5 traditional French Alpine dishes and how to make them at home

If you’re missing the French ski slopes this year, make one of these warming mountain dishes to bring a flavour of France to your home

This ski season will be like no other for the French mountain resorts, with some international visitors having to forgo their much-loved stays in the Alps. Even if you’re not lucky enough to make it to France this year, we’ve put together a list of some of our favourite mountain dishes that are sure to make your mouth water! Cheese fans will be in their element…

Fondue Savoyarde

Perhaps the ultimate skiing feast, this cheesy concoction is often served with cubes of crusty bread, crunchy vegetables like broccoli and carrots, cornichons and charcuterie. If your bread falls off your fork into your fondue, it’s your turn to buy the next round of drinks!

Make your own: The Spruce Eats’ recipe goes all out, calling for Comté, Beaufort and Reblochon with a splash of brandy. If you don’t have any Savoyard cheese handy, try Tesco’s recipe with Emmental and Gruyère.

Tartiflette

Simple but very effective! This casserole-esque dish of potato, bacon and, of course, Reblochon cheese makes for a filling dinner. It’s best accompanied with a green salad and some cornichons. The tartiflette was popularised in the 1980s and was inspired by a traditional potato, cheese and onion dish called a pela.

Make your own: Olive has a recipe for both the main event and the side salad.

Farcement (or farçon)

Potatoes, onion, bacon and… prunes? This unlikely bedfellow makes this hearty Savoie recipe sing. You can get special tins in which to make them in France, but elsewhere you can replicate the effect using a cake tin. Traditionally, it would make a popular Sunday lunch as it could be left to cook while people went to church.

Make your own: Delicious has an authentic recipe complete with prunes and raisins.

Croziflette

First there was tartiflette… then came croziflette! This carby twist swaps potatoes for crozets, a small, square-shaped pasta made in Savoie, often with buckwheat. You can find them at speciality grocery stores such as French Click in the UK.

Make your own: There aren’t many croziflette recipes in English, but this one from Girls’ Guide to Paris does the job well. If you can read French, France Montagnes has an excellent simple recipe.

Tarte aux Myrtilles

The perfect way to complete any Alpine feast! This wild blueberry-topped, almondy tart provides a hit of sugar that’ll have you raring to get back on the slopes.

Make your own: Rick Stein’s take on the tart for BBC Good Food is a winner.

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