European Classics & Core Techniques
Homemade Chicken Stock: A Base for Soups, Sauces and Risotto
Chicken bones, vegetables and herbs simmered gently for 3 to 4 hours, left unsalted so it can go into soups, sauces and risotto.
3 hr 50 min
European Classics & Core Techniques recipes
Classic European dishes and the building-block techniques behind them: stocks, sauces, braises and doughs, explained step by step.
European home cooking is often taught through a handful of core techniques: making a stock, building a pan sauce, braising, roasting and working a simple dough. Once you understand them, a long list of classic dishes becomes easier to follow, because the same few ideas appear again and again.
This section pairs well-known dishes with the technique that sits behind them. Each recipe explains why a step is done, so you can adapt it. We give clear cues for color, texture and timing, because the main skill in these recipes is judging when something is ready, not following a clock.
If you want to cook with more confidence in general, this is a good section to work through in order.
Recipes in this section
European Classics & Core Techniques
French Omelet: Soft, Pale and Rolled
A soft, pale, unbrowned omelet made with three eggs and butter in an 8-inch pan, stirred, rolled onto the plate and done in about 3 minutes.
8 min
European Classics & Core Techniques
Béchamel Sauce: The Classic White Sauce, Step by Step
A smooth white sauce of butter, flour and warm milk with nutmeg, with ratios for thin, medium and thick versions. Ready in about 30 minutes.
30 min
European Classics & Core Techniques
Beef Bourguignon: Red Wine Braise with Mushrooms and Onions
Beef chuck braised in the oven with red wine, bacon and stock, then finished with browned mushrooms and pearl onions.
4 hr 10 min
European Classics & Core Techniques
Classic Roast Chicken with Pan Gravy
A 4-pound whole chicken, salted ahead and roasted at 425°F until the skin is golden, then rested and served with gravy made in the same pan.
1 hr 55 min
European Classics & Core Techniques
Mushroom Risotto: Creamy Italian Rice, Step by Step
Arborio rice stirred with hot stock, white wine and well-browned mushrooms, then finished with cold butter and Parmesan. Ready in about 50 minutes.
50 min
European Classics & Core Techniques
No-Knead Bread: A Crusty Loaf Baked in a Dutch Oven
A wet dough rests overnight with almost no yeast, then bakes in a hot covered pot into a loaf with a crackling crust and open crumb.
1 hr 20 min
European Classics & Core Techniques
Potato Gratin (Gratin Dauphinois): Creamy Layered Potatoes
Thin potato slices simmered briefly in garlic cream, then baked until tender with a golden top. A classic French side dish for six.
1 hr 25 min
European Classics & Core Techniques
Ratatouille: Provençal Vegetable Stew with Eggplant and Zucchini
A Provençal stew of eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onion and tomatoes, each cooked on its own first, then simmered together with thyme and basil.
1 hr 35 min