In a restaurant the cheese course is often served to you, cut and presented on a plate.Īt a French dinner party you will have to cut your own and it's here you might make a mistake. Whereas you will have been served the other courses, this is very much a hands on experience. The cheese is very firmly served before dessert and it's another place where you could make a rather large faux pas. Wait a minute, doesn't dessert come first before cheese? Not in France. In fact, most people would be surprised by the small amount of vegetables served, but it makes perfect sense when there's another two courses to go. You also won't get served five different vegetables and a huge pile of potatoes. This way you get to taste lots of different flavours, without feeling too full. You may think that by this point you are never going to manage the main course, let alone the remaining courses, but in reality the French do serve much smaller portions than in the UK or US. The most obvious choice is oysters, my absolute favourite, but not always easy to get hold of if you are not living by the coast.Ī great fish course is monkfish with chorizo, which is easy to prepare and ready in just 15 minutes. There will always be fresh cut bread on the table, but don't expect any butter and don't even think about using your knife to cut it! The fish courseĪ fish course is not often served nowadays, although many restaurants still offer one. Of course, it could also be something more elegant like these salmon timbales, which can be easily made in advance and plated last minute with the addition of a garnish. A starter could have elaborate layers or could be simply filled with something light like cubed cucumber and apple in a dill crème fraîche. ![]() This is a small stemless glass that is used for desserts or starters. This can be something really simple like a mixed salad or a verinne. Once seated you would always be served a starter or entrée. ![]() The alcoholic drinks may include Pineau de Charente, (my personal favourite), white port, whiskey and pastis. If you are hosting, you would normally provide a selection of alcoholic and soft drinks. Most likely you will be invited to dinner and start the evening with apèros. You can just be invited for apèro, which may have a time limit, after which you would thank your host and go home, or it could be apèro dînatoire, where the whole evening is spent drinking and grazing on finger food. For many of us it seems like drinks and nibbles, but it's all about being together with friends. Ham and Cheese Palmiers What is apèro?Īpèro or apèritif is a French tradition that is still going strong. The first thing that is served is apèro, which is essentially drinks and finger foods. You would be expected to accept the invitation in the same way.Ī point to note: if the invitation is for 7pm, don't think you will be eating at 8pm, it's more likely to be at least 9pm! The invitation would normally be hand written on a card carrying the printed details of your host. ![]() The French are very polite and there is a certain level of etiquette that everyone follows, even in the countryside. ![]() You may have received an invitation, which is quite usual, even if you have only been invited for a coffee. So what can you expect if you have been invited to a French dinner party?
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