British home cooks can now elevate their culinary skills with professional French techniques, thanks to Matthew Ryle's comprehensive new cookbook French Classics. The acclaimed chef shares seven sophisticated yet achievable recipes that transform everyday ingredients into extraordinary dining experiences.
The Art of Perfect French Chips
Ryle's Pommes Pont Neuf demonstrates how simple potatoes can become something extraordinary through careful preparation. Using floury potatoes like Maris Piper or King Edward, the method involves triple-cooking: first boiling, then frying at 130°C to form a skin, and finally frying at 175°C for golden perfection. The chef recommends using beef dripping for unparalleled flavour, though vegetable oil works as an alternative.
The process requires patience but delivers chips with a crisp exterior and fluffy interior that rival any Parisian bistro. Proper drying between cooking stages proves crucial to achieving the ideal texture, with the option to freeze partially cooked chips for future use.
Sophisticated Seafood Mastery
For special occasions, Ryle's Lobster Thermidor offers a dramatic centrepiece. The recipe guides home cooks through humane preparation, careful cooking times (5 minutes for claws, 3 minutes for tails), and creating the signature cayenne-spiked fish velouté sauce. The dish culminates with grated emmental cheese gratinated under a hot grill until golden and bubbling.
Equally impressive is the Sole Meunière, which Ryle enhances with capers and brown shrimps beyond the classic butter, lemon and parsley combination. His detailed instructions cover fish preparation, from removing dark skin to the final presentation where flesh easily separates from the bone after proper resting.
Restaurant-Quality Main Courses
Beef Tartare becomes accessible for home preparation with Ryle's reassuring guidance. He emphasizes using quality beef fillet and provides a versatile sauce recipe combining Dijon mustard, tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, olive oil, English mustard, brandy and horseradish. The chef encourages customization, noting that any of the traditional condiments can be omitted according to preference.
The accompanying Green Salad with its simple vinaigrette offers the perfect crisp counterpoint to rich main courses. Ryle shares a professional tip for stable whisking: creating a secure base by placing the mixing bowl inside a tea towel rolled into a circle.
Spectacular Desserts Made Approachable
Ryle's Crème Brûlée recipe eliminates guesswork through precise temperature control. The custard cooks to exactly 88°C before chilling, ensuring the signature silky texture. The chef insists on taking the Demerara sugar crust as dark as you dare to achieve the essential bitter-sweet contrast.
His innovative Raspberry Soufflés use a rice pudding base for exceptional stability without sacrificing lightness. The detailed method includes proper mould preparation and the crucial step of running a thumb around the inside rim to ensure straight rising.
Versatile Vegetable Accompaniments
The Fennel à la Grecque demonstrates how slow-cooking transforms the aniseed vegetable into a tender, flavourful side dish. Simmered in a aromatic broth then caramelised, it pairs beautifully with fish or chicken. The accompanying crème fraîche and dill dressing provides a creamy, fiery counterpoint.
All recipes featured come from French Classics by Matthew Ryle, published by Bloomsbury at £26. The book is currently available for £22.10 until 23rd November through mailshop.co.uk/books or by calling 020 3176 2937, with free UK delivery on orders over £25.
