2 Of Marcus Wareing’s Favourite French Recipes

French cuisine has always been a key influence for Marcus Wareing. The celebrity chef trained in French cooking, and went on to work at a string of top French restaurants around the world before opening his own eatery at London hotel The Berkeley. So it makes sense that his latest cookbook is all about France, centred around accessible takes on classics. Here, we share two recipes from the new book: a coq au vin and an apple tarte tatin, perfect for the winter months.

Marcus’s France: Recipes From Marcus Wareing’s Latest Cookbook

Quick Coq au Vin

A classic coq au vin, while utterly delicious, is quite a stagey recipe to prepare. There are lots of different elements that are cooked separately before being added at different times to a casserole dish. With this recipe I’ve taken out as many of the stages as possible, while ensuring that the end result is just as tasty as the original. It’s good enough for a dinner party, but easy enough for a weeknight family dinner.

• Serves 4 – 6
• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cooking time: About 2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp duck fat or butter
• 2 celery sticks, quartered
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 4 tbsp plain flour
• ½ tsp table salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 whole large chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
• 250g smoked streaky bacon, cut into 1cm lardons
• 250g button mushrooms, halved if large
• 200g small shallots, halved if large
• 2 tbsp brandy
• 750ml white wine
• 3 bay leaves
• ½ bunch of fresh thyme
• 500ml good-quality chicken stock
• 2 tsp cornflour (optional)
• ½ bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the duck fat or butter in a large frying pan over high heat and, when hot, add the celery, onion and carrots and cook for 10 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and fry for another minute or two. Remove from the pan and set aside in an ovenproof casserole dish.
3. Combine the flour, salt and pepper, then dust the chicken pieces all over with the seasoned flour. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of duck fat to the frying pan and fry the chicken pieces in batches until golden brown – each batch should take about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and add to the casserole dish.
4. Add the bacon, mushrooms and shallots to the pan and fry for 5–7 minutes until well browned, then add to the chicken in the casserole dish.
5. Deglaze the pan with the brandy then pour this over the ingredients in the casserole dish. Place the casserole dish over the heat, add the wine, bay leaves and thyme (tied together with string) and bring to the boil. Simmer rapidly for about 15 minutes, then add the chicken stock and simmer gently for a further 15 minutes. If needed, mix the cornflour with a little water and stir into the sauce to thicken.
6. Cover and place in the oven for 40–50 minutes, or until the juices run clear when a chicken thigh is pierced with a knife in the thickest part. Remove the herbs tied with string, stir in the parsley and serve.

Apple Tarte Tatin with Nutmeg Cream

My first ever attempt at making an apple tarte tatin was in a competition at The Savoy hotel in London – talk about being thrown in at the deep end! It did not go well. I had no idea that the apples needed to be caramelised, which I soon realised is the key to a perfect tarte tatin. I’m happy to say that I’ve mastered the technique since then and this recipe is both foolproof and delicious.

• Serves 6 – 8
• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cooking time: About 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 x 320g sheet of ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry
• Plain flour, for dusting
• 100g cold butter, softened
• 100g golden caster sugar
• 2 cardamom pods, bashed gently with a rolling pin to release the flavour
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6–7 Braeburn apples, peeled and quartered

For the nutmeg cream:

• 200ml double or whipping cream
• A grating of fresh nutmeg

Method:

1. To make the tarte tatin, roll the puff pastry on a floured work surface out to about 3mm thick and cut around a plate to make a large circle, just bigger than the pan you’re going to use to make the tart. Cut three small slits in the pastry for the steam to escape and move to a baking parchment-lined tray. Place in the fridge to rest while you make the rest of the tart.
2. Spread the softened butter in an even layer over the base of a 20–24cm ovenproof frying pan. Cover with the sugar and spices in another even layer. Arrange the apples on top in a spiral, overlapping one another.
3. Preheat the oven to 210°C/190°C fan/gas 7.
4. Place the pan on the hob over medium-high heat and cook until the butter and sugar start to bubble and form a caramel, this will take around 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and then place the pastry circle over the apples, using a spoon to tuck the pastry in around the edges of the pan.
5. Be careful it will be very hot!
6. Bake for about 35–40 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, make the nutmeg cream by whisking the cream until it reaches soft peaks. Spoon into a serving bowl and grate some fresh nutmeg over the top.
8. Run a small knife around the inside of the pan to ease away the caramelised pastry. Put a large plate over the tarte tatin in the pan and carefully flip both pan and plate over. Slowly lift the pan off to turn the tarte out. Serve with the nutmeg cream on the side.

Marcus’s France by Marcus Wareing (HarperNonFiction, Hardback) (photography by Matt Russell (2024). Available now.