Bonjour Mon Ami! Today, we're taking off to France to have the best feast of your life. With my delicious French Recipes and new and easy Steak Chateaubriand Recipe, I'm going to show you how you can prepare 3-Course French Inspired Meal in 90 minutes or less.
Steak Chateaubriand + 3 French Recipes In Under 90 Minutes
You didn't see that coming, did you? I've been planning to make a 'how-to" European cuisine inspired menu post for a long time now. With all my love to French cuisine, I wanted to show you my friend, that you don't have to go to French restaurant to have a fancy dinner. You can make it at home. In addition to that, you don't need to spend hours in the kitchen. French cuisine is so versatile, there are plenty of recipes of any level of difficulty. Today, I'll show you how you can pull off a French-inspired dinner by preparing three easy and classic French recipes. I think there's no need to tell how delicious they are. French food by default equals melt-in-your-mouth delight.
So, why would you want to throw a French-inspired dinner? Here're some of my suggestions.
- You're having a date night in and both you and your husband are obsessed with French food;
- You're having guests over and want to surprise them with new and delicious dinner menu;
- You're of French descent and want to impress your parents/grandparents with French-Inspired Meal.
What category do you fall into? Well, regardless of your reasonings, the timing is always right for making easy yet sophisticated dinner.
Alors, shall we start? Since we're talking about meal that doesn't take much time to prepare, here is my menu suggestion.
First course - French Onion Soup (you can't go wrong with that, can you?)
Second course - Steak Chateaubriand In A Red Wine Sauce
Dessert - Blueberry Clafoutis
I didn't include appetizers in my photos, but you're welcome to start with a cheese plate. Despite that in France, cheese plate is usually served after a main course and before a dessert, in my family, however, we love having cheese plate as a starter. I recommend choosing both hard and soft cheeses. Here are some of my suggestions:
- Saint Agur - has quite an intense yet unforgettable taste. It's creamy and smooth and melts away nicely.
- Comté Cheese - very similar to Gruyere. It has a slight nutty aroma, creamy and fruity taste.
- Triple Cream Goat Brie - one of my absolute favorite cheeses. It's very creamy, has a pleasant aroma and literally melts on your tongue. It's goes well on crackers and pairs nicely with a glass of red wine.
You can add any other cheeses of your choice, but the ones I mentioned always work well.
During the feast, French absolutely love discussing food. It's basically the main topic of the meal. Preparation process, how flavors meld and merry together, ingredients, food trends - these are some of the topics you might hear during a typical French dinner. No cell phones are allowed and you're encouraged to enjoy your food as long as it takes.
In France, people eat slowly, enjoying every bite. Meal times are meant not just for satisfying hunger, but for socialising and bonding.
I suggest you to start your meal preparation with French onion soup. Since it'll take about 40 minutes for onions to caramelise, you can start making a dessert in the meantime. Soup and dessert will take about the same time to cook. When your soup is ready, just before serving top it with baguette and grated cheese and pop under the broiler for a minute or two.
French Onion Soup Recipe is here. Blueberry Clafoutis Recipe is here.
Recipe
French Steak Chateaubriand
Video
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Brush beef tenderloin with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Put a grill pan on a medium-high heat. When it's hot enough, place meat on a grill and sear it for 2 minutes from all sides.
- Transfer the grill pan into the oven and let it cook for 15 minutes until internal temperature reaches 140 F. (See the notes)
For Red Wine Sauce
- Heat olive oil in a small sauce pan and over medium heat. Sauté onions until translucent and slightly browned. Add wine and thyme. Bring to a boil and cook on a high heat until reduced by half.
- Reduce the heat to medium low, add butter and flour and whisk constantly until thickens, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve with a steak!
Notes
Nutrition
I hope you enjoyed our short trip to France and are pumped to recreate this French-inspired dinner at home.
Let me know in the comments below what are some of your favorite French recipes for dinner?
If you make any of these recipes, don't forget to snap a picture and post it on Instagram with a hashtag #lavenderandmacarons. I'd love to see your creations.
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Iryna Bychkiv is the founder and writer of the culinary website Lavender & Macarons, where she shares clean, European-inspired recipes that are delicious, easy to prepare, and made with wholesome ingredients. Iryna loves creating meals that are simple yet healthy and unique, including vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Iryna is also a freelance writer for MSN and Associated Press Wire.
Bonnie Taylor says
The recipe looks delicious, but I noticed that the ingredients did not change when I increased the number of servings/
Iryna says
Hi Bonnie! Thank you for your question!
Hmm, I'm not sure why the amounts of the ingredients didn't increase. This feature seems to be working on my end. Maybe try refreshing the page?
Natalie says
Such a wonderful idea for a complete romantic dinner! Everything looks so tempting and delicious ♥
Iryna says
thanks Natalie!
Kelly Anthony says
What a fun idea! French recipes can be so intimidating but three in under 90 minutes is completely doable 😉 Thanks for sharing!
Iryna says
You're welcome!
Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes says
So many amazing recipes that take me away to another country. Thank you for sharing!
Iryna says
You're welcome Katie!
Tisha says
Anxious to try this! Love trying new recipes I've never had!
Iryna says
These are so good and easy!
Kelsey says
This is seriously the best recipe ever! I love how you cooked the steak and that soup I have to check out!
Iryna says
Thanks Kelsey!
Barbara says
I just did an AncestryDNA test and for Out I am part of the French Settlers who settled in Quebec ( now planing a trip there). So I’m so excited to try this menu as my first French mean thank you so much. I will let you know how it turns out xo
Iryna says
That's so exciting Barbara! I wish I had French ancestors too, ha-ha!
Let me know how you liked these French recipes.
Robert says
Yummy. Just made this for the first time. I will absolutely make this again. Thanks!
Robert
Iryna says
Thank you for your comment Robert! I'm so glad you liked my recipe!
Cindy @ The Sweet Nerd says
I so appreciate you making French food more efficient. 🙂 It's a little daunting but so worth it. My husband swoons over French Onion soup so I might have to steal that recipe. Thanks!
Iryna says
Thank you Cindy! It definitely worths it! French food is so good:)
Hannah says
If this was served in a restaurant, I would be totally pleased! Love the onion soup and the steak looks amazing! The dessert with blueberries is something I wouldn't pass by that easily since it looks so delicious and moist! 🙂
Iryna says
Thank you Hannah!
Jamie says
Love recipes that appear complicated but are actually super easy to make. Thanks for sharing, Iryna!
Iryna says
You're welcome Jamie!:)
Lisa Huff says
Wow, all of this under 90 minutes?! You are amazing! And now I"m drooling all over my computer...
Iryna says
Ha-ha! Thanks for your comment Lisa!
Amanda finks says
This is so much easier than I thought it would be. Love the red wine sauce!
Iryna says
Thanks Amanda! It's not the difficult indeed!
Alyssa @ A Bite of Inspiration says
This looks delicious! This meal would definitely make me feel like I'm in France! I'll start with the cheese plate please! 🙂
Iryna says
Thanks Alyssa! You can't go wrong with a good cheese plate.