Give Your Pickles a French Twist With This Classic Cornichon Recipe (2024)

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  • French Food
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Rebecca Franklin

Rebecca Franklin

Rebecca Franklin is a freelance lifestyle writer and recipe developer. Her expertise is in French cuisine, which she writes about and teaches.

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Updated on 09/15/21

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Give Your Pickles a French Twist With This Classic Cornichon Recipe (1)

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Pickles are not a huge part of French cooking, but cornichons certainly have their role alongside pâtés and terrines, raclettes and meats,and cheese andcharcuterieplates. French cornichons are tiny pickles—about the size of your pinky finger—and have a bumpy exterior. The taste is tart, and the texture is crunchy. These powerful little cucumber cousins are perfectwhen served on appetizer platters withsmoked meat and fish and added to deviled eggs or a sandwich.

In England, these small pickles are called gherkins. Gherkins are a close relative to the cucumber plant but are bumpier and crisper. Cornichons are made from a few different types of gherkin plants. Although finding the right kind of cucumber in the U.S. may be challenging, the recipe itself is simple to make.Just keep in mind, cornichons will need to sit after canning for three to four weeks.

One of the more popular types of cucumbers used for cornichons is the fin de meaux cucumber. A variety called Parisienne cornichon de Bourbonne cucumbers is also commonly used. You can also use pickling cucumbers cut into 1/2-inch spears.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds fin de meaux cucumbers (2 inches long is best)

  • 1/2 cup kosher salt, divided

  • 2 cups distilled white vinegar

  • 2 cups water

  • 1 tablespoon white onion, finely chopped

  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and halved

  • 1 teaspoon fresh dill, chopped

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns

  • 2 cloves

  • 2 bay leaves

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. In a large bowl, toss cucumbers in 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of salt.

  3. Arrange cucumbers in a single layer on paper towels or clean kitchen towels to allow salt to draw moisture out of cucumbers. Let sit for 90 minutes, then rinse cucumbers thoroughly.

  4. Sterilize 2 (1-pint) jars, along with their lids and rings, and keep hot until ready to fill with pickling mixture.

  5. In a medium, nonreactive saucepan over medium-high heat, bring vinegar, water, and remaining 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil.

  6. Divide onion, garlic, dill, peppercorns, cloves, and bay leaves between the 2 sterilized jars.

  7. Pack cucumbers into the jars, leaving 1/2-inch of headspace.

  8. Fill jars with hot vinegar mixture, leaving 1/4-inch headspace from the top of the jars.

  9. Tap jars to remove any air bubbles, cap jars, and process them for 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

  10. Cool jars and store in a cool, dark place for at least three to four weeks before opening.

Tips

  • Grow your own gherkins: If you are having trouble finding the French varieties but are determined to make authentic cornichons, you can buy the seeds and grow them yourself. Plan ahead, as this method will take much longer than the three- to four-week canning time. If you have the right growing conditions, think about adding 10 weeks to the process if you grow your own.
  • If you do not have a canner: Place the jars into a large pot of water, bring to a boil for 10 minutes, switch off the heat, and then carefully remove the jars from the water.

How to Store Cornichons

Unopened, cornichons will keep for at least a year. Once opened and refrigerated, they will last many months.

How to Use Cornichons

Cornichons can be used in a variety of ways.

  • Sauces: Cornichons have their place in sauces such astartar sauce, rémoulade sauce, and charcutiere sauce, a French finishing sauce often used with meat dishes.
  • Main dishes: You will also find this little pickle featured in certain regional dishes, likeSouthern-style deviled eggs, and making an unexpected but welcome appearance in a steak salad recipe.
  • Culinary specialties: Cornichons also are a part of German cuisine and appear in two German specialties:German pasta salad,a typical party dish featuring bologna, cheese, and eggs with a creamy dressing; and German beef rouladen, consisting of thin slices of beef rolled around a mixture of cornichon, mustard, onion, and bacon.

Nimbu ka Achaar (Lime Pickle)

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
15Calories
0g Fat
2g Carbs
0g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12to 16
Amount per serving
Calories15
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 1893mg82%
Total Carbohydrate 2g1%
Dietary Fiber 0g1%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 2mg9%
Calcium 15mg1%
Iron 0mg1%
Potassium 90mg2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

  • Pickles
  • appetizer
  • french
  • party

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Give Your Pickles a French Twist With This Classic Cornichon Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between a pickle and a cornichon? ›

Cornichons are small pickles, usually about the length of one finger. You can differentiate them from mini dill pickles by the bumpy skins, a natural feature of the cucumber varieties from which cornichons are made. Aside from the vegetable variety, the defining trait of cornichons is how they are pickled.

What is the difference between a caper and a cornichon? ›

Cornichons are pickled French gherkin cucumbers—small in size but big in crunch and tart flavor. Organic Capers (the edible flower buds of the Capparis shrub) are found in countries surrounding the Mediterranean. They are handpicked and preserved in salt or brine.

Why are cornichons so expensive? ›

The problem with the cornichon cucumber is that it is not a hardy crop, it is expensive to grow, and it is harvested only once a year in France, compared with three times a year in India.

Are cornichons just baby pickles? ›

Those pickles are called cornichons (pronounced "KOR-nee-shons"), and they are exactly what they seem to be: tiny pickles, or, as the English call them, gherkins. Their tart, mildly sweet flavor makes them the ideal garnish to serve with classic charcuterie items such as pâtés, terrines, cured sausages, and the like.

Do cornichons taste like dill pickles? ›

If you're wondering “are cornichons sweet like a bread and butter pickle pickle?” the answer is no. They're seasoned with tarragon and pepper and are far more tart, even more so than a dill pickle, enough so that you might get a slight pucker upon first sampling one.

Does Aldi sell cornichons? ›

ALDI Specially Selected Cornichons Same-Day Delivery or Pickup | Instacart.

Can you substitute dill pickles for cornichons? ›

If a recipe calls for cornichons, it is referring to the dilled variety of gherkins. If a recipe calls for cornichons and you don't have any, substitute small slivers of dill pickles.

Why are cornichons so good? ›

And then there's the flavor: Cornichons are typically seasoned with mustard and tarragon. Tarragon, while not as versatile as some herbs, is powerfully aromatic, making whatever it's added to seem like a fully realized food. Pearl onions are the guest stars, adding another layer of taste and texture.

What type of cucumber is used for cornichons? ›

There are multiple cucumber varieties generally labeled as Cornichons in French markets, with the most popular cultivars, including Parisienne Cornichon de Bourbonne, Parigno Cornichon, and Fin de Meaux.

Are pickled cornichons bad for you? ›

Pickles may have some health benefits due to their antioxidant content and may have additional benefits if they're fermented. But they are also high in sodium and best enjoyed in moderation.

Can you eat cornichons raw? ›

You can eat gherkins raw, although they can be bitter; you can cook them, too, if you fancy. When it comes to pickling, salt them overnight, rinse, pack into a sterilised jar and cover with spiced vinegar.

Why are store bought pickles so crunchy? ›

Calcium chloride (CaCl2), sometimes known as “pickle crisp”, is a type of salt that helps preserve the crunchiness of food. It is used in the food industry to help preserve the texture of canned fruit and vegetables.

What is another name for cornichons? ›

The French call them cornichons, and they're sold under the same name in the US, but the English call them gherkins. These delicious little pickles are great on an appetizer plate, chopped up in deviled eggs, and added to sandwiches.

What are gherkins called in America? ›

A pickled cucumber – commonly known as a pickle in the United States and Canada and a gherkin (/ɡərkɪn/) in Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand – is a usually small or miniature cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, vinegar, or other solution and left to ferment.

Can you substitute pickles for cornichons? ›

If a recipe calls for cornichons, it is referring to the dilled variety of gherkins. If a recipe calls for cornichons and you don't have any, substitute small slivers of dill pickles. Remember, all cornichons are gherkins, not all gherkins are cornichons.

Why are cornichons called cornichons? ›

The name Cornichon roughly translates from French to mean “little horn” and can be used to describe both the fresh, small cucumbers sold in local markets and also the pickled, preserved versions.

What size pickle is a cornichon? ›

Usually less than two inches long and about a quarter inch in diameter, these adorable little garnishes taste an awful lot like dill pickles, too, only perhaps a bit less tart.

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