Leeks vinaigrette is among the loveliest starters in the bistro repertoire: a few tender leeks, a generous vinaigrette and a little crumbled hard-boiled egg. Mustard emulsifies the sauce here and gives it the body it needs to coat the vegetable properly. Pommery® Dijon mustard, clean and sieved, is the reference for this dish.
Serves: 4 • Prep: 15 minutes • Cooking: 15 minutes • Difficulty: very easy
Ingredients
1 tablespoon Pommery® Dijon mustard
8 young, slim leeks
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
6 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 hard-boiled egg
A small bunch of chives
Coarse salt, fine salt and freshly ground pepper
Method
Clean them. Remove the outer leaves and the dark green tops. Split the leeks lengthways to within 2 cm of the base, then rinse thoroughly under cold water, fanning the leaves apart.
Cook them. Drop them into a large pan of well-salted boiling water and allow 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness. A knife tip should pass through the white without resistance.
Drain. Lift them out and lay them on a clean tea towel, cut side down. Let them drain for at least 15 minutes, so the vinaigrette can coat them properly.
The vinaigrette. In a bowl, slacken the Pommery® Dijon mustard with the vinegar and a pinch of salt. Whisk in the oil in a thin stream until the sauce is thick and homogeneous, then add the shallot.
Plate. Lay the leeks side by side on a long dish, cut side up, and spoon the vinaigrette generously over them.
Finish. Crush the hard-boiled egg with a fork and scatter it over the leeks with the chopped chives. Pepper and serve warm or at room temperature.
💡 Perfect pairing: For a more rustic version, swap the smooth mustard for Moutarde de Meaux® Pommery®: the whole seeds cling beautifully to the leaves.
Our tips for perfect leeks vinaigrette
Split without separating. Keeping the base intact lets you wash the leek easily while it stays whole through cooking.
Take time over the draining. A quarter of an hour on a tea towel, and the vinaigrette sits perfectly on the vegetable.
A tight vinaigrette. Three parts oil to one of vinegar, emulsified with mustard: it coats beautifully.
Serve warm. This is the temperature at which the leek and the mustard express themselves best.
Our leeks vinaigrette with Pommery® Dijon mustard
This leeks vinaigrette recipe is a classic of the French bistro starter. The mustard vinaigrette plays a central role: it gives the sauce the body it needs to coat a smooth, delicate vegetable. Made at the gates of Meaux by the Chamois family, Pommery® Dijon mustard brings these French braised leeks the clean precision of a traditionally sieved mustard. Explore our full range of Pommery® mustards.
