4 Fresh French Recipes to Make This Spring

Bonjour! Welcome to Charlotte le Blog, refreshed and revitalized. After a long hiatus I am reintroducing the blog with a focus on the art of meal planning and delicious, nutritious recipes.  I’ve enjoyed creating meal plans and recipes and researching everything food and nutrition for as long as I can remember. I’m a culinary curator, if you will.  I love inventing different meal plans and themes for the week and figuring out how to make each day super nutritious. So why not start sharing what I’ve learned with you? In my approach to creating meals and recipes, I embrace the principles of seasonal, mindful, and joyful eating. Balanced, plant-forward, local if possible.  Quality over quantity. Make it fun and beautiful. I’m so excited to start this new journey with you! Step into the new world of Charlotte le Blog, on it’s 4th Anniversary, with 4 Fresh, French Recipes to Make This Spring!

what’s new

Before we get to the recipes I wanted to let you know what to expect from my new and improved blog. My plan is to post a free 7-day meal plan at the beginning of each month. Look for varying themes of mindfully crafted, (many times French-inspired) plans with recipes that incorporate my philosophy of seasonal, nourishing, plant-forward, beautiful eating. I’m thinking a Parisian Vegan Week, a French Detox Week, or simply a Simple, Healthy Paris Meal Plan, the possibilities are endless. Along with the meal plans there will be simple, nutritious & fun recipes. Also look for articles on the world of food and nutrition posted monthly. Allonz-y, on to the recipes!

the recipes

It’s finally Spring, time to celebrate with all the sunny, seasonal produce! Asparagus, carrots, beans, radishes… I love these little illustrated Eat Seasonal lists, handy to print out for your next trip to the grocery or market. I’m ready for some fresh spring recipes, with a French twist 😉. Lighter meals, like soups and salads to make those spring veggies shine. Being that pizza is my favorite dish forever, and perfect for showcasing vegetables, I’m including a recipe for that too. Also, all four of these recipes use similar ingredients – Pistou in the soup and on the pizza, carrot tops in the pistou and carrots in the soup and salad, asparagus on the pizza and in the soup… Welcome back Spring, welcome back Charlotte le Blog!

Parisian Pistou and Springtime Soup au Pistou

So many fresh recipes to make this Spring with this Parisian Pistou! I’ll be using it for Soupe au Pistou, a traditional vegetable soup from Provence. I’ll also be using it on my Asparagus Pizza. Perfect with pasta and I’m sure it would make a great Pistou Salmon or chicken – served with Fresh French Green Bean Salad on the side! Usually made in the summer to use the abundance of basil and tomatoes (see my summertime version), I’m going to Spring it up a bit with seasonal ingredients including carrot tops instead of traditional basil for the Pistou. I love using all parts of a vegetable, it makes me happy. I’ve also included tarragon, which I always associate with Paris cuisine, thus the name Parisian Pistou. I recently read an article on monticello.org (on my bucket list) that Thomas Jefferson discovered tarragon while he was in Paris and after returning to the US and seeing it was little known here, endeavored to grow it in his own garden.

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Parisian Pistou

A Pistou for Springtime. Using fresh carrot tops and tarragon (which I always associate with Paris) this is the perfect condiment for Spring! If you have enough carrot tops you will definitely want to double this recipe.

Total Time15 minutes mins

Cuisine: French

Keyword: condiment, seasonal, Spring, topping

Ingredients

• 1 bunch carrot tops washed, stems trimmed
• 3 sprigs fresh tarragon stemmed
• 2 garlic cloves
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp Creme de Cassis the magical ingredient

Instructions

• Loosely chop carrot tops and garlic. Add to food processor with tarragon leaves and salt. Process to desired consistency, I do a fine mince. Add nutritional yeast. With processor running on low, slowly add olive oil, stopping to scrape down sides halfway. Add cassis if using, process again for a few seconds. Add salt to taste. Transfer to a pretty jar.

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Springtime Soup au Pistou

All the flavors of springtime in a bowl, including a perfect Parisian Pistou. Fresh and comforting, serve with a crusty baguette, mais oui. A simple, fresh and French spring meal.

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: French

Keyword: comfort, healthy, seasonal, Spring

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 shallot diced
• 1 small fennel bulb chopped, reserve fronds
• 5 baby gold potatoes organic
• 6 oz asparagus (aprox 15 spears) chopped, reserve tips
• 1 medium carrot halved lengthwise, sliced thin
• 8 oz Cannellini beans ½ of a 15 oz can, add more if you like
• ½ cup white wine I had Frisk Riesling on hand, worked perfectly
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• ¼ cup frozen peas
• 1 tbsp Herbs de Provence
• grated jalapeno see notes
• ¼ cup Parisian Pistou or pesto
• salt

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven on medium low. Add shallot and salt, sauté until soft. Add fennel, potato, carrot, chopped asparagus, Herbs de Provence and another splash of olive oil, stirring for 2-3 minutes.

  Add wine (if using) and stir, then add 3 cups broth or water or a combination of the two. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium low, add asparagus tips, Cannellini beans and peas and simmer 12-15 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Grate some frozen jalapeno in for a little extra zing.

  Using a wooden spoon, mash some of the potatoes to create a creamy broth. Stir in Pistou. Serve in bowls garnished with chopped reserved fennel fronds, or chopped carrot tops like I did, reserved from making the pistou, or fresh tarragon, from the pistou also!

  Santé Springtime!

Notes

I saw a video on Instagram where you take a jalapeno, put it in a small bowl in the freezer and freeze.  Anytime you feel like adding a extra zing to a recipe – perfect for pizza! – you take the jalapeno out of the freezer and using a microplane grater, grate it on whatever you like.  Genius!

French Green Bean & Radish Salad

All the seasonal veggies in one dish. Served as a main dish on top of lettuce and topped with protein or served on its own as a side. A simple, fresh and versatile salad to enjoy all season long.

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

French Green Bean & Radish Salad

Fresh French beans, crunchy radishes and carrots… what could be more Spring than that? Serve this beautiful salad as it is for a perfect springtime side dish. Or serve on top of spring lettuces and top with sliced avocado for a main course. It's over-the-top delicious with smoked salmon flaked on top. A simple, fresh and versatile salad to enjoy all season long.

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: French

Keyword: fresh, green bean, radish, simple, Spring

Servings: 4 sides (or 2 if serving with lettuce and toppings)

Ingredients

• 2 large handfuls fresh green beans stems removed
• 1 medium carrot julienned
• 2 large radishes thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp shallots finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh tarragon leaves aprox 1 sprig
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Blanch the beans: bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the beans and cook 3 minutes. Remove with tongs or slotted spoon into a prepped bowl of ice water. This will preserve their vibrant green color. Drain and pat dry.

  Make the vinaigrette: To a small bowl or jar add Dijon and vinegar and stir. Whisk in olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir in shallots.

  In a large bowl, combine green beans, carrots, radishes and tarragon. Add vinaigrette and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.

Asparagus Mushroom Sourdough Pizza

I 💕Pizza forever, almost as much as Paris! This one is no exception. What’s really fun is that you can use the Parisian Pistou you made earlier in the week for the Soup au Pistou. Or try my Radish and Carrot Green Pistachio Pesto, or magical Pistachio Pesto.

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Asparagus Mushroom Sourdough Pizza

A pizza with all the fresh flavors of Spring. A base of carrot top pistou gives it an extra zing. Be sure to make the sourdough the night before so it has time to ferment. So flavorful without the cheese, a vegan delight, but feel free to add some soft, creamy burrata at the end right before serving to make it extra fresh and delicious.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time13 minutes mins

Sourdough (including overnight fermentation)15 hours hrs

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, French, Italian

Keyword: fresh, Pizza, sourdough, Spring

Servings: 2 10 inch pizzas

Equipment

• Pizza Peel
• pizza stone

Ingredients

• 50 g sourdough starter
• 185 g water (filtered) room temperature
• 250 g organic white floor or 00 Pizza flour
• 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
• 1 tbsp salt

Asparagus Mushroom Topping

• 8 asparagus spears, ends trimmed
• 8-10 small button or portobella mushrooms – aka Champignons de Paris 😉 cleaned and halved
• 2 tbsp shallots, diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp pistou or pesto
• 1 ball burrata or mozzarella optional
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast optional

Instructions

• Sourdough Pizza Crust: In a large bowl, mix water and sourdough starter with spatula or fork until mostly dissolved. Stir in olive oil and salt. Add flour and stir until flour is mixed in, it will be a shaggy looking dough. Cover with damp towel and let rest 30 minutes.
• Stretch and fold 8 times. (I learned how by watching YouTube videos.) Let rest 30 minutes. Perform 3 more stretch and folds every 30 minutes. Let dough rest after last stretch and fold for 1-2 hours. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8-12 hours. I usually do this the night before pizza night. In the morning I take the dough out and divide it into two balls and place each in a bowl covered with plastic and put back in fridge until I'm ready to use.
• Take dough out of fridge 1 hour before time to bake. Gently stretch the dough out to a 10 inch round, careful to not deflate the air bubbles. (Again, YouTube!) Place one dough round on a flour or cornmeal dusted pizza peel and and proceed with topping.

Asparagus Mushroom Topping

• Heat olive oil in skillet, add asparagus and shallot. Cook on medium heat with lid until just softened, about 10 minutes. Off heat and add mushrooms. Let cool.

Assemble

• Preheat oven and pizza stone at 475° F while dough is resting for 1 hour.
• Brush olive oil on edges of pizza rounds. Spread pistou or pesto evenly over the rest of the dough. Add asparagus to each pizza, mushrooms, and spoon on remaining shallots. Slide pizza onto pizza stone. Bake 10-13 minutes, turning on broiler at the end if you want it extra browned on top.
• Remove from oven and top with nutritional yeast or halved ball of burrata for each pizza, or chunks of mozzarella, if using. This would be a great time to top with any extra chopped carrot tops or fennel leaves you have left over!

Thank you for visiting the all new Charlotte le Blog. Please bare with me as I get into my groove, learn more about building my blog, food photography and building a très fabulous meal plan and recipe collection for you. Also please join me in May for my first meal plan! Don’t forget to check out my Pinterest and Instagram feeds and sign up for updates below. À bientôt!

Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime;
    it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms.
He gives showers of rain to all people,
    and plants of the field to everyone. 🌱

Zechariah 10 1