I hope you’re hungry!
I’ve spent a great time traveling around different regions, towns, and cities of France and tasting the local cuisine. I’ve come across some of the best dishes that are now my favorites and can be hard to find on restaurant menus in other parts of the world. They’re worth a try and trust me, if you love cheese and rich sauces, you’ll love these.
Chicken Vol-au-vent
Whenever I visit Paris, I always make it a priority to book a table at Ladurée and enjoy their flavorful Chicken Vol-au-vent. Whether you’ve eaten at Ladurée before or simply come for the macarons, this is their signature dish on the menu and is perhaps the easiest to find outside of France, because this luxurious French patisserie has locations all over the world.
Chicken Vol-au-vent is a delicious combination of chicken stuffed in a flakey-round pastry with mushroom sauce poured over. The sauce includes morels which is the perfect addition to the dish.
Tartiflette
Potatoes + Bacon + Cheese =Sounds like heaven. If you enjoy scalloped potatoes, you’ll be obsessed with this. Tartiflette is a delightful dish combining potatoes, specialty cheese, bacon (lardons) and onions. It’s found in the French Alps bordering Switzerland and is enjoyed by the locals and tourists alike.
The first time I tried tartiflette was in Lac d’Annecy, one hour away from Geneva. I absolutely loved the combination of flavors and had it several more times throughout my three-day stay. Since my trip to Annecy, I haven’t had tartiflette and realized it’s tough to find an eatery that makes it in other parts of France let alone the U.S.
Flammekueche or Tarte Flambée
Raise your hand if you love Trader Joe’s… (all hands raised?!) My favorite frozen meal from the American grocery-chain is this tarte. I’ve been buying it for years and yet I never paid enough attention to look at the name of it. My focus has always been on the dish pictured and the excitement of popping it in the oven for lunch.
Tarte Flambée (as I prefer to call it) is a light flatbread that’s topped with regional cheese, bacon (lardons) and onions. It’s cooked delicately in the oven to prevent burning. You can order it with additional toppings or other cheeses as well (I like to order it with gruyere cheese).
Last month I discovered that this light and flavorful meal originated from the Alsace region (bordering Germany). It became a crazy coincidence where I enjoyed this tarte twice because of its origins. Additionally, I can confirm that the Trader Joe’s version does taste traditional, however Alsace of course does it better.
Rounding up, these are some of my favorite dishes that I’ve enjoyed while exploring other regions of France outside of Paris. You can definitely see a pattern of cultural integration with French, Swiss, and German cuisines alike. Furthermore, while I can easily enjoy a Chicken Vol-au-vent at Ladurée Soho or buy Tarte Flambée from Trader Joe’s, it’s tough to find Tartiflette. This dish is perhaps the one I miss savoring the most considering it’s origins with French and Swiss cuisine intertwined.
If you’ve tried any of these dishes before or have an interest in them, I definitely recommend researching some French restaurants in New York City that might surprisingly have them on the menu! Let me know your thoughts, tips, and what else you’d like to see more of! Happy Friday! 🙂
