This Lebanese white fish en papillote (i.e. cooked in paper) is a very easy recipe that, with the right side dishes, creates a very interesting meal, no mean feat if you also want to keep it very low-fat, as it is here. Rich, deeply flavoured regional grains and a succulent side salad offset the simple, delicate flavours of the fish.

This celeriac and beef carbonnade from Arras in the north of France is a slow-cooked delight that takes some time, but is actually very easy to cook. A hearty warmer as the nights start to draw in...

A tarragon chicken pie made with puff pasty; a fancy version of chicken and mushroom pie. Chicken, shallots, mushrooms, celery and lardons all infused with booze and tarragon in a creamy sauce

A French Catalan stew full of fresh summer flavours. This particular recipe starts out as vegan—and is often eaten that way—making it ideal

Duck with plums and smoked peppers, an entirely new recipe inspired by a single spice—Piment du Béarn fumé.

French beef cassoulet with black olives, fennel, orange and Provençal herbs

An easy-to-cook fusion chicken dish combining classic French Burgundian cooking with Cajun swagger; creamy and spicy

Coq au vin, the French classic that has too long suffered the snobbery of contemporary foodies, here joyously revived