Quick And Easy French Recipes Under 15 Minutes
Whether you plan to treat yourself or loved ones to a delicious meal, here are a couple of savory and sweet easy to make French recipes. All under 15 min of preparation!
Get your aprons at the ready and bake!
1. Tomato and pepper tart
A classic all-year-round which can be served either for lunch or dinner.
Preparation time: 15 min | Baking time: 35 min | Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 red onion
- 200 g cherry tomatoes (you can vary the color) or 2 tomatoes
- 2 Bell peppers
- Mustard
- Goat cheese or grated cheese
- a shortcrust pastry
Recipe:
Preheat your oven at 200°C (390°F).
Lay your pastry in your tart mold (26–28 cm diameter). Prick the pastry with a fork and apply a thin layer of mustard onto the pastry.
Chop the oignons, tomatoes, and peppers in 2 cm chunks and place on top of the pastry. For good visual impact, use a mix of colors such as yellow, green, and red.
Top the tart with grated cheese or goat cheese.
Bake for 30–35 min. Serve with a salad.
Mix it up: You could also make mini versions of these with tartelettes molds for a lovely starter.
2. French quiche
Quiches need no introduction! It rose to fame in the ‘80s and is still a go-to household staple for a quick yet delicious meal.
Preparation time: 15 min | Baking time: 25 min | Serves 4–6
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 3 large tablespoons of crème fraîche
- a bit of milk
- a shortcrust pastry
- 200 g of smoked lardons
Recipe:
Preheat your oven at 200°C | 390°F.
In a small frying pan, cook the lardons on medium-high heat.
In the meantime, lay the shortcut pastry in your tart mold (26–28 cm diameter) and prick it with a fork. Add the cooked lardons and make sure to spread them evenly.
Prepare the filling: whisk the eggs and crème fraîche. Add a dash of milk to ensure a slightly runny texture. Add salt and pepper to taste then pour the mixture onto the lardons. Top up with grated cheese.
Bake for 25 min and serve warm with a salad.
Mix it up: Quiches can be customized in plenty of ways! Salmon or goat cheese with leeks are scrumptious alternatives.
3. Crêpes
Perfect for a goûter (afternoon snack) or breakfast! My favorite treat: crêpes for dinner!
Preparation time: 15 min | Cooking time: 35 min | Makes for 20 crêpes
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 500 mL of milk
- 250 g of flour
- 50 g of salted butter
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
Recipe:
In a mixing bowl, mix the flour and sugar. Create a well and add the eggs. Whisk while adding the milk little by little. The resulting batter should be rather runny. Add the melted butter and incorporate well.
Because the batter has a high egg content, it does not need to rest. Heat a frying pan (it is best to use a special crêpe pan with low edges) on a medium setting. Spread a dash of sunflower oil with a kitchen towel. You can skip this step if you have an anti-adhesive pan.
Use a ladle to get some batter and with a circular motion of the wrist, spread it on the pan. It’s a bit of a savoir-faire (and yes, the first crêpe of the batch will be eaten on the spot so there is no proof) but you will quickly pick up the right move!
Turn over the crêpe with a wide spatula when bubbles start to appear and cook for one further minute on the other side. It should be of a light golden color.
Repeat until the batter is finished. Serve with jams and spreads.
Top tip: You can also make savory crêpes by adding ham, eggs, and cheese as top-up ingredients.
4. Cherry Clafoutis
Clafoutis is in my opinion the simplest cake to bake and it happens to be totally scrumptious! Life expectancy on the kitchen island? Close to 0 days!
Preparation time: 15 min | Baking time: 35–40 min | Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 3 eggs
- 125 g of sieved flour
- 100 g of sugar
- 300 mL of milk
- 500 g of cherries (ideally pipped)
- a pinch of salt
- butter for the mold
- icing sugar
Recipe:
Preheat the oven at 180°C | 350°F.
Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Create a well in the middle and add the eggs and the milk. Whisk into a batter.
Butter your serving dish (ideally rectangular and with raised sides). Place the cherries in your baking dish and cover with the batter.
Bake for 35–40 minutes. Dust with icing sugar before serving.
Top tip: If you are using frozen cherries, you may need an extra 10 -15 min to complete the bake. Cover with tin foil if the cherries start to darken too much.
