What would you consider classic "French" foods?

[Cellys Belly]

All right, I was approached by a colleague one day and he asked why I never smoke French cuisine, only ribs and briskets and pig.
I immediately drew a blank along the lines of  . What exactly IS french cuisine.. I have been in france for many many years yet I have no idea why I never thought about it.

Besides the obvious being frog legs (and if you have a good recipe on smoking some, im game!) what would you consider french food and how would you go about doing it?

I would like to smoke (offset smoker) a magret canard, some beef bourguignon.. everything french but on the grill or in the smoker!

Thanks!
Marcel

[Wing Commander]

Very easy to do would be quiche and tarte flambee.

Another idea could be oysters with a vinaigrette and a bit of grated cheese.

What about an onion soup cooked in a loaf of bread?

A shank of lamb or lamb chops with very much garlic is typical for the Bretagne.

If you smoke some tomatoes and grill slices of eggplant, zucchini, onions you might combine that to a ratatouille.

Wrap some goat cheese in bacon and smoke or grill it to place it with some honey and thyme on salad. Or leave the bacon away and place the goat cheese on a toasted baguette.

And of course fish!

If you used a dutch oven you could cook some classics like coq au vin, and all these French casseroles and stews, mussels, boullabaisse, etc.

[UWFSAE]

Hmmm ... since duck confit is a low/slow cooking process I imagine it would be suitable for most smokers ...

[teesquare]

coq au vin may be the signature dish from France that I think of most......along with the French cheeses....of which almost any dish form a French kitchen will do for me!

To wit:

“What a friend we have in cheeses!
For no food more subtly pleases,
Nor plays so grand a gastronomic part;
Cheese imported - not domestic -
For we all get indigestic
From all the pasteurizer's Kraft and sodden art.”
William Cole, 'What a Friend We Have in Cheeses!'
 

[drholly]

along with the French cheeses....of which almost any dish form a French kitchen will do for me!

A whole new direction - cheese making. So far, I have made some simple cheeses - mozzarella, queso fresco, etc. But I am looking forward to some more aged cheeses.

[Cellys Belly]

along with the French cheeses....

I have been pondering on cold smoking some camembert or roquefort for a while now. Going to have to grab the amzn smoker soon.

[veryolddog]

I am sorry. I cannot respond to this because I have a dirty mind.

Ed

[LostArrow]

FRIES. 
Sorry couldn't resist!

[MoHuka]

I lived in France for a couple of years and they eat a lot of waskly wabbit...I think that's how Elmer used to say it....that would be good..also duck...

[LostArrow]

Beef Bourgourone as a slow cooked braised dish works great on a smoker!

[veryolddog]

I just thought of a French food that I like: Pouilly Fuisse.

Ed

[IR2dum]

I just thought of a French food that I like: Pouilly Fuisse.

Ed

I thought of one also.... Pomme Frites.

[teesquare]

A dish called Ortolan-

For centuries, a rite of passage for French gourmets has been the eating of the Ortolan. These tiny birds—captured alive, force-fed, then drowned in Armagnac—were roasted whole and eaten that way, bones and all, while the diner draped his head with a linen napkin to preserve the precious aromas and, some believe, to hide from God.

                                                                                                                   - Wine Spectator

I tried this in France...once....incredible experience, but not to be repeated. They do not "clean" the bird in te sense that we clean a chicken. The linen draped over your face serves to prevent any "spray" from splattering other guests....true.

[pz]

I apologize for digressing from the main intent of this topic, but I can't help myself 

Last time we were in France, I took a few photos shy of 1000, and among the most memorable food moments were the ones in the pictures below.

The bottom line for us - the classic (and best) foods are sometimes the simplest - a loaf of bread, a bottle of wine, and cheese - the quintessential embodiment of France.  Almost every day I would go to the local market and get a bottle of wine, a wheel of Coeur de Lion Camembert, and then visit a boulangerie for a baguette of crispy French bread.  Interestingly, we were able to go into the Luxemburg gardens and enjoy the wine, cheese, and bread in public without interference.  Were we to do that in Idaho, we'd be arrested for imbibing in public. 
Street food: we had a dinner crepe prepared by this chap that had ham, cheese, and egg that was smeared along the rim as it cooked - he rolled it up in a paper and you could walk the streets with the treat.  He also had another that consisted of Nutella, bananas, and Cointreau for a dessert crepe.  Absolutely delicious and memorable - talk about enjoying food out of doors

We were lucky enough to be in Cahors (southern France) when the street market was open.  These preserved meats, cheeses, and breads were only the tip of the iceberg



Rocamadour, also in southern France was a unique place - I mention this because of the cheese, meat, and bread we enjoyed while there, simply sitting on the rock wall high above the rest of the town

[Smokin Don]

I don't think of French dishes that often. When I do the first thing that pops in my head is Julia Child! Don