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    healthy French recipes from Paris with less sugar more flavour
    Healthy Cooking from Paris

    Easy French recipes

    Explore Recipes

    The Lighter Side of French Cooking

    Welcome to Mad about Macarons - your go-to for easy French recipes with a lighter, healthier twist. From macarons and market-fresh meals to French food guides, expect simple dishes that make your taste buds do the can-can - with less sugar, more flavour and a touch of Parisian joie de vivre. Latest recipes:

    • homemade croutons made with garlic and French bread topping for a pea soup next to a ramekin of more croutons
      How to Make Croûtons in the Air Fryer - with Garlic
    • whisking a hot parmesan cream sauce in a saucepan next to a block of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
      Parmesan Cream Sauce
    • long-stemmed cocktail glasses filled with light and fluffy strawberry mousse topped with strawberries and served with French tuile cookies
      Strawberry Mousse
    • creamy lemon sauce poured over roasted white asparagus, served with potatoes and roast chicken
      Creamy Lemon Sauce for Chicken
    Browse ALL Recipes

    Popular Recipes

    • small individual asparagus clafoutis with parmesan sauce basil top
      Asparagus Clafoutis - French Asparagus Recipe for the Oven
    • plate with eiffel tower and circle of caramel sauce around a shiny creme caramel
      French Crème Caramel (flan aux oeufs au caramel)
    • glass dish of chocolate mousse with cherries
      French Dark Chocolate Mousse (Mousse au Chocolat)
    • round pie dish with baked strawberries and almonds in a custard
      Strawberry Clafoutis with Almond Flour
    All recipes

    Spring Recipes

    Spring into French printemps with seasonal recipes.

    • glass pots with coconut chia pudding topped with mango sauce, mango chunks and dates
      Coconut Chia Pudding with Mango
    • Moroccan handpainted bowl filled with a raw carrot salad topped with fresh mint, toasted nuts and seeds next to oranges and a Moroccan teapot
      Raw Carrot Salad Moroccan Style
    • tossed green salad with seasonal fresh vegetables such as arugula, avocado and other greens with toasted nuts and seeds
      Simple Green Salad - The Best All-Rounder, Seasonal Side
    • best rhubarb jam recipe, low in sugar, a hint of rose and packed with more flavour
      Rhubarb Jam - How to Thicken with Less Sugar, More Flavour
    More Spring recipes

    Quick and Easy Recipes

    • saute pan of fried green beans in garlic and breadcrumbs
      Sautéed Green Beans with Garlic
    • mango cream dessert made with fresh mangos, whipped cream, coconut milk, vanilla and lime
      Mango Cream Recipe - Like a Mousse without Eggs or Sugar
    • white chocolate mousse in a bowl with rose petals and love heart macaron
      White Chocolate Mousse - With 2 Secret Ingredients
    • high raised round buttery biscuits with a rough texture with air-holes
      French Butter Cookies (Palets Bretons)
    Quick, easy recipes

    Ice Creams and Sorbets

    • scoops of light chestnut coloured ice cream topped with candied chestnuts
      Chestnut Vanilla Ice Cream (Glace aux Marrons)
    • bowl of pistachio ice cream with flecks of vanilla and surrounded by pistachio shells
      Pistachio Ice Cream (with or without Wasabi)
    • individual ice cream with candied fruits on plate with lavender, apricot sauce and a macaron
      No Churn Ice Cream with Candied Fruit (Glace Plombières)
    • scoops of dark grey ice cream topped with black sesame seeds and redcurrants, served with a sesame tuile cookie
      Black Sesame Ice Cream
    Ice creams & Sorbets
    round crepe pancake perfectly cooked in a pan

    Breakfast

    Kir Royal cocktail in front of a French chateau

    Drinks

    spoonful of dark chocolate mousse next to a macaron

    Desserts

    thin brown pancake folded into a square with egg in centre, ham and cheese and side salad

    Lunches

    black pot with bubbling tomato and fish stew topped with chopped parsley

    Mains

    slice of cherry custard clafoutis dessert

    Picnics

    large choux bun filled with smoked salmon and runny cream with apple and dill

    Starters

    close up of caramel macarons with a thick filling

    Teatime

    Famous French Dishes

    Famous French dishes from savoury to dessert, many have a story behind them.

    • Champagne glass with a lemon cocktail at Harry's Bar Paris
      French 75 Cocktail - the Real Classic from Paris
    • black pot with bubbling tomato and fish stew topped with chopped parsley
      French Monkfish Stew (Lotte à L'Américaine)
    • sauce boat filled with creamy Bearnaise surrounded by its classic ingredients
      Béarnaise Sauce (Sauce Béarnaise)
    • shallow bowl of white poached vanilla peaches topped with homemade raspberry puree and vanilla ice cream with some fresh lemon verbena leaves
      Peach Melba - Discover Escoffier's Easy Recipe
    Classic French Dishes

    Chocolate Desserts

    Chocolate recipes with feel-good endorphins and lower in sugar!

    • deep pink raspberry macarons
      Easy Raspberry Macaron Filling - White Chocolate Ganache Recipe
    • slices of chocolate marble cake for teatime
      Chocolate Marble Cake with Banana
    • large dish of chocolate chia pudding with banana
      Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
    • fudgy chocolate cake sliced open with chocolate macaron on top
      French Chocolate Cake (Fondant au Chocolat)
    Chocolate Desserts

    Salads and Side Dishes

    • side dish of fragrant long grain rice with a hint of cloves
      How to Cook Basmati Rice Indian Style on the Stove
    • cooking pot with vibrant red cabbage cooked in vinegar, apple, onion and spices
      German Red Cabbage Recipe (Chou rouge à la Flamande)
    • slice of cheesy cornbread topped with corn, bell pepper and red onion roasted on top
      Easy Cheesy Cornbread with Corn (No Sugar)
    • french green beans sauteed in a salad with a fresh peach
      How to Jazz up French Beans: Add a White Peach
    More Salads & Sides

    Fish & Seafood

    • baked sea bass fish on one baking sheet with potatoes, cherry tomatoes, lemon and herbs
      Whole Baked Sea Bass Recipe - Dinner on a Tray
    • whole sea bream fish in a baking dish topped with tomato sauce, roast garlic cloves, lemon slices and potatoes
      Sea Bream Fish Baked Provençal Style (Dorade à la Provençale)
    • 2 fillets of pan-fried mackerel topped with mustard
      Pan-Fried Mackerel with French Mustard
    • cutting into fluffy smoked haddock fishcakes
      Smoked Haddock Fishcakes Recipe
    More Fish Dishes

    Mediterranean Food

    • stuffed courgettes with cheese
      Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini (Courgettes farcies)
    • bowls of bright green watercress soup
      Watercress Soup (Soupe au Cresson)
    • bowl of rocket soup with smoked garlic
      Smoked Garlic Soup with Rocket (Arugula)
    • creamy risotto topped with seared scallops and chorizo sauce and an edible flower
      Creamy Chorizo Risotto with Seared Scallops
    More Mediterranean dishes

    Gluten-Free Recipes

    • black bowl with a thick and creamy carrot soup, thickened with rice and topped with a sprig of fresh parsley and pinch of ground coriander
      Creamy Carrot Soup (Potage Crécy) without the Cream
    • 3 bowls of pea soup with fresh peas and pods
      French Pea Soup (Potage Saint-Germain)
    • cup of homemade granola topped with fresh blueberries next to a French newspaper at breakfast
      Healthy Homemade Granola with Maple (No Added Sugar)
    • glass dessert dish of creamy pistachio panna cotta topped with a strawberry coulis
      Strawberry Panna Cotta with Pistachio
    Gluten-Free Recipes
    BONJOUR & WELCOME

    Meet Jill

    Jill Colonna’s Paris based food blog shares a healthy French lifestyle via easy recipes and local food guides.
    A Scottish-French home cook and author, Jill shares 33 years' culinary experience in Paris, cooking lighter meals with less sugar and more flavour.

    Created in 2010 with her 1st cookbook, Mad About Macarons has inspired both home cooks and professional bakers. Using local, seasonal ingredients, she proves that French cooking isn't all butter and cream!

    More About Jill
    Jill Colonna French cook and food writer in Paris

    Food Travel in France from Paris

    • bustling café in Aix-en-Provence in the sunshine with people drinking coffee outside next to a plane tree
      What to Do in Aix-en-Provence: Food Guide to the French Capital of Calissons
    • Monet's house and gardens with roses and green shutters
      Giverny - Where to Eat on a Visit to Monet's House and Gardens
    • French baguette pointing to the chateau of Saint-Germain-en-Laye
      Visit Saint-Germain-en-Laye: Royal Market Town Near Paris
    • château de Monte Cristo, home of Alexandre Dumas in Port Marly near Paris
      Monte Cristo and Alexandre Dumas' Love for Cuisine
    More French Travel

    French Market Guide

    What's in season this month? Choose from fresh fruits and vegetables from the French farmers' market guide. Discover fun facts, recipes - even popular French expressions using them!

    Market Guide
    • stalks of rhubarb in a crate at the market
      Rhubarb (Rhubarbe)
    • punnets of strawberries
      Strawberries (Fraises)
    • French Charlotte potatoes at the market
      Potatoes (Pommes de Terre)

    Best of Paris

    • boxes of various different French macarons from Paris to taste for the ultimate guide
      Best Macarons in Paris
    • Renoir garden and famous swing he painted in Montmartre
      Escape the Crowds at the Café Renoir Montmartre
    • biting into a lemon macaron at afternoon tea
      Guide to the Best Tea Rooms in Paris
    • central fountain in the Tuileries garden in Paris
      Tuileries Garden - Guide to Food and Drink
    • carrying shopping bags Paris metro
      Rue Du Bac - Paris Pastry Street
    • cafe with red tables and chairs outside with view on eiffel tower
      Best Bakeries Rue Saint-Dominique (Near the Eiffel Tower)
    More Paris Addresses

    Watch the recipes

    Some of your favourite recipes are on video! From her Corsican Mother-in-law’s mint omelette, join Jill to make healthy and easy French recipes. Come behind the scenes in our local bakery in Saint Germain-en-Laye to discover the best French Toast and coconut macaroons.

    All recipe videos
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    Jill Colonna standing in a French patisserie lab holding a giant whisk over an oversized mixer bowl
    Welcome

    Bonjour - I'm Jill

    As a cookbook author and founder of Mad About Macarons since 2010, I’ve spent 30+ years perfecting foolproof French recipes in Paris—so you don’t have to! Expect step-by-step guidance, lower-sugar treats that don’t skimp on flavour, plus insider food and market guides to help you taste France like a local. If I can do it, so can you - no fancy techniques required!

    Meet Jill

    Popular Recipes This Week

    • 3 bowls of pea soup with fresh peas and pods
      French Pea Soup (Potage Saint-Germain)
    • small individual asparagus clafoutis with parmesan sauce basil top
      Asparagus Clafoutis - French Asparagus Recipe for the Oven
    • tray holding slices of toasted French toast or Pain Perdu in a boulangerie in France in front of baguettes
      Best French Toast Recipe (Pain Perdu)
    • folded thin chocolate crepe pancakes 2 with designs
      Chocolate Crêpes Served French Style

    Latest recipes

    • sliced banana coffee cake, showing a beautifully moist crumb and topped with walnuts
      Banana Coffee Cake (Low Sugar)
    • cheese and ham hot sandwich, sliced in half to see the soft insides and toasted texture on top
      Easy Croque Monsieur Recipe -The Hot French Ham and Cheese Sandwich
    • dipping skewers of bread and cauliflower into a pot of cheese fondue
      French Cheese Fondue Savoyarde - and How to Serve it
    • large pot with a baked rice pudding covered in a thick caramel skin, spooning out a creamy mixture underneath with cinnamon and a traditional French Fallue brioche
      Baked Rice Pudding Recipe (French Teurgoule)
    elegant storefront of a confectionary shop in Aix selling calissons

    TRAVEL GUIDES

    Food Guide to Aix-en-Provence

    My insider guide to Aix - from Calissons, hot chocolate to great restaurants.

    Aix Guide
    boxes of various different French macarons from Paris to taste for the ultimate guide

    LOCAL DIY GUIDES

    Best Macarons in Paris

    My insider, updated free guide. Avoid the tourist traps and discover my top 20!

    Top 20 Macarons
    crates of fresh tomatoes in all shapes and colours at the French market in Provence

    What's in Season?

    Les tomates

    Celebrate the start of tomato season with fun facts and tons of seasonal recipes.

    Tomato Guide

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