Bastille Day 2011

Bastille Day 2011: Tomorrow is Bastille Day 2011 and as celebrations ring out all over France, what better way for us to acknowledge le 14 juilletthan with a nod to the country's cuisine. From soufflé to family-style pot-au-feu, crusty baguettes to buttery croissants, crèmes brûlées and caramel, not forgetting entrecôte-frites and boeuf bourguignon, it is hardly surprising that this nation is known for its food.

When it comes to French restaurants, we have dining options aplenty. In Abu Dhabi you can sample traditionally influenced dishes with a modern twist at Bord Eau, slurp down escargots and French onion soup in convivial surroundings at Le Beaujolais or start the day with a home-made pastry at La Brioche.
Dauphinoise potatoes:
Serves 4
600g waxy potatoes (eg Désirée, Charlotte, pink fir apple)
2 garlic cloves, peeled
300ml whole milk
350ml double cream
50g gruyère cheese, grated (optional)
salt and black pepper
Heat the oven to 160°C/fan 140°C/gas 3. Peel and thinly slice the potatoes, pat dry with a clean tea towel and tip into a large bowl.
Finely chop one of the garlic cloves. Stir the cream, milk and chopped garlic together and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the potatoes and mix well to ensure that each slice is coated.
Cut the remaining garlic clove in half and rub around the insides of a shallow, ovenproof dish. Layer the potatoes into the dish, adding a little of the remaining liquid in between each layer. Press down on the top with the back of a spoon and pour over the leftover liquid.

Bake for 90 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife. Ten minutes before the end of the cooking time, increase the heat to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6 and sprinkle over the cheese (if using). Leave to rest for five minutes before serving.