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Gribiche

Sauce gribiche · Sauce gribiche

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A cold French sauce of emulsified hard-boiled egg yolk and mustard, finished with chopped pickled cucumber, capers and herbs and julienned egg white.

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Finished French sauce gribiche, a pale yellow cold egg sauce with chopped cornichons, capers, herbs and egg white in a plain bowl.

An egg sauce built on a yolk emulsion

Sauce gribiche is a cold French sauce made from hard-boiled egg yolks and mustard, emulsified with a neutral oil such as canola or grapeseed. The Wikipedia article lists mayonnaise among similar dishes, and both are egg-yolk emulsions with oil; gribiche differs by its solid additions. The egg whites are cut into thin strips, and chopped pickled cucumber, capers, parsley, chervil and tarragon are stirred in.

The finished sauce is herbal and sharp from the pickles and capers, and the mustard is part of the yolk base.

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Its place in the French table

The classic serving partners are boiled chicken, fish served hot or cold, calf's head, tripe and cold terrine, all of which are dishes of the traditional French kitchen. The sauce is therefore a companion to cooked meat and fish rather than a salad dressing.

Modern versions pair gribiche with vegetables such as asparagus, charred lettuce and leeks, or serve it as a dip. The Wikipedia article cites Escoffier's 1919 Aide-Memoire Culinaire, Larousse Gastronomique and the cookbook French Provincial Cooking by Elizabeth David's French Provincial Cooking (1960) for the classic recipe.

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Notes on the method

The sources read give no quantities, no ratio of yolk to oil and no shelf life. The sauce is a cold egg preparation, and the page does not state how long it keeps; a cook should refer to a food-safety source for holding time before serving it to others.

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History

The sauce is cited in French culinary references from the early twentieth century onwards, including Escoffier's 1919 Aide-Memoire Culinaire and Larousse Gastronomique.

Ingredients

Hard-boiled eggYolks mashed and emulsified; whites cut in julienne.
Amount not stated
Quantity not given in the source read.
MustardMixed with the yolks.
Amount not stated
Neutral oilCanola or grapeseed oil, added to emulsify.
Amount not stated
CornichonsChopped pickled cucumber.
Amount not stated
Capers
Amount not stated
ParsleyChopped.
Amount not stated
ChervilChopped.
Amount not stated
TarragonChopped.
Amount not stated

Method

  1. Mash the hard-boiled egg yolks with the mustard until smooth.
  2. Beat in a neutral oil slowly to form an emulsion.
  3. Fold in the chopped cornichons, capers and herbs, and the julienne of egg white.
  4. Serve cold with boiled chicken, fish, tripe or a cold terrine, or as a dip for vegetables.

Places

France

Documented preparation · Country evidence

A classic French cold egg sauce; the source gives no region or date.

See Franceon the mapLocation source 1 →

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