What to Make for a French Themed Luncheon

Theme Idea – French Food:

If you are going to have a dinner party or luncheon it always helps guests to get excited about if there’s a food theme. In this case, French cuisine. Who doesn’t love French food, right? And you don’t have to travel all the way to France or study in a French cooking school (although wouldn’t that be nice) to enjoy their foodie traditions and share the love.

How to get inspired:

Inspiration can come from many places. An article you read, a recipe you find online or while perusing a favorite cookbook, that you really want to try. I once found a recipe for a Moroccan appetizer dish of shredded chicken wrapped in flakey phyllo dough a Moroccan spiced tomato sauce that looked SOOO delicious I had to try it. This one recipe became my inspiration for a whole Moroccan themed dinner party. Just go with it and see where it leads you! At the very least you get to try cooking a new type of cuisine you may have never tried otherwise.

In this case my inspiration came from a very touching place – a client who was honoring a loved one who recently passed and who adored French food. This melted my heart and made me want to do my absolute best. The challenge was that I wasn’t going to be cooking at their home, everything needed to be plated and dropped off and was going to sit out for a bit. I hemmed and hawed over what to make and asked for a few of the loved one’s favorite dishes as a starting point. I don’t cook French food all that often, so it took a little research and thinking to come up with just the right menu. With those constraints in mind and, as always, thinking about what doable and picking things with do-ahead steps, this is the menu I came up with.

French Themed Menu:

Charcuterie Board with cured meats, brie, aged cheddar, and blue cheeses and pickled vegetable, fruit, and crostini

Butter Lettuce salad with shaved fennel and Cara Cara oranges served with lemon & herb vinaigrette

Herb crusted tri-tip croissants with a garlic confit and parsley aioli

Chicken Cordon Bleu medallions with a creamy mustard horseradish sauce

Foodie Details:

Charcuterie Board

There is nothing more French than bread and cheese. A charcuterie board is essentially just meat and cheese and bread (typically with some veggies and fruit thrown in there) and is perfect for a luncheon or any situation where people are grazing and not seated. I created several smaller platters of the same items to make it easy for guests to nibble in a crowded setting.

The platters included:

Pickled heirloom carrots for a variety of color. Easy to do ahead.

Dried apricots and fresh green grapes
Spiced candied nuts
Garlic-herb stuffed red peppers
Aged cheddar, French blue cheese & creamy Brie.
Prosciutto
Salami
Crostini

Butter Lettuce with Shaved Fennel, Parmesan & Cara Cara Orange

This salad is hearty enough to sit out for a bit before being dressed. The combination of Cara Cara (or any orange) segments pairs beautifully with shaved fennel and parmesan. I used fennel fonts as a garnish and butter lettuce for the base. I made a light lemon-herb vinaigrette and served that on the side.

Chicken Cordon Blue

Of course, Chicken Cordon Blue is a classic French dish. Moreover, it was important to my client to have it on the menu. But because it was a luncheon and not a sit-down dinner, I had to figure out how to make it self-serve and do-ahead. So, I decided to make them and cut them into 1/2-inch-thick medallions and serve them with a creamy mustard horseradish sauce on the side. The key was pounding down the chicken breasts evenly so I could stuff them with the lovely Swiss cheese and ham before breading and frying them. It was a labor of love but worth it.

To me a French themed luncheon was not complete without a croissant on the menu. And Tri-tip beef rubbed in herbs and roasted to medium rare then thinly sliced and served on flakey croissant with a roasted garlic and parsley aioli was the perfect pairing. Finger food and do ahead.

Table Setting Ideas

If you are planning a French themed luncheon in your home and are looking for inspiration for tableware and serving ware, then here are few ideas that I absolutely love.

Side Plate

These delicate plates in a muted blue with a little pattern to them are all the decor you need for a beautiful table setting. Whether sit down or buffet these are perfect.

Coupe Glasses

The delicate elegance of these champagne glasses makes them a statement piece for any table. The shape of the glass is actually a throwback to how Champagne was originally served. Instant classic.

Cheese & Charcuterie Board

I like this modern version of a cheese & charcuterie board that incorporates both marble and wood. Mix it up and have different boards to make it more interesting!

French Cheese Knife Set

Laguiole is a well-known French brand and makes beautiful cutlery. You can use this set over and over for any dinner party but especially in a French-themed setting.

LeCreuset Sauce Bowls

And of course, what matches those plates better than these frilly sauce bowls by LeCreuset? For the salad dressing and the sauce for the croissant sandwiches as well as Cordon Blue?