Remoulade Sauce

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •1 1/2-quart mixing bowl
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Sharp chef's knife
• •Clean absorbent kitchen towel
• •Flexible spatula

Instructions

1. 1

   Reserve the repair

   Set aside about 1/4 cup of the Mayonnaise in a clean cup, then place the remainder in a wide mixing bowl. Stir it once or twice with a flexible spatula until smooth, without beating air into it. The reserved portion is your repair should hidden brine loosen the sauce, and it will be folded back in either way, so the source proportions remain intact.

2. 2

   Dry the garnishes

   Drain the gherkins and capers separately. Chop the gherkins finely, spread them on a clean towel, and blot them dry. Chop the capers, gather them in the towel, and press firmly before measuring the tablespoon. Dry the parsley, chervil, and tarragon completely before chopping them at the last moment. You want clean green flecks, not wet herb pulp.

   The capers are measured after pressing. This preserves the book's ratio while removing the brine that would make the sauce slack.
3. 3

   Season the emulsion

   Stir the Dijon mustard and anchovy essence into the bowl of Mayonnaise until the colour is even. Add the gherkins, pressed capers, parsley, chervil, and tarragon, then fold with broad, deliberate turns. Don't whisk. The Mayonnaise is already an emulsion; you are seasoning it, not making it endure a second campaign.

4. 4

   Check and rescue

   Lift the spatula. The rémoulade should fall in a heavy ribbon and hold a soft ridge in the bowl. If it has become pourable or shows beads of moisture, stop stirring. Put the reserved Mayonnaise in a clean bowl and add the loose sauce one spoonful at a time, mixing each addition smooth before the next; the stable emulsion will absorb the excess moisture and recover its body. Ça se rattrape. If the sauce remained firm, simply fold the reserved Mayonnaise back in.

5. 5

   Rest and serve

   Cover and refrigerate the rémoulade for 30 minutes so the mustard, fines herbes, capers, and anchovy settle into one another. Fold it once before serving, then spoon it into a chilled bowl. Bring it to the table with cold meat or poultry, homard (common lobster), or langouste (spiny lobster). À table!

Chef Tips

• •Begin with a firm, plain Mayonnaise that mounds on a spoon. The source starts with the emulsion already made, so using it as a finished component is fidelity, not an omitted step; a loose pouring mayonnaise cannot carry the chopped garnishes.
• •Don't add pickle brine, caper brine, or lemon juice. The mustard, gherkins, and capers provide all the acidity this formula asks for, and pressing the capers dry protects the sauce's body.
• •If anchovy essence cannot be found, mix 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml / 3 g) anchovy paste with 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml / 2.5 g) cold water. It is less seasoned than bottled essence, but it preserves the quiet anchovy depth better than an unrelated condiment.
• •With lobster, pour a dry Muscadet Sèvre et Maine. Its briskness handles both shellfish and Mayonnaise without competing with the tarragon.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the rémoulade from 2 to 24 hours before serving, cover it tightly, and keep it at 4°C / 40°F or colder. Fold it once before it reaches the table.
• •The gherkins and capers may be chopped and dried up to 4 hours ahead, then refrigerated separately. Chop the parsley, chervil, and tarragon shortly before mixing so their flavour and green colour remain lively.
• •Use rémoulade made with fresh homemade Mayonnaise within 2 days. It does not freeze well because thawing separates the emulsion and releases water from the garnishes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 28g)