Get a free lesson
Sign up now to give the course a try and master the perfect omelette.
Pierre Koffmann
Classic French Bistro Cooking
Living legend of the kitchen, Pierre Koffmann held 3 Michelin stars at La Tante Claire for 15 years and taught Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White, Tom Aikens and Jason Atherton amongst many others of the world's top chefs. Now it's your chance. Learn the fundamentals of French cuisine through 24 of his best-loved recipes.
25
video lessons
Course notes
The Course
Pierre Koffmann's French cooking influences began with his mother who excelled in the kitchen, but it was in the holidays, foraging and hunting with his grandfather in the French countryside, then watching his grandmother cooking nature's produce over an open fire, that inspired him. Exploring France in the 1960s, Pierre experienced the unique dishes and ingredients of France's regions, the "cuisine du terroir". Pierre brought this knowledge and understanding to his 3 star restaurant and to the chefs he taught, so many of whom are counted amongst the world's greatest chefs, today. Now for the first time, Pierre is going to teach you all that he knows and understands. Pierre shows you how to treat ingredients and create dishes that have incredible depth of flavour; decadent, luxurious creations all born from humble ingredients - taking full advantage of nature's incredible bounty. Pierre's lessons are practical and easy to follow taking you on a gastronomic odyssey from the farm house and the fields to the food of the finest restaurants in the world.
Your Maestro
Pierre Koffmann came to the UK from France as a young man in the early 1970s. In 1977 he opened his London restaurant, La Tante Claire, and was awarded the maximum three Michelin stars. La Tante Claire became the hub of British gastronomy and Pierre, its greatest teacher. The number of top chefs who have trained under Pierre Koffmann is truly astonishing – Gordon Ramsay, Marco Pierre White, Marcus Wareing, Bruno Loubet, Tom Kitchin, Tom Aikens, Jason Atherton, to name but a few. Pierre’s protégés have now amassed more than 20 Michelin stars between them. Who knows where his course will take you…
Lessons
-
1 min
Pierre introduces you to his art, techniques and the wonders of the French technique.
-
17 mins
Create the chicken bistro classic, starting with your very own bouquet garni.
-
13 mins
Master veal stock, the foundation of French cooking and the base of so many classic dishes.
-
6 mins
Perfect for soups and cream sauces, clear chicken stock is the launchpad for many other flavours.
-
7 mins
Perhaps the simplest stock to make, it is the base of seafood classics like bouillabaisse.
-
13 mins
Learn how to tie the plate together with a good sauce and cook your steak to perfection.
-
16 mins
Learn to make the ‘mother sauce’, so called because from it you can create many others, and one of its daughters.
-
9 mins
A beloved French dish, where the beauty comes from its purity and balance – a true classic of world cuisine.
-
15 mins
Contrasting sauces bring this dramatic seafood dish to life – it looks as beautiful as it tastes.
-
15 mins
Although it seems modern, this recipe is just like Pierre’s grandmother used to make.
-
10 mins
More popular in France, let Pierre introduce you to nature’s subtly flavoured perfection – the artichoke.
-
16 mins
With squid in the shape of spaghetti, this is not your regular pasta dish.
-
8 mins
Celebrate the fresh, wild fish with very few ingredients and careful cooking.
-
30 mins
Tomatoes and saffron make this a quintessentially Provençal fish soup.
-
19 mins
Show this the dish attention and respect it deserves, and you’ll soon see why it’s a traditional bistro classic.
-
4 mins
The dish of the people – it can be made simply with eggs and butter or the luxury of lobster and truffle.
-
11 mins
It’s often the simplest dishes that are the hardest to perfect – pay attention and you’ll have a world-class dish.
-
45 mins
Pierre Koffmann’s most famous dish, that Marco Pierre White has hailed as the best dish in the world.
-
17 mins
A sweet and sour sauce known as sauce gastrique that tastes far more complicated than it is to cook.
-
10 mins
An excellent starter dish that teaches many essential skills for French bistro cooking.
-
8 mins
A classic of the Gascony region and another of Pierre’s grandmother’s recipes from his childhood.
-
7 mins
Combine duck fat with the beautiful fish for a stunning meal that impresses and satisfies.
-
11 mins
Rabbit is not much used in the UK. Let Pierre show you how to prepare and cook it to perfection.
-
4 mins
Everybody loves chocolate sauce. Pour it over crepes, churros or fresh fruit for pure, simple deliciousness.
-
20 mins
Not as complicated as people seem to think. Follow all the steps properly and – wow! – soufflé magic.
Get started
Single course
- Learn with Pierre Koffmann
- Enjoy over 5 hours of video lessons at your own pace
- Watch as many times as you like
- Own course for life
- Download course notes and exercises
$90
one-off payment
Buy Course
Annual subscription
- Access every BBC Maestro course, including Pierre Koffmann
- Enjoy over 100 hours of video lessons at your own pace
- Watch as many times as you like
- Explore brand new courses added throughout the year
- Download all course notes and exercises
- Learn with the world’s greatest such as Marco Pierre White, Jed Mercurio, Alan Moore and Julia Donaldson
- 30-day money back guarantee
$120
for a one year subscription
Subscribe to BBC Maestro
Course notes
70 pages
A downloadable PDF packed with Pierre’s insight, chef’s notes and easy-to-follow recipes.
Know someone who loves to cook?
Gift courseCommon questions
BBC Maestro is a subscription-based streaming platform, created to educate and inspire people to explore their creativity. Through pre-recorded lessons and detailed course notes, anyone can learn a wide range of disciplines and follow in the footsteps of experts respected all over the world.
BBC Maestro offers single course purchases or an annual subscription.
BBC Maestro is currently available in the following territories: United Kingdom, Isle of Mann, Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, Australia, South Africa, Canada, India, Brazil, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Portugal, Singapore, New Zealand, Hong Kong, UAE and USA. We are planning on launching BBC Maestro in other territories in the future. Please subscribe to our mailing list and follow our social media channels for updates.
Yes, you can buy an annual subscription to get full access to all BBC Maestro courses, lessons and course notes for one year. Find out more
Yes, all our courses have English subtitles that can be accessed by clicking the CC button on the video player. We also have downloadable PDF course notes to go with each course, which offer more detailed information and tips.
No, all our courses are self-paced and no courses will be removed from the site or ‘expire’. If you have an all-access annual subscription, you can watch any content while your subscription is valid. If you don’t have an all-access subscription, but instead have bought one or more individual courses, the purchased content is yours to keep for life, and lessons can be watched as many times as you like.
Yes, you can see a full list of our current courses here.
We offer a 30-day money back guarantee for your first all-access annual subscription, if you aren't completely satisfied with your purchase. See our terms and conditions for details, or email [email protected]
You can choose between buying a single course as a one-off purchase, or you can sign up for an annual subscription which gives you access to all BBC Maestro courses for one year.
If you buy a single course, then it’s yours for life. You can watch the course as many times as you like, whenever you like. Our single courses include downloadable course notes to complement the video lessons.
Alternatively, if you buy an annual subscription to BBC Maestro, you can access every course for one year. You can watch each course as many times as you like within the year, and you’ll also be able to download the course notes for each course.
After one year you’ll have the option to renew your subscription, or you can choose not to renew once your subscription year is over. Subscriptions are billed annually, and we offer a 30-day money back guarantee to receive a full refund if you’re unhappy with your purchase.
Subscribers will have instant access to new courses as they are released. Please note that any courses in the Upcoming Courses section may be released outside of your annual subscription period. If you have any questions about an upcoming course, please email [email protected]
You can buy a gift card for any individual course or an All Courses Pass on our gift cards page. When you buy a gift card, you can choose to send the email with the gift card PDF attached to yourself or directly to the recipient. You can also choose to specify which date you would like the gift card email to send to your recipient.
Gift cards can be redeemed on the Gift Cards page. Once the card is redeemed, if the gift is for a single course the giftee will have lifetime access to the course and be able to re-watch as many times as they like. If the gift is for an All Courses Pass, the giftee will have one year’s access to all BBC Maestro courses, and immediate access to any new courses that are released within their yearly access period – from the date that they redeem their gift code.
Please note, anyone outside of our available regions will not be able to redeem a gift card.
Explore more courses
Get a free lesson
Sign up now to give the course a try and master the perfect omelette.