French cuisine has been on the nose for a while with the world’s uber-foodies. Once a country whose cuisine bestrode the world like a culinary colossus, its Michelin-starred world came crumbling down, first under the attack of casual Italian food, and then the assault of Spanish chefs who revolutionised fine dining at the turn of the century. Then we had the wonderful rise of truly local places around the world: while at one time, the best restaurants in Lima, Copenhagen and Hong Kong were French, that yoke of cultural colonialism was shrugged off and something proudly local took its place.

However, the time is right for a food revolution that restores the best of French cuisine to its rightful place. People are putting herbed butters back on steaks and chicken-liver parfait has led the return of a whole suite of retro French dishes such as the vol-au-vent, the pithivier and coq au vin. Oh, and creamy sauces are back in the mainstream after decades out in the cold, which is good news for anyone who gets all wistful about chicken Normandy or loves mushroom sauce on their steak.

A new generation of cool bistros has been fanning the French flame in Australia in recent years. In Sydney, there’s Porcine, Bistrot 916, Bistro Rex and, of course, Restaurant Hubert; there’s La Buvette in Adelaide; and in Victoria, Bar Margaux and Midnight Starling. They join swank modern French legends such as Montrachet in Brisbane and Vue de Monde in Melbourne.

Need more convincing? Allow me, s’il vous plaît, to present 10 great reasons to fall back in love with French cuisine this winter. 

1. BOEUF BOURGUIGNON

Adding lots of bacon batons and whole onions helps take this rich beef and red-wine stew from peasant classic to a big, warm hug from your French mum on a cold night. Perfect with…

2. PARIS MASH

We can thank chef Guillaume Brahimi for popularising this version of potatoes that’s almost as much butter as it is potato. Eat “as is” with a braise such as bourguignon, or with lots of cheese whipped in, turning it into a stringy, oozy, garlicky aligot.

3. FRENCH ONION SOUP

This is surely one of the greatest soups in the world. The sweetness of caramelised onions and garlic play perfect foil to the raft of grilled-cheese crouton on the top. And so much more when made properly than with the packet soup mix that launched a thousand dips.

4. DAUPHINOISE

Plain potato bake doesn’t do justice to the way the soft, thin slices of layered potato and onion break down, and tan up on top, under the slow bubbling of cream or creme fraiche. Again, the cheese and garlic combo lifts the everyday into something “wow”.

5. CASSOULET

This slow-baked dish of beans and (most commonly) sausage and duck comes from the South of France and, for me, eclipses even a bourguignon for the ultimate French comfort food. 

6. STEAK FRITES

Why doesn’t steak and chips sound quite as alluring? Perhaps because you know those French fries will be thin and crispy, while the steak will be tender and still juicy from being cooked to no more than medium rare. Keep the dairy and garlic joy going here with a pat of garlic and herb butter on top, or thrown into the pan to baste the steak in its final minutes. A buttery but tangy tarragon Béarnaise sauce is another big plus.

7. JAMBON-BEURRE

While leeks in vinaigrette, crudites, and radishes served with little more than butter and salt are held up as examples of French minimalism gone wrong, there’s something wonderful about the country’s take on a ham sandwich – or “ham butter” as this translates. The secret is the crunch of the fresh-baked baguette’s crust, the thick slabs of cool butter and the even thicker slices of country ham – together they justify the name; the bread doesn’t even get a mention. 

8. CROISSANTS

French baking is a masterful craft and while we could rhapsodise on those baguettes, for me there’s nothing better than a buttery, flaky croissant still warm from the oven. These days, you’ll find wonderful examples all across the country, not just at global croissant royalty like Lune in Melbourne. 

9. CANELÉ

The best French bakers are famous, but the best French patissiers have a near-godlike status and while those gateaux, eclairs and profiteroles are all fine examples of why French cuisine doesn’t deserve to be in the shadows, it’s this humble, custardy rum and vanilla cake – pronounced “canna-lay” that’s the current rage, both here and there. Compared to the technicolour flamboyance of macarons, these small, dark and fluted creations may seem unassuming, but biting through the chewy exterior to reach the custardy heart is pure heaven. 

10. FRENCH DESSERTS

From crème brûlée and tarte au citron to towering souffle and tarte tatin dripping with caramel, French desserts are pretty great. However, the chocolate mousse is modern French cooking at its best, somehow managing to be both incredibly light and incredibly rich at the same time. And yes, cream is often to the fore here, too.

Related recipes: 100 French desserts that you can’t say ‘non’ to