Barely cooked by the French? (2,7)
I believe the answer is:
au naturel
'french?' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are adjectives, I can't see how they can define each other.
'barely cooked by' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'by' could be 'at' and 'at' is located in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'the' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for au naturel that I've seen before include "served without dressing" , "Nancy's naked" , "Cooked plainly or raw" , "In the nude - in France" , "Cooked plainly - naked" .)