Cornichon???

[JanetB]

Hi all,

I'm planning on making the Broiled Flank Steak w/Salsa Verde in the most recent issue (p212) - but one of the ingredients was unknown to me. I looked it up - and learned it is some kind of pickle (A type of small, dark green cucumber that is grown specifically for making pickles. Cornichons are usually packed in pickling brine and sold in jars. Cornichon is also known as gherkin.)- but I'm curious - are these sold in regular super markets? Or do I need to go to a specialty store?

Thanks,
Janet

[seannasad2k]

I'm in the NY suburbs, and I've seen cornichons in stop & shop. Might be wrong, but I think you can sub sweet gherkins.

[cab321]

They are French pickles - very sour - so don't sub sweet gerkins. I've only ever seen them in the olive bar at Wegmans, and they are only there rarely (I live in Western New York). If I were going to sub I would either go with dill pickles (but the dill is such a pronounced flavor) or maybe something like capers (although they taste more like olives to me).

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

[honeygirl1971]

I think I used to buy them at Trader Joe's! And yes, they are sour pickles, do not sub sweet pickles!

[Canice]

If you don't find them in the supermarket, you might check with a cheese shop or "upscale" (hate that word) market. Or you might find them at Cost Plus.

[seannasad2k]

They are French pickles - very sour - so don't sub sweet gerkins.

Oops! I guess b/c I once heard (or thought I heard) Rachel Ray say that they're what we call gherkins...I just assumed she meant the sweet gherkins b/c they're the only gherkins I know.

[MISSINDI]

Janet - you can find them at the local grocery stores in the pickle aisle. Nicholas loves them - my Mom was teaching him how to say cornichon with the proper French accent last time she served them ... ;)

[Beth Y]

Here they are on the pickle aisle, as well as sweet gherkins. But the cornichons are in a much fancier more expensive bottle. But, as NC is one of the top two pickle producing states in the US, we have a BIG pickle aisle!

[dorothyntototoo]

If you have a Whole Foods close by, they sell them with the bulk olives, at least in KC.

[Aubergine]

i fell in love with cornichons when i lived in france, and they're nothing like any american "pickle" that i've ever tasted; completely unique, imo. in france, they're quite small -- think asian baby corn size. there are also some marketed now that are perhaps as large as your pinkie finger. the flavor is hard to describe, but the person who suggested capers is absolutely on the mark! in france they're typically served alongside a small slice of pate. there are a couple of German companies that sell them, also; i'm looking at a jar now, by Hengstenberg, that i picked up for $6. dang, i have a true passion for these things...but they're so intense that, like capers, a small amount does the trick.

[fci5767]

Here they are on the pickle aisle, as well as sweet gherkins. But the cornichons are in a much fancier more expensive bottle. But, as NC is one of the top two pickle producing states in the US, we have a BIG pickle aisle!


LOL. We do have a lot of pickles in our stores. But it's hard to find the half-sour type that I love. I can only find my favorite brands at A Southern Season. They are expensive so I can't splurge on them too often.


Beth