French comfort food to warm up the coldest nights

Photo: Ben Fink

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In the winter, we all turn to comfort food, but nobody does it better than bistros—those casual, often family-run French restaurants that have perfected the art of homey but noble food. Lucky for us, those dishes are relatively easy to recreate at home, compared to other French restaurant fare. Take the classic stew beef bourguignon, for instance. Cookbook author Madeleine Kamman demonstrates how to authentically recreate this hearty dish (step one: make sure you have a good Dutch oven for this recipe—see the equipment review for our top picks). Other classic bistro dishes include coq au vin, potato-leek soup, and roasted chicken (complete with a step-by-step guide to carving).

If you’re entertaining, try one of our bistro-inspired menus. One consists of quick dishes like seared flank steak and glazed carrots, and can be made start to finish in less than 2 hours. The other, starring braised lamb shank and lemon tart, uses more slow-cooking techniques, but much of it is hands-off. Our wine suggestions work well with either menu.

Bonus Download

Finally, don’t miss our bonus download, a collection of our favorite bistro-style potato recipes—free of charge when you register with your email address. From silky potato purée to oven fries to golden potato gratin, every one of them is a true classic.

Bonus Download: Top Ten Bistro Potatoes

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