Bastille Day recipe ideas

The upcoming Bastille Day holiday provides the perfect excuse (like we need any) to make delicious French food and celebrate liberté, égalité, and fraternité. The holiday is the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, a turning point in the French Revolution, as well as the  Fête de la Fédération which celebrated the unity of the French people on July 14, 1790.

Epicurious has assembled a list of recipe and menus perfect for celebrating la Fête nationale. If that isn’t enough, The Kitchn offers  17 easy French recipes, and The Nibble features cocktails perfect for the day. If you want someone else to do the cooking, prefer that person a top chef, and happen to be in the New York City area, you can join the James Beard Foundation for its Bastille Day Fête on July 15. 

The EYB Library is another great source for inspiration, no matter what type of French food you crave.  There you will find nearly 12,000 online French recipes at your fingertips, for anything from an elegant formal dinner to a casual picnic, including these Member favorites:

• Fromage fort from The Splendid Table by Jacques Pépin
• Vichyssoise by Mark Bittman
• Pipérade from BBC Good Food Magazine by Michel and Albert Roux
• Apple tarte Tatin from Delicious Magazine (Aus) 
• Cherry clafoutis from The Guardian Feast Supplement (pictured)
• Chicken with mustard (Poulet à la moutarde) from My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz 
• Seeded rosemary fougasse from Martha Stewart Living Magazine
• Ratatouille (Eggplant casserole) from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child and Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck
• Gougères from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan