Today is Bastille Day in France — their national celebration that commemorates the storming of the Bastille fortress in 1789. Much like the Fourth of July in the United States, Bastille Day marks a turning point in the French Revolution and is celebrated with festivities across the country. The President leads a military parade down the Champs-Élysées in Paris, and towns and villages hold parties, concerts, and fireworks. What began as a dramatic political event is now a day of proud celebration and lively tradition.
My partner and I are using the occasion to enjoy a full day of French cooking. While watching the Tour de France we’ll start with a simple omelet for breakfast, enjoy a Croque Monsieur for lunch, serve Coq au Vin for dinner, and finish with a nectarine and cherry galette for dessert. It’s a delicious way to honor French cuisine and savor classic flavors throughout the day.
Coq au Vin is a quintessentially French dish—traditionally made with older birds—and although some stories trace its origins back to Roman times, it is a staple across France. The dish is cooked slowly in red wine, usually Burgundy or a similar pinot noir, to tenderize the meat and develop deep, savory flavor. While traditional recipes often call for long marination in wine, a slow cooker lets you achieve that braised, infused result without the multi-day preparation.
Seasoned with thyme, bay leaf, onions, and mushrooms, Coq au Vin yields a rich, comforting meal that pairs beautifully with mashed potatoes or buttered noodles. Classic preparation involves partially cooking ingredients, covering them with wine to marinate overnight, then braising slowly. For a more practical approach, brown the chicken and aromatics first to build a deep flavor base, then add vegetables, stock, and plenty of wine. Let it simmer on low all day and you’ll return to a home that smells irresistible and a dinner that’s tender and flavorful.
If you want an even heartier French classic, try Boeuf Bourguignon — beef braised in red wine. Once a peasant dish meant to tenderize tough cuts, it now appears on fine-dining menus. This adapted version from chef Nathalie Dupree shortens the time and effort while preserving the deep, rich flavor. Burgundy wine is traditional, but a good pinot noir or a lighter merlot will work well. For an alcohol-free option, replace the wine with a mixture of half water and half extra stock.
Slow cooking is key: keep the heat low and avoid boiling the cooking liquid. Over several hours the beef breaks down and becomes meltingly tender. Rendering bacon at the start — a technique that imitates traditional larding — adds depth and richness to the sauce. While it’s possible to skip the bacon, trying the dish once with it will show you how much it enhances the final result.
I enjoy the simplicity of assembling ingredients and letting a dish simmer slowly until everything is tender and harmonious. Wine softens and blends into the other flavors during cooking, lending a subtle sophistication to otherwise rustic dishes. Put on some Édith Piaf and maybe watch Julie & Julia for inspiration — it’s a joyful way to celebrate French food. Bon appétit, mes amis!
Glazed Pearl Onions
Jane’s Tips and Hints:
When cooking with wine, always choose a bottle you would enjoy drinking. Avoid so-called “cooking wines” — they often have additives that can negatively affect the flavor. Using the same wine for cooking and serving ensures the meal and the wine complement each other.
Kitchen Skill: Braising
Braising is an essential technique for turning inexpensive, tough cuts into tender, flavorful meals. Start by browning the meat in hot oil to develop color and flavor. Then add liquid — wine, stock, or water — reduce the heat, cover, and cook slowly for several hours. The low, moist heat breaks down connective tissue and concentrates flavors, producing succulent results that are hard to beat.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 (5 to 7-lb) stewing chicken, cut into serving pieces
- 6 oz pancetta, salt pork, or slab (unsliced) bacon, cubed
- 24 to 30 frozen pearl onions, thawed and patted dry
- 8 oz button mushrooms, halved
- 1 to 2 tbsp olive oil, if needed
- 2 (750-ml) bottles red wine, preferably pinot noir
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 2 stalks celery, quartered
- 2 medium carrots, quartered
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed, and sprouted green center discarded
- 6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups chicken stock or broth
- Cooked egg noodles or mashed potatoes, for serving
- Minced fresh parsley, for garnish
- Set a wire rack over a paper towel lined baking sheet with sides. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and onion powder in a plastic bag.
- Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towel. Add a couple of pieces to the flour and shake to coat thoroughly. Transfer to prepared wire rack. Continue with remaining chicken pieces. Discard any remaining flour. Set aside to rest.
- Place pancetta in a large 12-inch skillet and cook over medium heat until fat has been rendered and pork is lightly crispy. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pork to a bowl and reserve. Add pearl onions to same pan and cook until lightly browned.
- Using the slotted spoon again, add onions to pork. Then add mushrooms to the pan and cook until they wilt and release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms to onions and pork. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
- Still using the same pan, brown chicken pieces on both sides, cooking in batches if necessary to avoid crowding. If needed, add 1 or 2 tbsp oil to the pan. When done, transfer chicken to the crock of a slow cooker.
- Add 1 cup of the wine to the skillet and deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in tomato paste until dissolved. Pour this over the chicken. Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and chicken stock to the slow cooker. Pour in remaining wine. Cover and cook on low for about 6 to 8 hours or until chicken is falling-off-the-bone tender. Transfer chicken pieces to a platter and keep warm in a 250°F oven.
- Place a colander over a large bowl, and pour juices from slow cooker into colander. Press on solids with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids. Pour cooking liquids into a pot and cook over medium heat until slightly thickened and reduced by about one-third. If the sauce is still too thin, stir 1 tsp cornstarch into 1/4 cup lukewarm water and whisk until dissolved. Slowly pour this into the cooking liquids while stirring. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook until thickened.
- Stir in the previously cooked mushrooms, onions, and pork pieces. Cook in the sauce for 15 minutes or until heated through. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Add chicken back to the saucepan to reheat.
- Place noodles or potatoes in bowls and top with a piece of chicken. Spoon sauce over the top, sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
- Beef
- 3 oz fat bacon, cut into small pieces (or about 3 tbsp vegetable oil)
- 2-1/2 lb thick cut beef chuck for braising, cut in 2-inch squares
- 2 onions, sliced lengthwise
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 to 3 cups of Burgundy wine (or other dry red wine)
- 2 to 3 cups good quality beef stock
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Bouquet garni of bay leaf, celery stalk, parsley, and thyme, tied or wrapped in cheesecloth
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed with salt
- Garnish
- 12 to 18 small white pearl onions, peeled and brown-braised in stock
- 1/2 lb quartered small mushrooms, sautéed in butter
- Croutons of fried French bread dipped in finely chopped parsley
- Sauté the bacon (or heat oil) in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat until brown. Pat the meat very dry and brown it in batches, transferring browned pieces to a bowl. When all the meat is browned, allow the sliced onions to brown slowly in the remaining drippings.
- Remove the onions. If needed, add a little oil so you have about 2 tbsp fat. Off the heat, add the flour and stir until smooth and lump-free, then return to the heat briefly. Remove from heat and whisk in the wine and stock until smooth. Return to heat and bring to a boil. Add the meat, bacon, sliced onions, seasonings, vegetables, and garlic, then simmer.
- Preheat oven to 325ºF.
- Transfer to the oven and braise slowly until tender, about 3 to 4 hours. Meanwhile prepare the onions, mushrooms, and croutons. When the meat is tender, add the onions and mushrooms and reheat briefly.
- Skim fat from the sauce and remove solids, reserving them. Simmer the sauce until it thickens and coats a spoon. If too thin, reduce rapidly. Adjust seasonings, arrange meat, mushrooms, and onions on a platter, cover with sauce, garnish with parsley croutons, and serve.
- You can use frozen pearl onions to save time; thaw and brown lightly in butter, then add beef stock and simmer until warmed.
- To make croutons: remove crusts from rustic bread, cut into 1-inch cubes, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, and bake at 350°F about 10 minutes until golden. Sprinkle finely chopped parsley when hot if desired.
- Serve over buttered egg noodles, mashed or roasted potatoes, or cooked rice to soak up the sauce.
- 18 to 24 peeled white onions, about 1 inch in diameter
- 1-1/2 tbsp butter
- 1-1/2 tbsp canola oil
- 1/2 cup brown stock or beef bouillon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Herb bouquet: 4 parsley sprigs, 2 thyme sprigs, 1 small bay leaf, tied with twine
- Heat butter and oil in a 9- to 10-inch sauté pan over medium heat. When bubbling, add the onions and sauté about 10 minutes, turning so they brown evenly without breaking their skins.
- When browned, pour in the stock or bouillon, season to taste, and add the herb bouquet. Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are tender but hold their shape and the liquid has mostly evaporated. Remove the herb bouquet.
- If desired, toss the hot onions in a tablespoon of softened butter and sprinkle with parsley before serving.
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Thank You!