Recipes You Can Use in French Classes
Everything you need to cook with your World Language students
In Part 1 & Part 2 of this blog post, we investigated the benefits of cooking with students and tips to help cooking go smoothly. (and don’t miss this blog post about how to make chocolate with your French classes!) Now let’s jump into the fun part: what recipes can I actually cook with my students?
Ideas for French teachers
Recipe #1 Croque Madame
My kids love this crispy, cheesy grilled ham and cheese sandwich. The over-easy egg adds a note of sophistication (and is a great learning experience for kids who have never cooked before!). An authentic Croque Madame may include Béchemel sauce, but I leave this off for the in-class version.
Making a croque madame teaches using a griddle and cooking an egg.
Time per student: about 4 minutes
Supplies:
Electric griddle
Spatula
Bowls to break the eggs into
Plates, napkins, forks for each student
Ingredients
Butter
Sandwich bread - 2 slices per student)
Ham (or turkey substitute) - 2 slices per student
Swiss cheese - 1 slice per student
Eggs - 1 per student plus a few extra for breakage
Directions (for each student)
Melt a small pat of butter on the electric griddle
Create a sandwich with 2 slices of bread, 2 slices of ham, 1 slice of cheese. Students may substitute turkey or may omit the meat or cheese as needed.
Begin toasting the sandwich. Flip after about 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, crack an egg into the bowl. Provide a small napkin and a trash can at the cooking station for kids to clean their hands and dispose of the eggshell. Some students may never have cracked an egg before and will need guidance.
Pour the egg onto the buttered skillet. Cook until the clear egg white turns white. If wanted, the student may pop the yolk and / or flip the egg to get more of a fried egg - but the French way is to keep the yolk liquid.
Plate your sandwich. Put the egg on top. Bon appétit!
Homework: Make this sandwich for your family. Most of my students love it! Learning to fry a hot sandwich and cook an egg is empowering for students who have never cooked before.
Recipe #2: Crêpes
This is a classic French dish is a student favorite. Mix the batter in class using the smaller batch version, or mix it yourself at home and just cook the crêpes in class. Either way, your kids will love it!
If you mix the batter at home, show students this video:
Before you begin cooking
Supplies for mixing the crepes
Mixing bowl - one for a group of 2-3 students
Wire whisk
Measuring cups
Rubber scraper
Ideally - microwave to melt butter
Supplies for cooking the crepes
Crepes are a fan favorite!
Electric griddle
Scoop or measuring cup
spatulas
Suggested toppings
Sugar and lemon juice - highly recommended and very French!
Fruit jam
Nutella (or generic) - check for nut allergies
Banana, other fresh fruit
Whipped cream
NOTE: Encourage kids to put 2 spoonfuls of topping per crepe, maximum. More than this drowns the crepe and it actually doesn’t taste good!
Recipe for 3 students (2 crepes each)
1 ¼ c flour
1 t sugar
¼ t baking powder
¼ t salt
1 c. milk
1 T. melted butter
¼ t. Vanilla
1 egg
Mix the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients beat with a wire whisk until smooth.
Directions (for each student)
Melt a small pat of butter on the griddle. Add about ⅓ c. batter. Lift the griddle and use gravity to spread the batter in all directions (French chefs will use a small paddle to spread the batter, but gravity works well enough for the classroom). Cook until the crepe loses its shininess, about 1 minute. Flip and cook about 1 minute on the other side. Plate and add toppings. YUM!
Recipe #3 Waffles
Equipment:
Small Waffle Irons - see examples in part 2 of this blog post
Cooking spray
Recipe: I like this one from the Salty Marshmallow website.
I mix this recipe up at home, using ingredients donated by parents. Then, cooking the waffles at school goes pretty fast which makes this a great activity for a shorter class period.
Click the image to access my Authentic Vocabulary lesson based on a Belgian waffle house menu!
Directions:
Spray the waffle iron, top and bottom
Add about ¼ c. of batter
Close the waffle iron, let cook for about 3 minutes
Plate your waffle and top with powdered sugar, fresh fruit, or whipped cream.
This recipe goes great with my authentic vocabulary lesson on breakfast food using a menu from a real Belgian Waffle House.
Setting up a cooking lesson takes time, thought and organization, but the results are worth the effort! What recipes have you done with students? Share in the comments.
Bon appétit!
