of my Michelin-star trained French Chef Husband, Le Chef, into easy to make dishes that busy people with no culinary training (like me!) can make at home. We have two young kids (6 and 3) and I have a full time job in hospitality in addition to this blog. I strongly believe that even busy people deserve to eat well at home.

    Look inside our Kitchen with this recent Washington Post Article. We were recently featured on the TODAY SHOW for our recipes of French Onion Soup Gratinée and Moelleux au Chocolat. You can watch our full segment here:

    I share our home cooking on Instagram, pinterest and tiktok. Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to receive my new recipes and have advance access to cooking classes. I look forward to cooking with you!

    Sign Up for Le Chef's Wife Newsletter

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    Bonjour. If you are looking for French Recipes, made simple, you are in the right place! I translate the fancy cooking of my French Chef husband into easy-to-follow recipes that busy people with no culinary training, like me, can cook. From French Baguettes to French Riviera classic recipes, I invite you to learn French cooking with me.

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