A French Chef’s Fresh Spring Dinner Menu (3 Courses at Home)
- May 10
- 12 min read
There is a particular quality to the light in spring that Chef Eric has always associated with hunger. Not the heavy, resigned hunger of winter, but something lighter and more urgent, the body awakening from months of root vegetables and braises and long evenings by the stove, and turning suddenly, almost instinctively, toward brightness.
It begins in the garden. Chef Eric has always kept one, wherever he has cooked and lived, and it is the garden more than any cookbook or market that sets his seasonal rhythm. Long before the strawberries appear at the farmers market, they are ripening on the south-facing wall behind his kitchen, the gariguettes first, small and intensely fragrant, then the mara des bois, softer and almost wild in their flavour. He checks them in the morning before anything else, touching the fruit gently to feel their give, bending to smell them at skin level. A strawberry that is truly ripe has a warmth to it that a cold, out-of-season berry can never imitate.
The peas come next. He grows them up bamboo canes against the garden fence, and when they are ready, they are ready all at once, in the way that spring always is, arriving everywhere simultaneously and asking to be used immediately. Freshly podded peas, eaten raw, taste like sweetness itself. Cooked gently in a beurre blanc with fresh mint torn at the very last moment, they become something quietly extraordinary.
I have never understood why people rush to buy things out of season when the season itself is so generous, and so brief. You have six weeks of peas like this. Six weeks of strawberries that taste like this. That is more than enough reason to plan your table around them.
Chef Eric Duvin
The philosophy behind this spring menu is the oldest and most honest one in French cooking: let the ingredient lead. The salmon tartare exists because April calls for something cold and clean and precise, something that asks almost nothing of the stove and everything of the knife. The sous vide chicken exists because spring is the moment to strip a classic back to its essence, to understand what a beautifully cooked piece of poultry can taste like when it is treated with patience and exactitude rather than hurried in a pan. And the sorbet exists because when you have a strawberry that smells the way a strawberry should smell, the only reasonable response is to get out of its way.
This is the first episode of a series Chef Eric has been thinking about for a long time.
A table with the seasons. A complete three-course French menu, four times a year, built entirely around what is growing, what is ready, what the light and the temperature are telling you to cook. No compromises, no substitutions, no pretending that frozen peas taste the same as the ones you podded an hour ago. Just the season, taken seriously.
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For those who want a deeper and more complete culinary journey, our 12-Week French Cooking Course offers a structured program covering the essential foundations of traditional French cuisine.
This comprehensive course guides you through the techniques used in classic French kitchens—from knife skills and sauces to traditional dishes and elegant desserts. Each lesson focuses on helping you understand not only how to cook a recipe, but why the techniques work.
Whether you’re passionate about French gastronomy or looking to significantly improve your cooking skills, this program provides a step-by-step path to mastering the fundamentals of French cooking.
Starter: Salmon Tartare
Cucumber · Chive · Tarragon Vinaigrette
A great tartare is, above all, an act of restraint. It asks nothing of heat, nothing of transformation, nothing of the elaborate vocabulary of French technique. What it asks instead is for the cook to step back, to trust the ingredient, and to understand that a piece of sashimi-grade salmon, cut by hand with a very sharp knife into clean, even dice, needs very little beyond the right company.
The tarragon vinaigrette is what makes this particular tartare French rather than simply raw. Tarragon is a herb that Americans often overlook in favour of basil or thyme, but it carries in its anise-forward, faintly sweet fragrance something that is quite irreplaceable in a cold preparation. Chef Eric uses it with care: a little too much and it overwhelms the delicacy of the fish, a little too little and the dish loses its point of difference. The goal is presence without domination.
The cucumber brunoise is not decoration. It is architecture. Salted, drained, rinsed, and dried with a thoroughness that borders on obsession, it provides the textural contrast that keeps each bite interesting. A tartare that is wet is a tartare that has failed. Every component must be bone-dry before it meets the fish, and the fish must go on ice the moment it is cut.
Prep Time 25 Minutes | Chill Time 15 Minutes | Servings 2 |
Ingredients
Ingredient | Quantity | ||
Salmon Tartare | Metric | Imperial | US |
Sashimi-grade salmon fillet, skinless, pin-boned | 300 g | 10.6 oz | 10.6 oz |
Small cucumber, peeled, seeded, finely diced | ~100 g) | 3.5 oz | 3.5 oz |
Fresh chives, finely sliced | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp |
Shallot, very finely minced | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Fleur de sel (or fine sea salt) | 1 tsp | 1 tsp | 1 tsp |
Freshly ground pepper | To taste | To taste | To taste |
Tarragon Vinaigrette | Metric | Imperial | US |
Extra-virgin olive oil | 3 tbsp | 3 tbsp | 3 tbsp |
White wine vinegar | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp |
Dijon mustard | 1 tsp | 1 tsp | 1 tsp |
Honey | 1 tsp | 1 tsp | 1 tsp |
Fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped | 2 tbsp | 2 tbsp | 2 tbsp |
Salt and pepper | To taste | To taste | To taste |
Equipment Needed
Very sharp filleting knife
Ring mold (for plating)
Paper towels
Method
Step 1: Prepare the Cucumber
Peel the cucumber, halve it lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut into a fine brunoise to match the salmon dice. Salt the diced cucumber lightly and let it drain for 10 minutes in a colander, then rinse and pat completely dry — this is the key to a clean, non-watery tartare.
Pat completely dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. This step is essential — any residual water will loosen the tartare and dilute the seasoning.
Step 2: Make the Tarragon Vinaigrette
In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, and honey. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking constantly to emulsify. Fold in the finely chopped tarragon and season generously with salt and white pepper. Taste — it should be bright, herby, and lightly sweet-sharp.
Step 3: Prepare the Salmon
Using a very sharp knife, cut the salmon into small, even dice of approximately 5 mm. Work quickly — the goal is to cut, not crush. Transfer immediately to a stainless steel bowl set over ice and return to the refrigerator until needed.
Step 4: Combine and Season
Remove the salmon from the refrigerator. Add the cucumber, shallot, and two-thirds of the chives (reserve the rest for garnish). Spoon two-thirds of the vinaigrette over the mixture and fold together gently — dress, do not crush. Adjust seasoning with fleur de sel, white pepper, and extra vinaigrette to taste.
Step 5: Rest and Plate
Refrigerate the assembled tartare for 10–15 minutes to allow the flavours to meld. Do not leave longer than 30 minutes — the acid will begin to cook the fish. Using a ring mold, shape the tartare into neat cylinders on ice-cold plates. Garnish with the reserved chives, a sprig of fresh tarragon, and a little lemon zest. Serve immediately with toasted blinis or cucumber rounds.
Chef Tips
Salmon Quality is Everything
Use only sashimi-grade or Label Rouge salmon. Freshness and provenance are paramount in a raw preparation — the fish should be consumed the same day it is purchased. If in doubt, ask your fishmonger specifically about sashimi suitability.
The Cold Chain
A tartare is prepared cold and served cold. Warm hands, a tepid work surface, or room-temperature plates are the enemy of a clean finish. Pre-chill your serving plates in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Tarragon: A Herb to Use with Care
Fresh tarragon is potent and anise-forward — always taste the vinaigrette before incorporating. Outside of the growing season, a few drops of good tarragon-infused vinegar is an elegant substitute. Avoid dried tarragon entirely — it lacks the freshness that makes this dish.
Sous Vide Chicken Breast
Mint & Pea Beurre Blanc · Steamed Potatoes
There are dishes that show off, and dishes that convince. Sous vide chicken breast with a beurre blanc of peas and garden mint is firmly in the second category. It does not announce itself. It does not arrive in a cloud of drama. It simply appears on the plate, pale and golden from the sear, surrounded by vivid green, and when you eat it, you understand immediately why a French chef would spend an hour doing something so apparently simple to a piece of chicken.
The sous vide technique emerged from French professional kitchens in the 1970s, developed by chefs who wanted consistency and precision above all else. The principle is straightforward: seal the food in a vacuum bag, submerge it in water held at an exact temperature, and cook it for a precise amount of time. At 63 degrees Celsius, a chicken breast cooks gently and evenly throughout, its juices sealed inside, its texture silk-like rather than fibrous, its flavour concentrated rather than dispersed into the air.
The sear that follows is not optional. Chef Eric is emphatic on this point. A chicken breast that has been sous vide cooked is not finished. The surface must meet a screaming-hot pan, must caramelise in under a minute, must acquire that deep golden colour that adds both flavour and texture to what would otherwise be, however good, a rather pale piece of poultry. Butter, thyme, basting. Thirty seconds. Then rest.
The beurre blanc is the soul of this dish. The chicken is beautiful, but it is the sauce that makes the plate speak French.
Chef Eric Duvin
And then there are the peas. Chef Eric picked these himself, that morning, from the garden. He is unhurried about it, standing between the rows in the early light, working his thumb along each pod to feel which ones are full, dropping them into a colander. Freshly podded peas should be used within hours if possible. They lose their sweetness with remarkable speed once they leave the pod, which is why the version you grow or source from a good farmers market in May or June is incomparable to anything sold frozen or packaged.
They go into the beurre blanc at the very last moment, warmed through rather than cooked, their colour kept vivid and their sweetness intact. The mint, also from the garden, is torn and folded in at the absolute end, its fragrance released by the warmth of the sauce rather than cooked away by heat. This is a dish that rewards timing and punishes rushing.
Portions 2 | Prep Time 25 Minutes | Cook Time 1 h 30 min |
Ingredients
Ingredient | Quantity | ||
Chicken filets, skinless & boneless (~180 g each) | 2 × 180 g | 2 × 6.5 oz | 2 × 6.5 oz |
Unsalted butter | 30 g | 1 oz | 2 tbsp |
Garlic cloves, smashed | 2 cloves | 2 cloves | 2 cloves |
Fresh thyme sprigs | 3 sprigs | 3 sprigs | 3 sprigs |
Fresh rosemary sprigs | 2 sprigs | 2 sprigs | 2 sprigs |
Fine sea salt & pepper | To taste | To taste | To taste |
Neutral oil, for searing | 15 ml | ½ fl oz | 1 tbsp |
Pea & Mint Beurre Blanc | Metric | Imperial | US |
Good chicken stock | 100 ml | 3½ fl oz | 7 tbsp |
Dry white wine | 50 ml | 1¾ fl oz | 3½ tbsp |
Shallots, finely sliced | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Double cream | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp |
Unsalted butter, cold, cubed | 100 g | 3½ oz | 7 tbsp |
Fresh or frozen petits pois | 75 g | 2¾ oz | ½ cup |
Fresh mint leaves | A handful | A handful | A handful |
Salt & pepper | To taste | To taste | To taste |
Steamed Potatoes | Metric | Imperial | US |
Small waxy potatoes (Charlotte or Jersey Royals) | 300 g | 10½ oz | 0.65 lbs |
Unsalted butter | 10 g | ⅛ oz | ¾ tbsp |
Salt & pepper | To taste | To taste | To taste |
Equipment Needed
Large pot or container for the water bath
Vacuum sealer, and bags
Before You Start
Remove the chicken filets from the refrigerator 30 minutes before starting
Preheat your sous vide water bath to 63°C / 145°F.
Chill the butter for the beurre blanc — it must stay refrigerator-cold until the very last moment
Have all ingredients measured and ready before you begin — the beurre blanc will not wait
Warm your serving plates — a beurre blanc cools quickly on a cold plate
Method
Step 1: Season and Bag the Chicken
Pat the chicken filets completely dry with kitchen paper — moisture is your enemy at this stage. Season generously with fine sea salt and pepper on both sides.
Place each filet into a vacuum bag along with a knob of butter, a smashed garlic clove, a sprig of thyme, and a sprig of rosemary. Vacuum seal tightly.
Step 2: Sous Vide
Submerge the sealed bags fully in the preheated 63°C / 145°F. water bath. Clip the bags to the side of the container to keep them fully submerged. Cook for 1 hour.
The chicken will emerge perfectly cooked and extraordinarily tender — still slightly rosy, which is exactly where we want it before the sear. The hot pan finish will push the internal temperature comfortably above 65°C / 149°F.
Step 3: Steam the Potatoes
While the chicken cooks, place the potatoes in a steamer basket set over a saucepan of simmering water. Cover and steam for 18–22 minutes until completely tender when pierced with a knife. Transfer to a bowl and dress with the butter, a pinch salt and pepper. Toss gently to coat and keep warm.
Step 4: Build the Beurre Blanc Reduction
Combine the shallot, white wine, and chicken stock in a small saucepan. Bring to a vigorous boil and reduce until approximately 2–3 tablespoons of liquid remain and the shallot is completely soft. Add the double cream and reduce by half.
Step 5: Sear the Chicken
Remove the chicken from the bags and transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper. Pat the surface completely dry — repeat twice if needed. Any residual moisture will prevent browning.
Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat until smoking. Add the neutral oil and sear each filet for 45–60 seconds per side until deeply golden and caramelised. Add the remaining butter, and thyme and baste continuously for 30 seconds. The sear will bring the internal temperature above 65°C / 149°F. Transfer to a warm plate and rest for 2 minutes.
Step 6: Mount the Butter
Remove the saucepan from the heat entirely and begin whisking in the cold butter, one or two cubes at a time. The residual heat will melt each addition — return the pan to the lowest possible heat only if the butter stops absorbing. Work steadily until the sauce is thick, glossy, and pale. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 7: Add the Peas and Mint
Drop the petits pois into the beurre blanc and stir gently over the lowest heat for 1–2 minutes until just warmed through and vivid green. Tear the fresh mint leaves and fold them in at the very last moment — the residual heat will release their fragrance without cooking them.
Step 8: Plate and Serve
Arrange the buttered potatoes on warmed plates. Rest a chicken filet alongside. Spoon the pea and mint beurre blanc generously over and around the chicken. Finish with a few fresh mint leaves, a fine drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, and serve immediately.
SORBET FRAISE BASILIC
Strawberry & Basil Sorbet
Prep Time 20 Minutes | Freeze Time 4 Hours | Servings 4–6 |
Ingredients
Ingredient | Quantity | ||
For the Sorbet | Metric | Imperial | US |
Fresh strawberries, hulled & halved | 500 g | 1 lb 2 oz | 3 cups |
Caster sugar | 200 g | 7 oz | 1 cup |
Water | 120 ml | 4 fl oz | ½ cup |
Fresh lemon juice | 30 ml | 1 fl oz | 2 tbsp |
Fresh basil leaves | 15 g | ½ oz | ½ cup packed |
Equipment Needed
Freezer-safe container with lid
Method
Step 1: Make the Sugar Syrup
In a medium saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved. Bring to a boil, stop the heat and add the fresh basil leaves. Allow them to steep for 10 minutes to infuse their delicate, aromatic flavour. Allow the syrup to cool completely.
Step 2: Blend the Strawberries
Place the hulled strawberries into a blender or food processor along with the fresh lemon juice and the basil syrup. Blitz until completely smooth. If needed pass the purée through a fine mesh strainer to remove any seeds.
Step 3: Churn
Pour the chilled mixture into your ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions — approximately 40- 50 minutes — until the sorbet is smooth, creamy, and holds its shape.
Step 4: Freeze
Transfer the churned sorbet immediately into the pre-chilled freezer-safe container. Seal with the lid. Freeze for a minimum of 4 hours until firm.
Chef Tips
Choose the Ripest Strawberries
The quality of your sorbet is entirely dependent on the quality of your fruit. Choose deeply red, intensely fragrant strawberries at the peak of their season — a pale or under-ripe strawberry will produce a flat, disappointing result. At the height of summer, gariguette or mara des bois varieties are exceptional choices.
The Role of Basil
Basil and strawberry is a classic Provençal pairing, beloved in southern French cuisine. The basil does not dominate — it whispers. Steeping the leaves in warm syrup rather than blending them raw keeps the flavour clean and floral rather than grassy. Do not over-steep: 10 minutes is the sweet spot.
When the three courses are finished and the table has that particular quality of comfortable silence that only a meal well-eaten produces, Chef Eric usually goes back to the garden.
Not to tend anything, particularly, but simply to stand in it for a moment, to look at what is still growing, what is almost ready, what the next week might offer. The peas are nearly done. The tomatoes are still weeks away. The basil is coming in strongly. There is already something forming in his mind for next month, something lighter still, something that will use the first courgette flowers if the weather holds.
That is what cooking with the seasons means, in practice. Not a philosophy. Not an aesthetic. A continuous conversation with the garden, in which the garden always has the final word.
Go Further with Our 12-Week French Cooking Program
For those who want a deeper and more complete culinary journey, our 12-Week French Cooking Course offers a structured program covering the essential foundations of traditional French cuisine.
This comprehensive course guides you through the techniques used in classic French kitchens—from knife skills and sauces to traditional dishes and elegant desserts. Each lesson focuses on helping you understand not only how to cook a recipe, but why the techniques work.
Whether you’re passionate about French gastronomy or looking to significantly improve your cooking skills, this program provides a step-by-step path to mastering the fundamentals of French cooking.
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