Salade de gruyère is the Alsatian cheese salad that appears alongside the salade de cervelas on every winstub menu: cubes or strips of Gruyère cheese (the term encompasses both French Gruyère and Swiss Emmentaler in Alsatian usage) dressed in a mustard vinaigrette with onions, cornichons, and fresh herbs. This salad was born from practicality — using the ends and rind-adjacent pieces of cheese wheels that were too irregular to slice for the cheese board — and has become a beloved preparation in its own right. The cheese (400g for 4 portions) is cut into neat strips (julienne, 5mm × 5mm × 40mm) or small cubes (1cm). The dressing is a more robust version of the cervelas salad vinaigrette: 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, a generous teaspoon of Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and a pinch of paprika. Thinly sliced white onion rings, sliced cornichons, and optionally diced tomato are combined with the cheese and vinaigrette. The salad is tossed gently (to avoid breaking the cheese strips), finished with generous chopped parsley and chives, and allowed to marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature. The cheese absorbs the vinaigrette and softens very slightly around its edges, becoming more flavourful with each passing minute. This salad is often combined with the cervelas salad as an assiette alsacienne (Alsatian platter) alongside bread, butter, and a basket of pretzels. The choice of cheese matters: use a well-aged (12+ months) Comté or Swiss Gruyère for the best flavour, avoiding the young, rubbery industrial versions that lack character.
Aged Gruyère or Comté cut into strips or cubes. Mustard vinaigrette with white wine vinegar. Onion rings and cornichons. Marinate 30 minutes before serving. Generous fresh herbs. Serve at room temperature.
Let the cheese come to room temperature before cutting — cold cheese crumbles. A tablespoon of cream added to the vinaigrette creates a creamier dressing that clings to the cheese. Combine with cervelas for the classic Alsatian assiette that covers every winstub table at lunch.
Using young, bland cheese without character. Cutting cubes too large (they don’t absorb dressing). Over-tossing, breaking the cheese strips. Refrigerating before serving. Insufficient mustard in the vinaigrette.
La Cuisine Alsacienne (Simone Morgenthaler)