Ludo Lefebvre

A classic French cheese soufflé is made of a simple béchamel gently folded into airy whipped egg whites. Chef Ludo Lefebvre’s version adds layers of flavor with tangy goat cheese, a touch of spicy cayenne, and warm earthiness from thyme and nutmeg. As always, serve these straight from the oven.

A deceptively simple recipe, Chef Ludo Lefebvre’s Niçoise Pasta is an indulgent, creamy dish that comes together in the time it takes to boil pasta. The no-cook sauce relies on the cream emulsifying with fresh basil and garlic in the food processor to thicken into a rich sauce in minutes. 

A simply glaze, made of sticky-sweet honey, savory soy sauce, and fresh garlic, drenches each perfectly grilled pork chop in this recipe from Chef Ludo Lefebvre. For the most evenly cooked pork, with delicious char and grill marks, Lefebvre instructs flipping the pork frequently over high heat for the first several minutes of cooking, and then finishing the meat on lower heat. 

Chef Ludo Lefebvre first made this Tandoori Octopus at his pop-up restaurant in Los Angeles, LudoBites. A customer favorite, this unusual combination of flavors comes together for a surprising but delicious dish. With deep, smoky flavor from an overnight marinade in tandoori paste and a quick few minutes on the grill, the octopus is tender throughout with a crisp exterior. Ask your fishmonger for whole octopus. Frozen is fine, too—simply defrost it in a bowl of room-temperature water. Recipe excerpted from the cookbook LudoBites by Ludo Lefebvre, pages 334-336, published by HarperCollins, 2012.

Chef Ludo Lefebvre’s bouillabaisse starts with a quick-cooking, but deeply flavored, seafood broth. Layering a base of aromatics with fresh snapper, scallops, shrimp, and a mix of Pernod and dry white wine creates a long-simmered flavor in under an hour. Be sure to use shell-on shrimp; those shells add flavor and body to the stock. 

Chef Ludo Lefevbre uses classic braising technique in his version of Osso Buco: first, browning the veal shank to develop flavor, then sauteing the aromatics, deglazing with wine, and pouring in plenty of deeply flavored veal stock before finishing in the oven. Use your favorite stock here, and feel free to swap in beef stock for veal, as it gives the dish its foundation of flavor. The lemon zest really does add dimension and bright flavor to this slow cooking, rich dish, so don’t skimp on the garnish, either.

Chef Ludo Lefebvre’s French Onion Soup uses a special technique for caramelizing onions: he starts with a cold pan, adds the onion, then turns the heat to high. Starting with a cold pan offers a few advantages. First, it allows you to more precisely control the temperature, letting the onions cook evenly all the way through, without shocking (and possibly burning) the outside when it first hits the pan. It also lets flavors build more gradually as you increase the heat; a definite benefit for sweet and tender caramelized onions. It still takes time, as caramelizing does, but with this technique, you’ll have just-dark-enough, golden, delicious onions every time.

Learn how to make this classic French red wine stew by chef Ludo Lefebvre.

To give these meatballs a flavor boost and make them extra tender, chef Ludo Lefebvre adds finely chopped fat back and prosciutto to the meat mixture.

Chef Ludo Lefebvre’s French Onion Soup uses a special technique for caramelizing onions: he starts with a cold pan, adds the onion, then turns the heat to high. Starting with a cold pan offers a few advantages. First, it allows you to more precisely control the temperature, letting the onions cook evenly all the way through, without shocking (and possibly burning) the outside when it first hits the pan. It also lets flavors build more gradually as you increase the heat; a definite benefit for sweet and tender caramelized onions. It still takes time, as caramelizing does, but with this technique, you’ll have just-dark-enough, golden, delicious onions every time.

Learn how to make this classic French red wine stew by chef Ludo Lefebvre.

To give these meatballs a flavor boost and make them extra tender, chef Ludo Lefebvre adds finely chopped fat back and prosciutto to the meat mixture.

Star chef Ludo Lefebvre uses panko bread crumbs to give this pork a crunchy crust. For extra flavor, Lefebvre adds freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to the panko before coating the pork. A savory but light sauce of mushrooms and onions is a perfect accompaniment to the otherwise classic dish.

Chef Ludo Lefebvre’s Belgian Waffles are light and crispy, with plenty of deep, large squares for butter, syrup, whipped cream, and fresh berries. Be careful not to overmix the egg whites which can cause the batter to clump. To prepare the batter ahead of time, simply omit the egg whites until ready to make waffles. Then let the batter come to room temperature, and gently fold in eggs.

Chef Ludo Lefebvre’s Hache Parmentier is a classic French comfort food. Similar to a British cottage pie, a layer of creamy, buttery mashed potatoes covers ground beef, carrots, celery, and onions and gets warm and lightly browned in the oven. Freshly grinding whole allspice berries, peppercorns, and fennel seeds is quick and easy in a spice or coffee grinder, and brings stronger, richer flavors to the dish. Waxy potatoes, like Yukon gold, are ideal for the topping; they’re fluffy and smooth, without getting gummy.

Learn how to make Ludo Lefebvre's easy onion tarte.Slideshow: More Savory Pie and Tart Recipes

Learn how to make Ludo Lefebvre's creamy asparagus soup with parmesan custard.Slideshow: More Asparagus Recipes

Vadouvan is a super fragrant French-Indian curry mix that blends sautéed, roasted onions, shallots and garlic into the spices. Slideshow: More Spice Recipes 

Ludo Lefebvre’s sushi filled with crabmeat and Sriracha-spiked mayo are rolled in sheets of soy paper instead of nori (seaweed paper). These versatile wrappers can also be used as a spring roll wrapper or even as a dessert wrapper. Slideshow: How To Make Sushi 

For a relaxing vacation snack, Ludo showcases vegetables with a simple yet flavorful garlic aioli that is still safe for a romantic date.

Ludovic Lefebvre’s pillow-y gnocchi are French down to their buttery accompaniment. Instead of using potatoes or semolina, they’re prepared with pâte à choux—cream puff dough. And while these dumplings are poached like the Italian version, they’re also sautéed until golden brown and served with a luscious beurre fondue (an emulsified blend of water and melted butter). Slideshow: More Gnocchi Recipes 

"In France, pot au feu is our chicken soup,” says Ludo Lefebvre. With this nostalgia-inducing dish of multiple braised meats (each lends a different texture) and root vegetables, the chef serves simple boiled potatoes. Cook them separately in salted water, he specifies; simmering them in the pot au feu would turn the broth cloudy. Slideshow: More Short Ribs Recipes 

Ludo Lefebvre shares his easy recipe for the classic French dish steak tartare, served with a crips Boston lettuce salad.For a step-by-step demonstration on how to make this recipe, see this video. Slideshow: More Steak Recipes 

Chef Ludo Lefebvre shares his easy and delicious recipe for the Moules à la crème. For a step-by-step guide on how to make this classic French dish, watch this video.

During the dog days of summer, there's no better way to cool off than with a refreshing bowl of gazpacho. Chef Ludo Lefebvre's recipe for a summertime gazpacho is bursting with a medley of flavors, including ripe tomatoes, red pepper, cucumber, strawberries and more. Watch his easy step-by-step tutorial here. Slideshow: More Gazpacho Recipes 

Chef Ludo Lefebvre updates duck à l’orange with North African flavors, like ras el hanout and orange blossom water. Slideshow:  More Duck Recipes 

The key to this quintessential comfort food is the phenomenal broth. To make it so delicious, chef Ludo Lefebvre uses short ribs, rump roast, marrowbones and beef shank, plus an herb bundle and multiple vegetables. Slideshow:  Hearty Stews