French food doesn’t need to be complicated or intimidating. In Bon App! (Thames & Hudson, RRP $65), French-born Isabelle Dunn shares how to make more than 100 delicious and simple French dishes.
The recipes are fun, easy to follow and completely accessible for everyday cooks. They’re all about bringing the deliciousness of French food to your kitchen, without the stress of complex techniques or hard-to-find ingredients.
Isabelle (‘Isy‘) is a passionate home cook and content creator with a large following on Instagram @tastyfeedsdaily Some of the recipes in the book, like her Tropical crème brûlée, went viral on social media.
Raised in France with a lifelong love for cooking, she now lives in Sydney with her husband and two daughters.
In Bon App!, she invites readers to explore her favourite French dishes and experience the love language of food.
Divided into 13 sections covering everything from retro classics to boozy desserts, the book shares recipes for every kind of dining occasion, from Apéro Hour snacks like Confit leeks and Camembert madelines, to Classics such as Cheese soufflé and Coq au vin.
Expect to soon be whipping up crêpes, rillettes, tarts, gratins, quiches and brûlées with aplomb. The level of difficulty ranges from simple (vinaigrette, crème caramel, chocolate mousse, Paris mash) to advanced (cheese soufflés, country pâté, strawberry charlotte.
The recipes are accompanied by beautiful photography from Alan Benson and a stunning design evocative of the Mediterranean.
We present two recipes from the book here. The Apple Jelly is a recipe she made every year with her mum while growing up. “It’s a refined alternative to jam that is perfect for using up left-over apples and adding a touch of sweetness to fresh, buttered bread or brioche,” she said.
The Parisian Hot Chocolate recipe is an indulgence inspired by the renowned Parisian café Angelina. “A sip takes me back to sweet memories of childhood visits to the café with my dad,” she says.
Apple Jelly (Gelée de pommes)
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 ½ hours
Makes: 1.1 litres (37 fl oz)
1 kg (2 lb 3 oz) apples (such as granny smith or royal gala), quartered, cores retained
690 g (3 cups) caster (superfine) sugar
juice of 1 lemon
sliced baguette and butter, to serve (optional)
Place the apples, including the cores, into a large saucepan and add enough water to cover them, about 1 litre (4 cups). Bring to a rolling boil, then simmer for 30 minutes, or until very soft.
Strain through a muslin-lined colander set over a bowl, letting the juice drip without squeezing.
Measure the juice. For each 250 ml (1 cup) of juice, add 150 g (5½ oz) of sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice; you may not get exactly 3 cups of juice, so adjust the sugar and lemon juice accordingly.
Pour the apple juice back into the saucepan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil.
Simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the mixture starts to set. Test by placing a spoonful on a cold plate; if it wrinkles when pushed, it’s ready. Skim any foam or impurities from the top of the jelly.
Pour the hot jelly into three to four 350 ml (12 ½ fl oz) clean, sterilised jars, leaving about a 1 cm (½ in) gap at the top. Allow to cool to room temperature, then seal the jars with lids and store in a cool, dark place. If the jelly hasn’t set after 24 hours, transfer it back to a saucepan and bring briefly to the boil until it reaches 220°C (425°F), then pour into clean, sterilised jars and allow to cool again. Seal with lids and return to a cool, dark place until opened.
The jelly can be spread on buttered baguette slices for a very classic French breakfast.
STORAGE
Store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerate once opened and use within 4 weeks.
Parisian Hot Chocolate (Chocolat chaud à l’ancienne)
Serves 2
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
250 ml (1 cup) full-cream (whole) milk
125 ml (½ cup) double (heavy) cream
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons Dutch (unsweetened) cocoa powder
pinch of salt flakes
70 g (2 ½ oz) 70% dark chocolate, chopped
whipped cream, to serve (see below)
Stir together the milk, cream, sugar and cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat until the mixture simmers around the edges.
Remove from the heat and add a pinch of salt flakes and the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has fully melted; if necessary, place the saucepan over low heat to ensure it melts completely.
Serve the hot chocolate topped generously with whipped cream.
STORAGE
Store without the cream in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Whipped cream
300 ml (10 fl oz) double (heavy) cream
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
30 g (1/4 cup) icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted
Use a hand-held electric mixer to whip the cream, vanilla bean paste and icing sugar until stiff peaks form.
Recipes and images from: Bon App! 100+ French classics, made easy. By Isabelle Dun, published by Thames & Hudson, RRP $65.
