The French table

Coq au vin and boeuf bourguignon are Sunday braises in a cocotte. Crêpes complète are a Breton evening with cider. Ratatouille can be a summer lunch or a side — it is not poured under the rooster.

The inherited table is linen and a loaf. The Tuesday table is still a loaf and one pot.

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How it looks

The Sunday cocotte

Linen, a loaf, the Dutch oven in the middle, wine already open.

A French Sunday table: coq au vin in a cocotte, a baguette, wine, and a green salad waiting.

The inherited table is not plated in the kitchen. The cocotte comes out. Bread is torn. Salad is a second movement, not a garnish on the meat.

Keep the crêpe pan for another evening.

How it looks

The crêpe evening

A hot pan, cider bowls, savory first.

A Breton crêpe table: galettes complète, cider, and a crêpe pan.

The newer table can be a Tuesday with a crêpe pan and a bottle of brut cider. Complète first. Sweet after, if anyone still wants it.

No red-wine braise hiding in the oven as a second main.

How it is served

The order of the room

One pot, then salad. Crêpes are another night. Bread stays on the table.

A braise wants bread to fare la scarpetta, a green salad after the pot, cheese or fruit if you are still sitting, then coffee. Do not serve crêpes as a starter for coq au vin.

A crêpe complète — ham, cheese, egg — is dinner in Brittany, with dry cider. Sweet crêpes are another sitting.

Ratatouille Niçoise is vegetables cooked to jam, eaten with bread or beside a simple roast. It is not a bed for bourguignon.

Bring it home