Michel Guérard's Sauce Vierge Recipe on Food52 (2024)

5 Ingredients or Fewer

by: Genius Recipes

June21,2017

3.7

7 Ratings

  • Prep time 2 hours
  • Cook time 30 minutes
  • Makes about 2 cups sauce, or 4 servings

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Author Notes

Sauce vierge (literally, virgin sauce) was created in 1976 by Michel Guérard, one of the forces behind the lighter, fresher nouvelle cuisine that sprang up in reaction to cuisine classique, dripping with all its hefty mother sauces. There have emerged only a few non-negotiables: fresh tomato, olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh herbs—but from there it's up to you. In this way, sauce vierge is a true foundational mother sauce, one from which we can build many. Adapted very loosely from La Cuisine Gourmande by Michel Guérard (1977). —Genius Recipes

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • 3 large, ripe tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
  • 2 whole, peeled garlic cloves, lightly smashed
  • 5 tablespoonsroughly chopped fresh herbs (any combination of chives, tarragon, parsley, basil, chervil, cilantro)
  • 1 cupextra-virgin olive oil (or to taste)
  • Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • Pinch of ground coriander (optional)
Directions
  1. Roughly chop the tomatoes (peel and seed them first if you like, but we prefer not to). Mix with the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl, cover, and leave to sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours; alternately, mix the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer the sauce very slowly over low heat for 30 minutes.
  2. Taste and adjust the seasoning, remove the cloves of garlic, and serve warm or room temperature, over fish, pasta, chicken, or anything else summer throws at you.

Tags:

  • Pasta
  • Condiment/Spread
  • French
  • Clove
  • Vegetable
  • Make Ahead
  • Serves a Crowd
  • 5 Ingredients or Fewer
  • One-Pot Wonders
  • Father's Day
  • Summer
  • Fourth of July

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • nancy essig

  • June

  • Mikele Ann Galbraith

  • [emailprotected]

Recipe by: Genius Recipes

Popular on Food52

12 Reviews

[emailprotected] January 5, 2020

I haven't been able to print

I've made this a couple times now, once gently simmered and once uncooked. Used an assortment of CSA heirloom tomatoes. Rave reviews both times. Cut down a great deal on the olive oil.

tamater S. July 16, 2018

Good call; as Ttrockwood said: "This is such a crazy ton of olive oil! I used maybe 1/3 cup and it was more than generous for the uncooked version."

nancy E. August 2, 2017

Could you tell me how this would work on slow roasted Sockeye Salmon

tamater S. August 2, 2017

The base of my version is chopped fresh tomatoes & chopped preserved lemons. All the other things are optional, such as: an anchovy, herbs, oil, etc. The sauce may be heated through in any manner, or spooned room temp over hot cooked rice n' veg, or meat. Keeps well in fridge or freezer.
Simple way to add umami.
*if adding anchovy, remember the preserved lemons are also salty.

Read July 4, 2017

Surely this makes 4+ cups? 1.5 lbs of tomatoes would be 3 cups pureed, and choppped would take a bit more room.

Ttrockwood July 1, 2017

This is such a crazy ton of olive oil! I used maybe 1/3 cup and it was more than generous for the uncooked version. The tomato juices and oil puddle in the bottom of this dish- i actually drained that and used as a salad dressing for some greens which was very tasty!

Mikele A. July 5, 2017

Agree about the excess of oil, and adore your idea with reusing as dressing!

June June 26, 2017

This is very weird, but I have been making this for years using tomatoes, garlic, chives, basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar for a family favorite bruschetta! With the exception of the vinegar....it is exactly the same!! And yes...either way....it is outstanding and perfect for my veggie garden that produces all the above in abundance!! Try it...you will definitely adore it!

Saffron3 June 22, 2017

I'm going to make this all summer. Thank you.

Vickie June 21, 2017

This sounds delicious, healthy and simple! Wondering if it would freeze -as I have an abundance of fresh herbs and tomatoes at this time?

Nicole July 5, 2017

Freezing tomatoes ruins their texture, unfortunately. Source: have 3000-plant tomato farm.

Michel Guérard's Sauce Vierge Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Michel Guérard's Sauce Vierge Recipe on Food52? ›

Sauce vierge (French; in English: literally, "virgin sauce") is a French sauce made from olive oil, lemon juice, chopped tomato and chopped basil. Frequently, crushed coriander seed is added, and variations may include the addition of other herbs such as chervil, chives, parsley, etc.

What is sauce vierge made of? ›

Sauce vierge (French; in English: literally, "virgin sauce") is a French sauce made from olive oil, lemon juice, chopped tomato and chopped basil. Frequently, crushed coriander seed is added, and variations may include the addition of other herbs such as chervil, chives, parsley, etc.

Why is it called sauce vierge? ›

Sauce vierge (which translates to “virgin sauce”) is technically a vinaigrette, and is elegant enough to deserve its name. It was created and popularized by the great French chef Michel Guérard, and is a famous example of his cuisine minceur, a lighter spin on traditional nouvelle cuisine.

What is the national sauce of Italy? ›

ragù alla bolognese

What are the five sauces of Escoffier? ›

The pioneering chef Auguste Escoffier is credited with establishing the importance of Espagnole, Velouté, Béchamel and Tomate, as well as Hollandaise and Mayonnaise. His book Le guide culinaire was published in 1903.

What are the 5 daughter sauces? ›

The original list of four was expanded to five – béchamel, espagnole, velouté, sauce tomate, and hollandaise – in 1903 by Auguste Escoffier, whose Le Guide Culinaire is the go-to Bible for academically-trained chefs the world over.

What are the 5 mother of sauces? ›

The five mother sauces are hollandaise, tomato (sauce tomat), bechamel, Espagnole, and veloute. French chef Auguste Escoffier identified the five mother sauces, forever associating them with French cuisine.

What is Italian meat and tomato sauce called? ›

Italian bolognese sauce—ragù alla bolognese or simply, ragù—combines everything we love about a luscious meat sauce. The earliest-known written recipe for bolognese comes from the 1891 cookbook of Pellegrino Artusi, an Italian businessman.

Why is it called Algerian sauce? ›

It's pure creativity! Let's take the Algerian sauce example: Algerian people didn't know the Algerian sauce before it became a thing in France and Belgium. Its invention comes from the halal sauce brand Nawal's who got inspired by the Mahjouba, an Algerian stuffed crepes recipe with an onion and spices base.

Why is it called Cumberland sauce? ›

Named in homage to the history of the Cumberland spice trail. From the late 1600's spices would arrive in Whitehaven, then Britain's second largest port, and be transported south through the mountain passes of the Lake District. The flavours and essence of Cumberland deliciously captured in a rich brown sauce.

What is tomato sauce called in Italy? ›

Sugo di Pomodoro (Authentic Italian Tomato Sauce)

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