List of 19 recipes using White (spirit) vinegar

Cervelle de Canut

In French, this curious name means "silk-weaver's brain", but don't be alarmed, this tasty "brain" consists of cottage cheese mixed with herbs, vinegar and finely chopped shallots. The Canuts were the silk weavers in the area around Lyon, France. In the nineteenth century this was one of their favourite dishes.

Fish petals, vegetables julienne, and beurre blanc

This recipe consists of delicate flakes ("petals") of poached fish, cooked with smoked ham, served on a bed of julienne vegetables (fine sticks of carrots, turnips and cabbage), with a "beurre blanc" sauce made with vinegar and shallots. Not difficult, but entails some work.

Mackerel Fillets in White Wine

Mackerel fillets in white wine are the kind of thing we normally buy ready-made in a tin, as a quick snack. But preparing them at home is straightforward and so much better. Here is how to create this classic yourself, step by step.

Sautéed chicken with leeks

Chunks of chicken marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar and spices, then sautéed with diagonally cut leeks cooked separately. A simple, healthy recipe with a spicy kick.

Béarnaise sauce

This delicious, aromatic sauce—made with tarragon, chervil, and shallots, and featuring a hint of acidity—is perfect with grilled meats or fish. It’s known to be difficult to make, but here are all the tips and tricks you need.

Beurre blanc sauce

Beurre blanc sauce is a great classic of French cuisine, made with vinegar, white wine and shallots. It is a wonderful accompaniment for fish and shellfish.

Fresh pasta dough

You can use this dough to make lasagne, ravioli, spaghetti, etc. - in fact, any fresh pasta you wish.

Pickled gherkins

Preparing your own gherkins in vinegar is quite straightforward, if you know how to avoid a few pitfalls. Here's a recipe which works every time.

Poached eggs

Poached eggs are cooked, without the shell, in barely simmering (nearly boiling) water. White should be firm and yolk soft, that's the difficulty. This recipe teaches you how to succeed with three important points.

Provençal remoulade sauce

The classic remoulade sauce is, in this recipe, declined in a Provençal version, where we use olive oil and to which we add chopped basil before mixing. You will obtain a classic remoulade texture, but a very typical and fresh taste.

Puff or flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée)

Puff pastry is an incredible assembly of thin layers of butter enclosed in thin layers of dough. After cooking this give a succession of thin crisp pastry leaves that produce exceptional desserts or pies. It's a jewel of French patisserie. Making your own puff pastry is not very difficult, it's just a little work with a good recipe (like this one!). This recipe is for quick puff pastry ("feuilletage rapide") perfect for beginners.

Red mixed pickle

This mixed pickle is made with a variety of vegetables left to mature for 2 weeks in diluted vinegar. The result is similar to gherkins and can be added to lots of recipes, or eaten with a snack or sandwich. This red version gets its name from beetroot and red cabbage, which eventually colour everything else in the jar.

How to prepare a lettuce

It is much more economical to buy a whole lettuce than separate leaves in a plastic packet. And it's so simple to prepare - you can see how here.

How to prepare broccoli

Broccoli are vegetable cousins to cauliflowers. Here's how to prepare them for using in a recipe.

How to prepare cabbage

Cabbage can be used cooked or raw, whole leaves or in julienne. Here is how to prepare a cabbage julienne.

How to prepare corn salad

Corn salad (or lamb's lettuce) is a green salad plant. It can be used like lettuce, but requires careful preparation as it is often grown in sand. Here is how to prepare corn salad from the freshly picked plant to the leaves ready to use.

How to prepare romanesco

Here is how to take a whole romanesco and end up with small pieces ready to use in a recipe.

How to prepare sorrel

Here is how to clean and cut fresh leaves to use in a recipe, by removing stalks and central vein, to retain only the very best of the sorrel.

Caesar salad

Ceasar salad is a classic of North American cuisine. It consists of lettuce served with croutons and the famous Caesar dressing. Here's my own version.