spring

Welcome to the 7th edition of my monthly newsletter! Each month, I intend to share a personal round up of the past weeks to give you a glimpse into my French life. I also share links I love, seasonal recipe inspirations and try to answer some of the questions I’ve received through social media as well.

Easter is a popular celebration across France, with a big focus on food! Known as “le repas de Pâques”, the French Easter meal is a joyous family fare with staple features like lamb, eggs, asparagus and strawberries. It’s all about celebrating the arrival of Spring and the rebirth of nature! Read along for some of my insight regarding a traditional French Easter menu, to help inspire you in the kitchen! About Easter weekend in France I feel like the French are particularly fond of Easter weekend, which often marks the …

This simple starter of White Asparagus à la Grenobloise is a French Spring classic. Tender and slightly sweet white asparagus, which are incredibly popular in France, are doused with a tangy Grenobloise sauce of butter, lemon, capers, parsley and crunchy croutons. This delightful dish is on the table in just 20 minutes, making the most of asparagus season.

This Mediterranean-style Lemon Olive Oil Cake is light, not too sweet and yields delicious fruity notes from the olive oil combined with citrusy flavors from the lemon zest and its juice. It keeps moist for days and bears a just so slightly crunchy top, which reminds of fried doughs. A perfect cake for an afternoon tea!

We’re entering the peak of strawberry season! So, here are some of my favorite strawberry recipes from the blog’s archives: from the Classic French Strawberry Tart to a rustic, fuzz-free Galette. I hope this recipe roundup will get your inspiration flowing and help you make the most of juicy, ripe and sweet strawberries.

3 steps, 3 ingredients and 30 minutes is all you need for this easy and delicious strawberry jam (no pectin added). This is my go-to recipe, which I love to make at the peak of strawberry season when this fruit is at its ripest. This jam is smooth, spreadable, and simply lets the strawberries shine.  A great small-batch recipe for first timers or any home cook to add to their repertoire.

Don’t throw out those radish leaves! Made from fresh, peppery radish leaves and potatoes for extra body, this Radish Leaf Soup is ever so popular in France and a Spring staple in my kitchen. It offers healthy, delicious comfort and is a great way to make do with extremely underrated radish leaves.

Classic French Sole Meunière may sound fancy – but it’s far from it. I promise. This staple of the French repertoire features simple sole fillets lightly dredged in flour, pan fried and bathed in a brown butter sauce with lemon and parsley. The zesty lemon cuts through the richness of the butter, allowing the delicate flavors of the sole to shine and create a fish dish that’s zingy, moist yet somehow crisp – an ultimate dinner for the whole family. 

Easier than pie but just as delicious, this Strawberry Rhubarb Galette features a flaky all-butter crust, folded in a free form manner over a sweet filling of ripe strawberries and tangy rhubarb. It is an uncomplicated dessert that doesn’t require much time to assemble nor does it require a pie dish. It’s the perfect kind of laid-back dessert to throw together in a pinch, when strawberries and rhubarb are bountiful and days are getting sunnier.

Simplicity is often the golden rule of allowing seasonal fruits to shine – and this Strawberry Flaugnarde is the perfect example of this. Just like a Clafoutis, this classic French dessert is a custardy baked flan nestled with seasonal fruits. It’s tender and creamy in the center, with satisfyingly puffy and chewy rims. The best part: you only need a few basic baking ingredients (flour, sugar, eggs and milk) and fresh seasonal strawberries to recreate this delicious dessert in your own kitchen.