There are Five Mothers sauces in french cooking. There are simple dishes/ rustic like Coq au vin,Steak au poivre, Steak frites that are peasant or rustic dishes...easy to prepare for the most part..

Then you get into the snooty modern interpretation of those dishes and sauces called

Haute cuisine then the later Nouvelle cuisine

Modern Gastronomic practitioners are usually trained in french techniques that come from these areas...