Broccoli Gribiche

Ode to Heidi 

Part 3.  

 

For the third and final installation of my Ode to Heidi Swanson, I'm choosing one of her recipes that highlights French home-style cooking. Heidi makes a lot of good french food, but this dish called to me for one reason: broccoli. The slight char on the broccoli makes it almost impossible to put down your fork. And the addition of capers and tarragon make this a potato salad like no other. 

 

Broccoli Gribiche

(French Style Potato Salad) 

 

Gribiche is and French sauce made of egg, oil, and herbs. In Heidi's variation, broccoli,  potatoes, and tarragon are used, but she suggests swapping in asparagus, when in season. And if you don't have the variety of fresh herbs called for, just use an equivalent amount of the ones you can find.  

 

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 pounds small fingerling potatoes
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. olive oil
• fine grain sea salt 
• 12 ounces broccoli florets
• 4 large eggs, hardboiled
• 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. dijon style mustard 
• 1 tbsp. capers, chopped
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh chives 

Tips: Hard boil your eggs a day ahead to throw this together more quickly.

preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

step one. If the potatoes aren't tiny, slice them into pieces no larger than your thumb. Use your hands to toss the potatoes in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and spread on a baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes.

step two. Toss the broccoli in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and arrange, in a single layer, onto the same baking sheet as your potatoes. put everything back into the oven for 15 minutes until the potatoes are fully cooked and the broccoli has a slight char.

step three. Make the gribiche sauce. Mash the yolk of one hard boiled egg into a medium bowl. slowly add 1/2 cup of olive oil, beating constantly. The dressing should look smooth and glossy. (You may want to use a small food processor to save your hand the work).

step four. whisk in the vinegar, then mustard. Stir in the capers, shallots, herbs, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

step five. Coarse chop the remaining egg and egg white and fold into the dressing.

step six. Put the warm potatoes and broccoli in a large bowl and gently toss with 3/4 of the dressing. Taste, adjust flavors, and add more dressing if needed.

Garden Party: Part II

Tea Sandwiches

Back at the garden party, we had three kinds of tea sandwiches available, Curried Chicken Salad, Cream Cheese & Cucumber, and Egg Salad.



Cucumber & Cream Cheese Sandwiches

One of the few things keeping me from veganism, besides my unfailing love for cheese, is eggs. Egg Salad keeps well in the fridge, takes barely any skill to make, and isn't just for sandwiches. I sometimes dip potato chips in my egg salad, or scoop a bit on top of a salad; garnish a piece of cheesy toast, or simply eat by the spoonful.

A tip I got from working in the food industry is to use a cheese grater to shred your eggs once they've been hard-boiled. This is a huge time saver, and makes for a great texture throughout. Also, the restaurant I work at throws in a few capers, with some juice, right at the end. It's surprisingly and will seriously raise the bar on your egg salad.

Egg Salad Sandwiches

EGG SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 extra large eggs
• 1/3 cup mayo
• 2 tsp. grainy mustard
• 1 tbsp. minced fresh dill
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
• *1/4 cup capers

MY DIRECTIONS:

 

Step 1.

Hard-boil eggs according to a recipe you are comfortable with. I start my eggs in COLD water and allow them to reach a boil, then let them boil for another 5 min. Then I turn the heat off and let them sit for another 20 min. Cool eggs in an ice bath before peeling (the longer the better).

 

Step 2.

Shred eggs with a large hand cheese grater.

 

Step 3.

Add all other ingredients and mix just enough to distribute everything evenly. 

Optional: Strip in capers at the end.