Starters + French recipes (19)

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Avocado and Pilchard Pâté

Recipe by: Lowie Pete

Reviews(1)

This recipe is aimed at those who don't like any or most of the following ingredients... avocados, tinned pilchards (in brine) or tinned herring fillets (in oil) and stuffed olives. This is because once you try it - you'll love it. As a starter serve on a lettuce leaf with a garnish of finely sliced tomatoes, a lemon wedge or two and a sprig of parsley, accompanied by warmed melba toast. As a snack, put out the bowl with a range of plain and salted crackers.

Black olive tapenade

Recipe by: Jan Cutler

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Use this quick tapenade to top bread or fish.

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Breton Mussels with Herbs and Crème Fraîche

Recipe by: Kasienko

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A simple recipe for mussels from Brittany. Serve with a sliced baguette and a dry white wine.

Cheese souffle

Recipe by: amanda

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This soufflé is really straightforward. The key is in getting a good thick cheese sauce to start. Make sure everyone is ready to eat as soon as this comes out of the oven cos, as Paul Keating once said, "a soufflé doesn't rise twice":-)

Courgette soufflé

Recipe by: Maggie Pannell

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Soufflés are quick, easy and economical to make. Here, courgette adds a subtle and sophisticated twist.

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Delicious Chicken Liver Pâté

Recipe by: MISS AMY

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This pâté makes a delicious and elegant starter. Serve with thin slices of toasted baguette.

French Onion Soup

Recipe by: ENDLESSSKY

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This quick version of the classic is made with vegetable stock, and flavoured with thyme and brandy.

French toast with onions

Recipe by: Maggie Pannell

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Wedges of French toast topped with caramelised onions, smoked bacon and melting Gruyère make an unusual but utterly delicious starter.

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Gruyere and leek pie

Recipe by: plume d'argent

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An original French recipe my mum used to bake. Great to eat with a salad during summer or even winter. Absolutely delicious!!! Can be prepared the day before and served as a starter or main dish. Can substitute Emmental for Gruyere cheese.

Jean's Cheats Mushrooms in Hollandaise Sauce

Recipe by: jeananderson

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I went to a top rated London restaurant and had this lovely starter. When I asked the chef for the recipe he told me that they used home made Hollandaise but he had used a jar of ready made at home and no one knew the difference.

Moules Marinières

Recipe by: Patti

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Be transported to the south of France with this dish. Serve with crusty bread, and a nice chilled glass of white wine.

Moules à la Marinière

Recipe by: Christine

Reviews(5)

This is a classic recipe that's simple, too. Most of the work is preparing the mussels; cooking takes very little time. Crusty bread is essential for dipping in the buttery wine sauce.

Moules à la Provençale

Recipe by: Corinne Hobin

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Tomatoes and garlic are essential to this dish, which is light, fresh and full of flavour. A perfect preparation for mussels if you like to avoid the cream and butter so prominent in many other recipes.

Pissaladière

Recipe by: Azmina Govindji

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Pissaladière is a Provençal relative of Italian pizza. The thick bread base, enriched with olive oil, is topped with a flavoursome tomato and onion mixture, then decorated with a lattice of anchovies and black olives. Serve warm or cool, cut in bite-sized squares for canapés, or into 16 larger snack-sized squares.

Provençal pizza

Recipe by: Maggie Pannell

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A wedge of pizza topped with sautéed onions, anchovies and olives is great as a delicious and unusual starter.

Savoury Gorgonzola biscuits

Recipe by: AnneFrancoise

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These unique biscuits are easy to make, but will surely impress guests. Serve with wine or an aperitif.

Tomato and basil galettes

Recipe by: Norma MacMillan

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Galette is the French term for a flat, round pastry or cake. The galettes here are made from wholemeal scone dough flavoured with a little Parmesan cheese. They make a delicious base for a tomato, basil and pine nut topping. Serve as a snack or starter, or as a light lunch with a mixed leaf salad. They're also good cold.

Twice-baked courgette and goat's cheese puffs

Recipe by: Chrissie Lloyd

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These little soufflé puffs are twice-baked, so you can cook them in advance, then simply reheat them when you need them.

Vegetable soup with fragrant pesto

Recipe by: Norma MacMillan

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This soup is based on pistou, the classic French soup from Provence. Laden with vegetables and pasta, and flavoured with pesto, the delicious basil and Parmesan sauce, it makes a fabulous change from minestrone, its Italian counterpart. French bread is the traditional accompaniment, plus a glass of wine.