Classic French Recipes to Recreate From One of Paris’ Most Venerable Restaurants, Cafe de la Paix

Recreate the ultimate Parisian chic cafe experience with these classic French recipes from one of Paris’ most historical restaurants, Cafe De la Paix. 

Cafe de La Paix has been serving a myriad of authentic French dishes since its inauguration in 1862. With over 160 years of experience under its belt, the cafe has mastered balancing traditional French cuisine with modest accents that make it their own. 

Cafe de La Paix was inaugurated by Empress Eugenie, under the reign of Napoleon III. Its magnificent Second Empire decor and charming ambience made it somewhat of a cultural phenomenon, attracting intellectuals, writers, politicians, actors and many other notables. Loyal guests included Guy de Maupassant, Victor Hugo, Oscar Wilde and the Prince of Wales who loved to admire pretty Parisian women in his free time. 

Located in the heart of Paris, on the corner of Boulevard des Capucines and the Place de l’Opera in the InterContinental Paris le Grand Hotel it’s not hard to miss. Despite being renovated in 2003, the restaurant continues to emanate true, vibrant historical Parisian society. With the renovations, it is brighter, more spacious and features separate rooms for private functions and an outdoor terrace that overlooks the remarkable Palais Garnier. Nonetheless, it retains some of the original decors. 

Click here for a review of the Intercontinental Hotel, Paris Le Grand.

The cafe’s culinary repertoire is all-encompassing and complements the grand decor. Whether you stop for a quick coffee and a light homemade pastry after wandering the streets, or oysters and French onion soup for dinner – Cafe de La Paix does it all with skill and precision. 

If flying to Paris isn’t on the cards any time soon, or you’re simply dying for a bite of an exquisite French dish to take you on a journey, here are the recipes for some of Cafe de La Paix’s most iconic dishes. 

Entree

French onion Soup, created at the Cafe de la Paix in 1862

Croutons and aged Conte

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 1/2 tbsp (20g) melted butter
• 6 onions (preferably sweet onions from the Cevennes AOP), peeled, thinly sliced and separated
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tbsp (8 g) salt
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup (10 cl) dry white noise
• 4 cups (1 litre) beef stock
• 4 cups (1 litre) chicken stock
• Ground pepper
• 8 slices of baguette, about 1-inch thick
• 1 tbsp (10g) melted better (optional)
• 2 ox. (60g) grated guyere cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit).
2. Melt the better over medium heat, in a large pot.
3. Mix and cover, cooking for about 12 minutes, until the onions are slightly browned.
4. Remove the lid and continue cooking over high heat for about 3 minutes, until the onions are a deep golden brown colour.
5. Stir regularly to prevent from burning.
6. Add the garlic and sure for 15 seconds.
7. Add the wine and stir to deglaze the pan.
8. Bring to a boil and let it simmer over medium heat for about 8 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by two-thirds.
9. Add the beef and chicken stock and bring to a boil again. Add salt and pepper to taste.
10. Lower the heat, cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, spread the melted butter on both sides of the sliced bread and place it on a baking sheet.
12. Bake for about 3 minutes in the centre of the preheated oven (200 degrees celsius/400 degrees Fahrenheit), until slightly golden and toasted, flipping them two or three times.

Plating

1. Ladle the soup into four ovenproof bowls. Add croutons and grated cheese. The bowls should be 3/4 full.
2. Transfer the soup bowls to a baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes in the preheated oven (180 degrees celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit), until the cheese starts to brown.
3. Switch the oven to broil and continue cooking under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, until the cheese bubbles.

Entree

Lobster salad a la Parisienne

Seasonal mixed vegetables, light mayonnaise with tarragon, grated summer truffle

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 blue lobsters, about 1 lb. (450-500g) each

Court-bouillon for cooking the lobsters

• 2 carrots
• 1 leek, white part only
• 3 shallots
• 2 cups (50cl) dry white wine
• 3/4 cup (20 cl) white vinegar
• 1/2 cup, scant (10 cl) olive oil
• 3 tbsp (40g) coarse salt
• 2 1/2 (30g) sugar
• 2 tbsp (20g) ground black pepper
• 1 bouquet garni

Mixed vegetables

• 2 carrots
• 2 turnips
• 1 cup (150g) green beans
• 12 broccoli florets
• 8 cherry tomatoes

Light mayonnaise

• 1 egg
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 6t tbsp fromage blanc
• 15 small tarragon leaves
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Salt, ground pepper

Other

• 2 oz. (40g) summer truffle
• 4 button mushrooms
• Drizzle of full-bodied olive oil

Preparation

Cout bouillon and cooking the lobsters

1. Wash all the vegetables. Peel and slice the carrots. Peel and coarsely chop the shallots.
2. Add a small amount of olive oil to a pan and saute the vegetables over medium heat for 5 minutes.
3. Add the vinegar and white wine and bring to a boil.
4. Add the coarse salt, peppercorns, sugar and bouquet garni and return to a boil.
5. Submerge the lobsters in the court bouillon and poach for 14 minutes.
6. Remove them and let them cool at room temperature.
7. When cool, shell the lobsters (tails in 1cm segments), claws whole, knuckles chopped), then place in the refrigerator. Place shells aside for another use.

Mixed vegetables

1. Wash, peel and finely dice the carrots and turnips.
2. Wash and separate the small broccoli florets.
3. Wash and slice the green beans into small, 1/2 cm sections
4. Blanch the vegetables separately, drain and plunge in an ice bath to retain their colour.
5. Mix cooked, cooled vegetables together.
6. Slide cherry tomatoes in half and add to vegetables.

Light mayonnaise

1. Plunge egg in boiling water and cook for 10 minutes until the yolk is hard-boiled.
2. Peel the egg and remove the yolk.
3. Add the yolk to the Dijon mustard and mix until smooth.
4. Add the lemon juice and the chopped tarragon leaves. Slowly mix in the fromage blanc, stirring constantly.
5. Season to taste.

Plating

1. Gently mix a small amount of the tarragon mayonnaise with the vegetables and chopped lobster knuckles. Season to taste.
2. Place a 10cm diameter ring mold on a plate and fill it with the mixed vegetables and chopped lobster.
3. Remove the mold and cover the mixture with the delicately sliced lobster tails, arranged in a rosette pattern and finish by adding the claws.
4. Grate thin slices of summer struggle and button mushrooms over the lobster.
5. Drizzle full-bodied olive oil over the dish.

Main

Steamed French sea bass filets

Potato mousseline with marine plankton, samphire salad, beurre blanc with flying fish roe

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 4 sea bass filets (120g-140g), trimmed
• 250g fresh samphire

Potato mousseline with marine plankton

• 1 lb (500g) BF15 potatoes
• 7 tbsp (100g) unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup, scant (10 cl) whole milk, heated
• 1/2 cup, scant (10 cl) whipping cream, whipped into peaks
• 1 tbsp coarse salt
• 1/2 tbsp (8g) marine plankton
• Salt

Marine plankton

• Available in organic food stores, marine plankton is 100% natural and plant-based. It boosts the flavours and aromas of fish and seafood dishes

Beurre blanc with flying fish roe

• 1 3/4 sticks (200g) chilled butter, cubed
• 2 shallots
• 1 cup (25 cl) white wine
• Salt and cayenne pepper

Preparation

Potato mousseline with marine plankton

1. Wash and peel the potatoes
2. Add the coarse salt and potatoes to a pan of cold water and simmer them for about 20 minutes, after the water starts to boil.
3. Piece them with the tip of a knife to check when they are done.
4. Drain and puree the potatoes using a food mill.
5. Return the puree to the pan and place over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to dry out the potatoes.
6. Heat the milk and whip the cream, then gradually mix in the cubes of chilled butter, along with the heated milk and whipped cream.
7. Season with salt and cayenne pepper, along with marine plankton. Set aside.

Beurre blanc with flying fish roe

1. Wash, peel and finely slice the shallots.
2. Saute them with the white wine and reduce the liquid until almost completely evaporated.
3. Gradually add the chilled cubed butter and mix delicately with a whisk, on and off the burner.
4. Continue whisking until the mixture has emulsified and is smooth and creamy.
5. Season with salt and cayenne pepper.
6. Mix and set aside.

Final steps and plating

1. Place sea bass in a steamer. Season with salt and pepper and steam for 8-10 minutes, until the fish turns pearly white.
2. Blanche the samphire in boiling water for about 3 minutes, then drain.
3. Arrange some samphire on the plates and cover with the steamed sea bass.
4. Serve the potatoes in a small casserole dish, and the beurre blanc with flying fish roe in a sauce boat.

Dessert

Coffee Opera

Chocolate Jaconde sponge cafe, butter cream, coffee and cacao beans, dark chocolate icing

Ingredients:

Chocolate Joconde sponge cake

• 3/4 cup (100g) almond powder
• 3/4 cup (100g) icing sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 4 tbsp (25g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp (5g) cacao powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp (20g) high-quality melted butter
• 3 egg whites
• 3/4 oz (20g) dark chocolate

Coffee syrup

• 1.2 cuo (90g) superfine sugar
• 1 cup (270g) water
• 2 tbsp (15g) Nescafe

Butter cream

• 3 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup (125) superfine sugar
• 3 tbsp (45g) water
• 2 sticks + 1 1/2 tbsp (250g) butter, cubed
• 1 1/2 oz. (40g) coffee paste
• 3/4 oz. (20g) cacao paste

Opera icing

• 2 oz. (50g) milk chocolate
• 3 oz. (70g) white chocolate
• 3/4 oz. (20g) dark chocolate glaze
• 3 tbsp (50g) grape-seed oil
• 1 tbsp (7g) coffee powder

Preparation

Chocolate Joconde sponge cake

1. In a stand mixer, beat the whole eggs, egg yolk, almond powder, and powdered sugar until smooth, without lumps.
2. Pour mixture into a bowl. Add flour and cacao and stir with a rubber spatula.
3. Add melted butter into bowl with the mixture.
4. Spread into a 40 x 30cm rectangle baking sheet.
5. Bake for 10 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit).

Coffee syrup

1. Heat the water and sugar.
2. Add coffee and keep hot (used to soak the Joconde sponge).

Butter cream

1. Beat egg yolks.
2. Heat water and sugar in a pan to 121 degrees Celsius (250 degrees Fahrenheit) and add egg yolks.
3. When the egg yolks are warm (60 degrees Celsius/140 degrees Fahrenheit), add the cubed butter and stir until smooth.
4. place two-thirds of the cream in a bowl. Add the coffee paste and whisk together.
5. In another bowl, mix the cacao paste with the remaining third of the cream. Whisk vigorously.

Opera icing

1. Heat all ingredients in a boiler.

Assembly

1. Cut out 3 squares (16cm x 16cm) each from the Joconde sponge cake.
2. Coat one of the sponge squares with a thin layer of melted dark chocolate with a brush or spatula. Note, it is easier to assemble if you have a 16cm x 16cm mold.
3. Soak the chocolate-coated sponge in the coffee syrup.
4. Cover with a square of the Joconde sponge. Coat it with the coffee syrup and add a layer of cacao butter cream.
5. Soak a third Jaconde sponge in the coffee syrup. Cover with the remaining coffee butter cream. Smooth out the surface and refrigerate.
6. Once the butter cream is firm, pour the Opera icing over it. Remove excess icing with a spatula and return to the refrigerator.
7. Ice the four sides of the Opera with a large blade. Be cautious of heating the blade under hot water each time.

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