French Desserts

The best french desserts usually involve seasonally chosen fruit. French cakes, tarts, flans and even breads are the best known in the world. Our favourites include, Apples and almonds in flaky pastry, 'Pompe aux pomme du Perigord' and Nut tart, 'Gateau au noix' from the beautiful and historic region of Périgord. Which is where we happen to live.

Dessert is a course that typically comes at the end of a meal, usually consisting of sweet food but sometimes of a strongly-flavored one, such as some cheeses. The word comes from the Old French 'desservir', "to clear the table."

Many dessert recipes in France call for the use of a heavy bottomed pan called a 'skillet'.

This can be crucial to the outcome of the dish, especially crépes, gaufres,(waffles) and 'beignets'(dougnuts).

I have a skillet just like this one. It keeps it's shape under extreme heat and it must be non-stick, especially when cooking with eggs.

Another consideration is the choice of ingredients, always try to get the best when using, to flavour dishes. This can also alter the outcome of the dish.

Nut Tart 'Gateau au Noix' is a traditional recipe from Perigord. Due to an abundance of walnuts in this area, Gateau au Noix will always be a regional favourite.

Apples and Almonds in Flaky Pastry 'Pompe aux Pommes du Perigord' is a traditional french dessert recipe. From the perigord region in France.

Lost Bread 'Pain Perdu' is a traditional recipe from the Dordogne/Aquitaine region of France. Learnt and eaten on a night with friends.

French Pancakes 'Crepes' A traditional french recipe that exists all over France. Can be sweet or savoury and filled with practically anything you want.

French Yogurt Cake 'Gateaux de Yaourt' This recipe was given to me from my friend Pam, she says 'This is a French Childrens recipe really'

The King Cake 'La galette des Rois' (the cake or "wafer" of the Kings) is a cake traditionally celebrated at Christmas in France. Also my son Sam's favourite!!

Creme Caramel 'Caramel Custard' , is a famous rich custard dessert with a layer of soft caramel on top. Also known as a flan in France.

Clafouti is possibly the most famous traditional dessert from the South West of France. 'Le Clafouti' is traditionally made with wild cherries and comes from Limousin.

Rhubarb Tart 'Tarte a la Rhubarbe' is most popular in the Lorraine region of France, near Germany. This dish revives fond memories of rhubarb pie with custard, when I was a child.....

Walnut Cake 'Gateau aux Noix' is another way to eat this healthy and famous food from Perigord.

Fruit Tart 'Tarte aux Fruits' is that beautiful looking fruit tart you find in bakeries all over France. Traditional in the Region of Provence. You can use this recipe with any fruit you like.

If you LOVE rhubarb and wish to experiment with lots of different recipes and even beverages have a look at this unique site.
www.savor-the-rhubarb.com