Essential Mignonette Sauce

• servings: 4 ounces
• active time: 2 hours 10 minutes
• total time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

1/4 cup (30g) finely diced shallots, 1 to 2 shallots

1/3 to 1/2 cup (80ml to 120ml) red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or champagne vinegar; use something you enjoy the taste of

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black or white peppercorns

Small pinch of fine sea salt, optional

Directions

Combine the shallots, vinegar, pepper, and a small pinch of salt in a non-reactive bowl or glass jar. Taste, and adjust with more pepper. Remember that the vinegar will taste its strongest at first but will mellow as it sits with the shallots in the refrigerator. If you find the mignonette sauce too abrasive, stir in a pinch of sugar to balance the vinegar.

Refrigerate the sauce for at least 2 hours before serving with oysters so that the shallots have a chance to pickle and mellow. The mignonette will last up to a month in the refrigerator. It will mellow even more over time, but I enjoy that! If you taste the sauce after some time in the fridge and find it has lost its zestiness, add a splash of fresh vinegar.

To serve, shuck your oysters and serve with the mignonette sauce in a small ramekin. Place a small spoonful of the sauce (I go heavy on the shallots) and add to a raw oyster before eating. Then repeat!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe
• Calories: 13
• Total Fat: 0g
• Saturated Fat: 0g
• Cholesterol: 0mg
• Sodium: 42.2mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 1.9g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.4g
• Total Sugars: 0.8g
• Protein: 0.3g