Inspired by your real or fantasized French summer vacation, this collection of seasonal French dishes is a delicious way to experience all the garden has to offer. Let juicy tomatoes have their moment with a savory tarte Tatin; layer tender zucchini onto a chickpea pancake called socca; and enjoy Niçoise salad in its original form or layer it inside bread for a delightful pan bagnat sandwich. There’s plenty of opportunity to use your grill, too, with recipes for Lyonnaise featuring grilled torpedo onions and rib eye steaks with briny olive butter. Plus, we’ve included some classic fruit desserts to round it all out. Step into summer with these terrific French recipes.
Roasted Tomato Pissaladière
Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Victoria Granof / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
A popular Provençal pastry, pissaladière is commonly topped with caramelized onions, olives, and anchovies. Here, Martha Holmberg adds tomatoes to the mix, first roasting them in the oven to concentrate their flavors.
Entrecôte with Green Olive Tapenade Butter
Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Elevate juicy grilled rib eye steaks with a flavor-packed compound butter made from green olives, parsley, capers, mustard, anchovies, and garlic, then serve it alongside a pile of French fries and a mesclun salad for summertime bistro vibes.
Chicken Liver Pâté
Diana Chistruga
Jacques Pépin’s classic recipe for cool, silky-smooth chicken liver pâté comes together in just minutes and makes a terrific appetizer. Don’t worry if you have leftovers — just pop them in the freezer to enjoy later.
Midsummer Fruit Tart
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Kelsey Moylan / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
With its sugar cookie-like base and tangy, creamy cheesecake filling, Julia Child’s classic tart is the perfect vehicle for showcasing whatever peak-season fruit you fancy.
Smoked Salmon Lyonnaise Salad
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
Summer is the perfect time to make this classic French bistro salad featuring peppery baby greens, boiled eggs, crispy bacon, smoked salmon, and homemade garlic croutons. Caramelized shallots and Dijon mustard in the punchy dressing bring acidity that deliciously cuts the richness of the bacon, eggs, and salmon.
Grilled Onion Lyonnaise
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Shell Royster
Poached eggs are the stars of this take on the classic salade Lyonnaise. Grilled torpedo onions, crispy, meaty lardons, and a mustard vinaigrette combine with sturdy frisée for a satisfying salad that’s just right for lunch or a light supper.
Sauvignon Blanc-Steamed Mussels with Garlic Toast
Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Called moules marinières in France, these mussels are steamed in Sauvignon Blanc and served in a sauce made from the cooking liquid, butter, and parsley.
Ratatouille
Photo by Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Greg Luna / Prop Styling by Stephanie Hunter
“True ratatouille is a simple dish: rich, tender, and transcendent when made well,” writes Parisian cookbook author Rebekah Pepplar. Made with peak-season tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, onions, and eggplant, this iconic vegetable stew distills the flavors of summer into a single bowl.
Niçoise Salad
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Stylist Barrett Washburne
This classic Provençal salad combines tuna, potatoes, green beans, anchovies, hard-boiled eggs, olives, and tomatoes. Julia Child’s recipe calls for pre-dressing the just-steamed potatoes to lock in even more flavor.
Salmon Niçoise Salad
Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford
Fresh salmon is a delightful variation in this twist on a classic tuna salade Niçoise. Crisp green beans, beautifully briny olives, and hearty potatoes are tossed in a mustardy dressing and garnished with anchovies for a vibrant variation on a beloved recipe.
Tomato Tarte Tatin
Food & Wine / Photo by Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Chelesa Zimmer / Prop Styling by Phoebe Hauser
Caramelized cherry tomatoes and onions make a stunning and flavorful topping for buttery puff pastry. Grated Parmesan adds even more umami to this easy but impressive dish.
Fraisier Cake
Morgan Hunt Glaze / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling
Show off summer strawberries with this classic French cake. Our version is composed of two pillowy, amaretto-brushed genoise sponge layers, vanilla-flecked mousseline cream, and fresh ruby-red berries.
Pan Bagnat
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
This specialty from Nice is just the thing to load into your picnic basket. Essentially a Niçoise salad in sandwich form, the real beauty of pan bagnat is that it can be made ahead and actually benefits from resting a couple hours so the tangy tuna spread can permeate the bread.
Socca with Zucchini and Olives
Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
You may have had socca — the iconic French chickpea flour pancake — on your last visit to Nice, but you don’t have to go back to have it again. Even if you don’t have the copper pans used in the south of France, your cast-iron skillet will more than suffice, leaving you with a cake that is both crisp and tender.
Branzino with Mesclun and Tomato–Herbes de Provence Vinaigrette
Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
The sweet, delicate flavor of branzino pairs beautifully with a summery tomato and mixed herb vinaigrette for a meal that comes together in just half an hour.
Vichyssoise
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
This creamy, chilled potato-leek soup is hearty yet refreshing, topped with garlicky croutons, rich pecorino Romano cheese, and fresh scallions — it’s the exact right thing to serve on a hot summer night.
Raspberry Clafoutis
Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Sue Mitchell
Clafoutis is a French baked custard that’s bolstered with flour and studded with fruit, traditionally sweet cherries — it could be described as something in between flan and a pancake. Here, organic winemaker Alix de Montille swaps in raspberries for the cherries.
Summer Squash Gratin
Food & Wine / Photo by Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Addelyn Evans
Summer squash, zucchini, leeks, and tomato create a stunning array of concentric circles in this warm-season gratin. Gruyère and white wine add a welcome contrast of rich nuttiness and crisp brightness to the dish.
Ratatouille Slab Pie
Johnny Autry / Food and Prop Styling by Charlotte Autry
The beautiful lattice top on this vegetarian showstopper encases vibrant summer squash, eggplant, tomatoes, and fresh herbs. Precooking the vegetable filling is key to concentrating flavor and releasing moisture that could otherwise cause a soggy crust.
Lentil Salad with Roasted Red Peppers
Food & Wine / Photo by Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
A delicious combination of French lentils, kale, roasted red peppers, and tangy goat cheese tossed in a zippy lemon vinaigrette, this vibrant, 30-minute salad is equally wonderful served warm, chilled, or at room temperature.
Plum Galette
Carson Downing / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Addelyn Evans
Embrace the rustic charm of a galette to showcase seasonal fruit. The dough in this recipe is buttery, flaky, and very forgiving — and it comes together in 10 seconds in a food processor. Don’t forget the ice cream!
Gâteau au Yaourt (Yogurt Cake)
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
F&W’s Lucy Simon mixes this classic French cake in a single bowl. Rich French-style yogurt gives it a moist, slightly dense crumb, and the tender cake is delicately scented with orange zest and vanilla.
Bouillabaisse
Chloe Crespi
Born in the port city of Marseille, this Provençal fish stew begins with a complex-flavored seafood broth that includes a combo of Pernod and dry white wine. Fresh snapper, scallops, and shrimp cook quickly in the liquid just until cooked through, then the dish is served with toasted baguette slices and rouille.
Le Grand (Saffron) Aïoli
Con Poulos
This make-ahead poached vegetable and shrimp spread is both gorgeous and refreshing on a summer day. Bursting with flavor and vibrant color, garlicky saffron-infused aïoli is the perfect dip for crisp-tender vegetables and juicy shrimp.
Prosciutto and Melon Burrata Salad
Matt Taylor-Gross
Though this dish might seem distinctly Italian, the combination of creamy burrata, salty prosciutto, and sweet cantaloupe is widely enjoyed in the south of France when melons are in season.
My Merguez with Pork and Grilled Tortilla Bread
David Malosh
“Along with other North African dishes, merguez is very popular in France. That little lamb sausage is a classic at any backyard barbecue or picnic there, as popular as the hot dog is in the U.S.,” says Jacques Pépin. He forms his sausages into small patties to serve as an appetizer, but they can also be layered onto a toasted baguette along with bell peppers and onions for a typical summer meal.
Provençal Vegetable Soup
© David Malosh
Get exceptional flavor from pistou in this vegetable-packed summer soup from legendary French chef Eric Ripert.
Provençal Eggplant-Tomato Gratin
Christopher Hirsheimer
Roast ripe summer tomatoes and eggplant with herbs and olives in this recipe from Frank Stitt, who worked for the late great cookbook author Richard Olney in Provence, France.