Cozy French Recipes for Chilly Winter Nights

Boeuf Bourguignon

This recipe for the decadent beef stew comes from Jacques Pépin. He doesn’t use stock, demi-glace, or even water in his stew, relying on robust red wine for the deep-flavored sauce.

Warm Camembert with Wild Mushroom Fricassee

Daniel Boulud makes this oozy appetizer with Vacherin Mont-d’Or, a creamy cheese sold at cheese shops. Camembert is as rich and runny as Vacherin Mont-d’Or, but much easier to find.

Cheese Soufflé

This light and airy soufflé boasts both Parmigiano-Reggiano and Gruyère cheeses and gets a little sharp complexity from Dijon and dry mustard. Wrap the ramekins with tin foil to keep them from overflowing.

Creamy Chicken-and-Mushroom Fricassee

This is a classic French recipe that combines tender chicken, earthy mushrooms, and a rich, creamy sauce to create a mouthwatering meal. This recipe is perfect for a special occasion or a cozy night in and can be served with a side of mashed potatoes or rice to soak up all of the delicious sauce.

Cauliflower Gratin

Gratins are the gooiest way to cook vegetables with “loving care,” as Julia Child once said. This cheesy casserole gets spice from a pinch of nutmeg and white pepper. This outrageously rich sauce, flavored with salty, nutty Manchego, gets poured over sautéed cauliflower and baked until it’s golden and bubbling.

Gateway Cassoulet

By cooking several recipe components separately in the same pot before combining them all to meld in the oven, Sylvie Bigar reduces the active cooking time for cassoulet to a little over an hour, while retaining the long-cooked, richly developed flavor of the traditional recipe.

In the French Alps, Reblochon, a bloomy-rind cow’s milk cheese, is melted in a special brazier for reblochonnade — a meal of the melted cheese served with roasted sausages, boiled potatoes, and other bites. While unpasteurized Reblochon isn’t imported to the United States, there are many American farmhouse cheeses (such as Jasper Hill Farm Little Hosmer or Sweet Grass Dairy Green Hill) that make wonderful substitutes for this reblochonnade.

Sauvignon Blanc-Steamed Mussels with Garlic Toasts

Toasted garlic bread and mussels steamed in Sauvignon Blanc come together in this recipe. You can use this recipe to make the classic version with wine and butter, or customize the flavors in your pot of mussels by swapping out the white wine in favor of clam broth, sake, or lager.

Coq au Vin

This classic French dish translates to “rooster in wine,” and is a celebration of rich, hearty flavors, with tender chicken braised in a flavorful red wine sauce with bacon, mushrooms, and onions. The result is a mouthwatering and comforting meal that is perfect for a special occasion or a cozy night in.

Caramelized Onion and Bread Soup with Brûléed Blue Cheese

In this vegetarian version of classic French onion soup, blue cheese and oloroso sherry add depth and layers of flavor. Notes of toasted nuts and fruit compote in the sherry pair well with caramelized onions, and its briny acidity cuts through the richness of the cheese.