Vinaigrette Ravigote (Cold) — Caper, Herb, and Shallot Dressing

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Cold ravigote is vinaigrette's more assertive cousin, loaded with capers, cornichons, shallot brunoise, and a quartet of fine herbs. Where classical vinaigrette defers to the salad, ravigote commands attention — it is a condiment sauce as much as a dressing. The base follows standard vinaigrette proportions but uses a sharper acid, typically white wine vinegar, and a more generous hand with Dijon mustard. The garnish is everything: nonpareil capers contribute salt and floral bitterness, cornichons add crunch and lactic tang, shallots provide allium heat tempered by a brief maceration in the vinegar, and the herbs — chervil, tarragon, flat-leaf parsley, chives — must be cut by hand to a fine chiffonade, never processed, to avoid bruising and oxidation. The sauce sits for 30 minutes before service to allow flavours to meld, but no longer than two hours or the herbs darken. Traditional pairings include calf's head (tête de veau), poached beef tongue, and cold poached fish — all proteins that benefit from aggressive seasoning. The texture should be loose and spoonable, with visible herb confetti throughout. A properly made cold ravigote demonstrates the saucier's knife work as much as their palate.

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