Easy methods to Inventory a French Pantry

Properly over a decade in the past, after I was attending to know my then-boyfriend, now-husband in 2010—a tall, critical man from Gascony—I needed to cook dinner conventional French recipes to attach with him higher. I first consulted Julia Little one’s cookbook to make her well-known boeuf bourguignon, however discovered it to be fairly sophisticated. Then, I consulted a French cooking journal that had a a lot easier recipe and ended up with a dish that my husband nonetheless raves about to today. That dish helped dissipate any concern I had about tackling French delicacies. After 14 years of efficiently plying my husband with French classics, I can confidently say it’s more durable to appropriately pronounce blanquette de veau (veal stew) or gratin dauphinois (scalloped potatoes) than it’s to make them.  

French delicacies is usually thought to be a benchmark of culinary excellence, with a lot consideration paid to the savoir-faire, or know-how, of the nation’s artisan bakers, celebrated cooks, and world-renowned cooking establishments. There’s a cloud of romanticism that surrounds French meals, and the thought of tackling these fancy, usually sophisticated recipes at dwelling may be intimidating, to say the least. However with the correct substances readily available, it’s simple to get began.

In France, my in-laws go to the marché (farmers market) no less than as soon as per week, choose up every day baguettes, and cook dinner nearly each meal at dwelling. I all the time marvel on the ease with which my mother-in-law can whip up three-course meals with just some meat and vegetable purchases from the market. At dwelling in Los Angeles, I take my pantry cues from my French household, whose cabinets appear to all the time have simply what we’d like. Should you’re itching to begin cooking a la Française, this listing is for you—you’ll be geared up to throw collectively a myriad of Gallic gourmand dishes, each candy and savory. 

Pantry

Dijon Mustard

This pungent, tangy mustard was created within the mid-1800s within the Burgundy area of France and is used as a condiment for sandwiches, in addition to in marinades, dressings, and sauces like gribiche and steak au poivre. True Dijon mustard, per French requirement, is produced from brown seeds (Brassica juncea) or black ones (Brassica nigra) grown in Dijon, however as a result of mustard seeds are largely imported into France to maintain up with demand, many French properties will use a Dijon-fashion mustard from manufacturers like Amora or Maille. Should you’re trying to find a real Dijon mustard within the States, you might be able to discover a jar of Edmond Fallot, the one giant producer nonetheless making their mustard fully utilizing Dijon seeds. I all the time maintain a 500-gram crock of this model readily available as I choose 100% Dijon-made mustard, however you’ll have a better time discovering Maille within the States.

Vinegar

In a rustic that produces a ton of wine and cider, it is sensible that there’s additionally a thriving vinegar manufacturing. Sometimes product of leftover or over-oxidized wine (or cider), French vinegars are available in an array of flavors—white wine, crimson wine, raspberry, quince, and extra. A staple for making French dressing and marinade, vinegar can be a superb addition to sure sauces to impart freshness and acidity, like in a sweet-and-sour gastrique. I all the time maintain crimson wine vinegar readily available for salad dressing, and although it’s not French, sherry vinegar is often utilized in southwestern France—it is barely milder and may be extra nice for these with palates which might be extra delicate to bitter flavors.

Dried Herbs and Spices

A typical French family can have a number of dried herbs and spices which might be used repeatedly in on a regular basis cooking.

• Thyme provides a citrusy, floral high quality to roast rooster and sautéed mushrooms. 
• Nutmeg is a vital ingredient in béchamel sauce and may add a contact of heat to soups and stews, like blanquette de veau and boeuf bourguignon. 
• Bay leaves are used as a part of a bouquet garni, or bundle of herbs, (together with recent parsley and thyme) to impart taste to shares and different dishes like navarin d’agneau (lamb stew) or pot-au-feu. 
• Piment d’espelette is produced from peppers grown within the French Basque countryside which might be dried and floor into flakes or a powder. Just like paprika however with only a contact of warmth, it’s sometimes one of many spiciest substances in a French spice cupboard. I exploit piment d’espelette in poulet Basquaise (Basque-style rooster) largely, nevertheless it’s tremendous versatile and can be utilized wherever you may add black pepper, like on a steak, over roasted rooster, and even on veggies.
• Herbes de Provence is a multi-purpose dried herb mix sometimes product of marjoram, rosemary, tarragon, lavender, fennel, and thyme—crops discovered alongside the Mediterranean coast. Its aromatic notes and complicated taste profile are glorious in a marinade or as a dry rub on fish and rooster.

Inventory and Demi-Glace

Ideally, we’d all have time to make shares and demi-glace from scratch for soups, stews, and sauces. In actuality, many households—together with mine!—depend on powdered variations from Knorr or Maggi for comfort, although they could lack the depth, taste, and gelatin content material that offers richness to home made variations. Should you choose non-powdered variations, you possibly can maintain pre-portioned home made inventory within the freezer, whether or not rooster inventory or beef inventory, and search for jarred demi-glace that may be diluted to your most well-liked focus.

Darkish Chocolate

France’s proximity to Switzerland and Belgium implies that good high quality chocolate is extensively accessible. Other than being a superb snack, darkish chocolate is used for in style French sweets like mousse au chocolat, pot de crème, and mi-cuit chocolat (often known as chocolate lava cake). It’s additionally a shock addition to sure beef-based stews, like boeuf bourguignon. I wish to maintain a bar product of no less than 70% cacao readily available, like Côte d’Or’s 70% Darkish Chocolate Bar, for cooking or snacking. 

Preserved Elements

Meals preservation is large in France, with a number of the hottest meals made in bulk and saved to be used all year long. 

• Jams, jellies, and preserves, each store-bought or home made, are sometimes eaten within the morning slathered on a bit of toasted, buttered baguette. After I’m in France, I really like to select up ultra-local jams product of mirabelle plums or rosehip, however within the US, I purchase Bonne Maman preserves, particularly after they’re on sale.
• Olives are a preferred blissful hour snack, and will also be utilized in tagines or made into tapenade. Shiny inexperienced Picholine olives are my favourite, and you’ll’t go mistaken with olives de Good, a black olive much like kalamata that shines in a salade Niçoise.
• Cornichons are a mini pickle that may be added to a French ham and butter sandwich (jambon beurre) or served alongside melted raclette within the winter.
• Duck confit is a specialty of southwestern France, product of seasoned duck legs simmered after which preserved in their very own fats. They’re utilized in cassoulet or served alongside a inexperienced salad and crispy potatoes. 

Jarred or Tinned Fish

Seafood conserves are more and more in style throughout Europe, however you’re extra prone to discover just a few varieties at dwelling. Anchovies are extremely popular in southeastern France, alongside the Mediterranean, and are used to make a fast pissaladière for lunch or apéro. Canned sardines are sometimes grilled or pan-fried, then evenly dressed with a squeeze of lemon and served on bread. And jarred tuna, preserved in olive oil, is crucial for making a salade Niçoise and pan bagnat.

Wine and Different Spirits

Cheap, but drinkable crimson and white wines are de rigueur for cooking coq au vin or moules marinières, however I additionally wish to maintain a bottle of darkish rum for including taste to crepe batter, and Cognac or Armagnac for enhancing the sauce for steak au poivre. 

Fridge

Salted Butter

Butter is a ubiquitous ingredient in French delicacies. Moreover being the spine of many baked items like croissants, it’s used generously for sautéeing greens, basting steaks, including a shiny end to omelets, and incorporating a sure je ne sais quoi to mashed potatoes. And whilst you can definitely use unsalted butter for many of those functions, the French overwhelmingly choose salted butter for normal use—each for cooking and spreading on bread. Made in both Normandy or Brittany, the perfect butter is yellow with flecks of crunchy sea salt. Whereas this sort of butter is all over the place in France, it may be tough to search out the identical fashion right here within the US, however Dealer Joe’s carries a salted butter from Brittany that’s worthy of a spot in your kitchen; if you happen to can’t discover it, Kerrygold from Eire is a strong alternative that’s extensively accessible.

Crème Fraîche 

This creamy dairy product resembles American bitter cream however with a milder tanginess. I exploit this for making quiche and thickening mushroom soup, nevertheless it’s additionally scrumptious when served atop recent strawberries. Crème fraîche may be fairly costly within the US, so you possibly can all the time make home made crème fraîche with simply a few substances.

Yogurt

The number of yogurts in a French grocery store by no means ceases to amaze me—most shops have whole aisles devoted to the product. Yogurt, sometimes full fats, is usually eaten for breakfast or dessert, both plain, with a spoonful of preserves or chestnut cream, or sprinkled with uncooked sugar (referred to as cassonade in French). Since most households have no less than one particular person pot of yogurt readily available always, it’s additionally doable to throw collectively a yogurt cake at a second’s discover, utilizing the yogurt container to measure out the remainder of the substances. Within the US, I go for La Fermière or Oui by Yoplait, that are the 2 closest manufacturers when it comes to consistency and taste to French variations—very creamy, thick, and with a stronger tanginess than their American counterparts.

Cheese

From children to adults, most French individuals—until they’ve points with dairy—take pleasure in all completely different sorts of cheeses regularly. You’ll usually discover no less than one kind of cheese within the fridge reserved for a post-meal cheese course, like Brie or Camembert. However for making ready meals, Emmental, Gruyère, or Comté is the number of alternative for sandwiches, making quiches, melting in gratin, or sprinkling atop salads. There’s a shredded Swiss-Gruyere mix at Dealer Joe’s that I purchase no less than as soon as a month and use for croque monsieur or after I’m making Mornay sauce, bechamel’s cheese-laced cousin. 

Bacon

Within the US and UK, bacon is extra generally eaten for breakfast, however the French sometimes use lardon, cubes of fatty bacon, to taste numerous dishes. Added to salads, on prime of tarte flambée, in quiche Lorraine, or for incorporating layers of complexity to stews, lardons are extra of a condiment than a most important protein in most situations.

Freezer

Frozen Puff Pastry

It’s fairly simple to throw collectively a shortcrust pastry for quiche or a tart with flour, butter, salt, and water. However laminated dough like puff pastry is lots more durable, so many individuals purchase it frozen and maintain it round for making tarts, pies, and appetizers like vol-au-vent. Puff pastry may be sliced into strips, twisted, brushed with egg wash, sprinkled with cheese, and baked for a straightforward snack, or rolled with sugar and baked to make palmier cookies. The ingredient acts as a clean canvas for culinary creativity, and the chances are nearly limitless.

Frozen Greens

Regardless that France depends closely on weekly open-air markets and their native grocery shops for produce, it isn’t stunning to search out just a few baggage of frozen greens stashed away in a French particular person’s freezer “simply in case.” Frozen greens are sometimes picked at their peak, preserving a lot of their vitamins and taste through the freezing course of. Impressed by the French, I’ve began shopping for frozen variations of fussier greens that often want a number of prep—artichokes, fava beans, string beans, and peas—and in addition wish to maintain a bag of combined greens (carrots, peas, corn, and inexperienced beans) readily available to make macedoine, one among my husband’s favourite salads from childhood.