When we talk about food flavors and traditions, French cuisine often gets left off the list. For that matter, many of us avoid cooking French-style meals unless we have a specific recipe to follow. One reason is simply that we’re unfamiliar with French cooking ideas and flavors, making it difficult to know where to begin.
Yet, French food is actually a major part of our culture and you’ll be already familiar with many of the dishes. For that matter, countless recipes that have a rich sauce or are cooked in wine have their origins in French cooking, as do many of the techniques that we use regularly.
So then, this list offers 10 different French recipes for sous vide cooking. These take inspiration from French flavors and/or techniques to create dishes that look and taste amazing. The sous vide approach also means that you’ll get superior results every time, which is reason enough to try out the recipes.
And when you’re done, don’t forget to check out the Joule review to see what our favorite sous vide immersion circulator looks like and why we love it so much!
P.S. You can also make French toast and French fries via sous vide. We didn’t include those on the list, as the dishes aren’t really French at all.
Impressive French Sous Vide Recipes
- Smoky Sous Vide Squash
- Sous Vide Chicken Ballotine
- Sous Vide Cod Loins in White Wine Dill Sauce
- Sous Vide Broccoli with Bacon and Blue Cheese Mornay
- Sous Vide Green Beans in Black Olive Tapenade
- Turmeric and Dill Pickled Sous Vide Cauliflower
- Sous Vide Mahi-Mahi with Squid Ink Bean Puree
- Ginger Tea Sous Vide Pears with Spiced Jelly
- Sous Vide Eggs St. Denise
- Sous Vide Chorizo and Cherry Tomato Confit
Smoky Sous Vide Squash
There are many different ways to cook squash but this Smoky Sous Vide Squash is one that you have to try. This recipe elevates squash to the next level, using a range of ingredients to bring out its natural flavor and texture, while also creating a smoky overtone. The style makes this dish perfect as a side for barbecue or as something unique to bring to a party serving vegetarian food.
Sous Vide Chicken Ballotine
This Sous Vide Chicken Ballotine can seem like a complicated dish at first glance, especially if you’ve never made chicken ballotine before. And, to be honest, there is more work involved than a basic roast chicken. Still, the process is worthwhile, especially as the stuffing makes the entire chicken moister overall, while also offering a greater depth of flavor.
You might not want that extra effort for a regular weeknight dinner. But, if you’re planning to serve chicken to guests, then this is a great recipe to choose. If nothing else, the dish looks amazing when it is carved and it is bound to impress. Preparing it isn’t actually that difficult either and the recipe offers clear instructions for the whole process.
Sous Vide Cod Loins in White Wine Dill Sauce
I always associated dill with French cooking and the flavor perfectly complements seafood. In this case, the recipe is for Cod Loins in White Wine Dill Sauce, although you could substitute for a different type of fish if you want to. The sauce itself is actually made on the stovetop but the sous vide process is still critical for infusing the fish with flavors of dill and for making sure you get the perfect texture.
Sous Vide Broccoli with Bacon and Blue Cheese Mornay
Bacon and cheese are amazing ingredients if you want to make vegetables more interesting – which was the inspiration behind this Sous Vide Broccoli with Bacon and Blue Cheese Mornay. In this case, the broccoli is the only thing that you’re cooking in the sous vide, which does mean you can use the sauce with any type of vegetable that you choose.
However, I was particularly impressed with how sous vide broccoli turns out. The broccoli itself was vibrant and tender, while still having decent structure. I haven’t been able to get anything similar with regular methods, making sous vide my new go-to method for broccoli.
Sous Vide Green Beans in Black Olive Tapenade
These Green Beans in Black Olive Tapenade are another vegetable idea and would make a great side for almost any meal. Once again, the sous vide component of the recipe is simply the green beans but these do end up amazing. Of note, the beans end up crispier and juicier than conventional methods offer. They do lose a little of their color in the process but the trade-off is well worth it.
You could just choose to make the beans on their own and pair them with whatever sauce you typically use. However, I recommend trying the tapenade at least once. The flavors here complement the beans extremely well and make a stunning presentation on the plate.
Turmeric and Dill Pickled Sous Vide Cauliflower
This Turmeric and Dill Pickled Cauliflower is simplicity itself and a very flexible dish. With this recipe, you’re pickling the cauliflower in the sous vide and infusing it with flavors at the same time. I chose turmeric and dill as my key ingredients, which makes the cauliflower a vibrant yellow/orange, even when it is out of the jar. But, you can really use any flavors that you can imagine. Either way, you end up with an easy-to-use vegetable that is a little bit different.
Sous Vide Mahi-Mahi with Squid Ink Bean Puree
There are many things that I love about this Mahi-Mahi with Squid Ink Bean Puree recipe but the visual appearance has to be the most significant. The different ingredients just look so good together on the plate, especially with the contrast between the fish and bean puree.
But, don’t worry, the meal is as much about taste as appearance. The flavors of each of these elements perfectly complement one another, making a dish that simply works well overall. And, of course, you’re not limited to mahi-mahi either – you could choose a different fish if you wanted to.
Ginger Tea Sous Vide Pears with Spiced Jelly
French-inspired sous vide recipes don’t all need to be savory and these Ginger Tea Pears with Spice Jelly are something a little bit different. The dessert itself is visually stunning, especially if you enjoy minimalist meals. Poaching pears in sous vide is also a very effective process and you end up infusing flavors into the pears, without turning them to mush in the process.
Sous Vide Eggs St. Denise
I’ve always enjoyed Eggs St. Denise as an alternative to eggs Benedict and this sous vide version is the best way to prepare them. With this recipe, the power of the sous vide is associated with the eggs. Basically, you can get the best possible poached eggs every time with sous vide – something that isn’t normally achievable.
At first, the process can sound like too much work. After all, poaching an egg is a fairly fast normally. But, the results with sous vide can’t be beaten and they aren’t difficult to obtain. Many people (including myself) even find this an easier and more efficient method once they’ve tried it a few times.
Sous Vide Chorizo and Cherry Tomato Confit
This Chorizo and Cherry Tomato Confit is a perfect recipe if you want something fairly simple that doesn’t involve many steps or elaborate preparation. Yet, you do end up impressive flavors – because all of the ingredients are cooked together in the sous vide. You can also substitute many of the components, giving you considerable flexibility in the finished dish.
The end result looks and tastes amazing but the biggest advantage has to be versatility. For example, the confit works equally well as a side dish or as a snack. You’re also making an infused oil as part of the process, so the entire confit would work well on (or in) pasta.
10 Succulent Sous Vide Beef Recipes
Having lived and cooked in France for over 20 years, I’m bound to ask what in these recipes makes them “French”?
Not even in restaurants do French people eat broccoli. Chorizo is a Spanish ingredient. Pickles are non existent in France. I have never heard of Oeufs St Denise and Mahi mahi is impossible to find here.
Well la-dee-da. These are obviously not traditional French recipes. Just sous vide recipes with French flare. For example, mornay sauce originates from France. Bean pureé may not strictly French, but it is eaten in French cuisine. Same principle applies to other recipes on this list.