Top 10 French Recipes of the Week - July 7, 2008

The brilliance of making your own marinated olives is that you alone customize the flavor of the dish. Take out an ingredient here and add one there… you have your own special blend! Here, we use 2 small chili peppers and a dash of crushed red pepper flakes to give the olives a bit of spicy kick. This recipe can use black or green olives – or both.

When one thinks of palmiers – the tiny scroll-like pastries - sweet, flaky cookies come to mind. While these are flaky and delicate like the original, that’s where the similarities end. This recipe for basil palmiers uses a pesto-like filling of fresh basil and garlic for a wonderful, savory flavor.

Grilling seafood adds a new flavor variation to this traditional French salad. Use store-bought French vinaigrette for quick, easy preparation.

This subtly flavored potato salad is a perfect accompaniment to roasted lemon rosemary chicken and sautéed green beans.

Accompany this luscious fruit salad with a baguette, assorted cheese, and a bottle of spicy-sweet sparkling dessert wine for a lovely Bastille Day picnic.

From the mansions of the Garden District to tiny clapboard cottages on the bayou, gumbo, a local version of French bouillabaisse, has graced every proud Louisianan table.

Tropical in nature, mixed with some signature flavors from classic French soup recipes, this pumpkin black bean soup is the perfect example of Martinique’s unique culinary style. Use fresh corn if it’s in season, but a 15 oz can of whole kernel corn gives very similar results.

Tangy, complex balsamic vinegar and a touch of salt turn olive oil and sautéed peppers into a great side dish for a hearty entrée like Sirloin Croquettes.

This spinach soufflé recipe is a perfect stand-alone for a light lunch or great served with Roasted Lemon Rosemary Chicken for a special dinner.

Coq au vin, or rooster in wine, was created as a delicious way to tenderize a tough, old bird in poor households. Chicken stewed in wine is a wonderful, hearty meal that needs no more than a baguette and good wine to be complete.