OuiCook: Le Petit Déjeuner

Although France is known for its extravagant dishes and excellent cooking, le petit déjeuner is unexpectedly very simple and is considered the least important meal of the day. Usually eaten outside a charming café, this simple yet delicious breakfast will soon become your go-to. 

While in most countries breakfast is considered a large meal comprised of meats and cheeses, French breakfast is mostly just sweets and carbs. Often times, the French don’t eat breakfast at all and just stick with cup of black coffee. However, when they do eat breakfast, this is what they will have: 

La Tartine 

While there is no real translation for “Tartine,” it is basically half or quarter of a baguette, sliced horizontally, with butter and jam. Your tartine will sometimes be toasted, but usually not. The French way is to dip your tartine in your café au lait to get that perfect sweet and salty mix. 

Le Croissant et Le Pain au Chocolat 

These French staples are essential to mastering le petit déjeuner. Le croissant au beurre (the buttered croissant) is flaky and sweet, and if it done right, fluffy on the inside. If you have a bit more of a sweeter tooth, le pain au chocolate is the option for you. It is basically a croissant with chocolate! And if you’re in a rush, you can stop by any boulangerie to pick up one on the go with a café au lait. 

Oeufs à la Coque 

These soft boiled eggs are essential to a traditional French breakfast. Did you know that it is actually Louis XV, the king of France in the 18th century, that popularized the “oeuf à la coque”?  Indeed, the story is that he adored his oeuf à la coque so much that he would carry his golden “coquetier” (eggcup) everywhere. 

The key to perfecting this recipe is cutting up pieces of bread “mouillettes” (bread fingers) to resemble fingers that you can dunk into the soft boiled egg. A childhood favorite, this breakfast could never get old! 

Take a look at our favorite eggcups from Harrods!

Café au lait et Jus de Fruits 

Coffee, usually café au lait (coffee with milk) is made by adding steamed milk to a shot of espresso in a 1:1 ratio and is topped with very little to no foam. This coffee drink is a very popular breakfast beverage in France and is often used to dunk your croissant or tartine. Capuccinos as well as espressos are also becoming more popularized and are enjoyed at any time of the day. 

Le jus de fruits (fruit juice), most commonly orange juice, is always part of the French breakfast and compliments your café au lait perfectly. 

Check out our favorite glassware and mugs to enjoy your café au lait and jus d’orange:

Let me know if you try this out by taking pictures of your petit déjeuner and tagging us @ouiplease on instagram!

Xx, 

Josephine