A simple hard-boiled egg with this amazing sauce is a treat. I also like to serve it alongside a medley of smoked fish and shellfish (eel, trout, mackerel, oysters, mussels, etc), on toasted baguette slices – as tapas.
1 quantity mayonnaise
salt and freshly ground pepper
200g (7oz) spinach, stalks removed
10g (⅓oz) chervil, stalks removed
20g (⅔ oz) flat leaf parsley, stalks removed
10g (⅓oz) tarragon, stalks removed
10g (⅓oz) chives
10g (⅓oz) shallot, thinly sliced
To make the chlorophyll, wash and dry the spinach and herb leaves, then put into a blender or electric herb chopper. Add the shallot and 350 ml (1½ cups) water and whiz for 1 minute at low speed, then for another 4 minutes at medium speed.
Loosely drape a piece of muslin over a saucepan and secure it with an elastic band. Pour the herb purée into the muslin and let it drip through slowly. After 10 minutes, gather up the edges of the muslin and squeeze to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the herb residue and rinse the muslin in cold water.
Gently heat the green liquid in the pan, stirring delicately with a wooden spoon. As soon as the liquid starts to tremble, take the pan off the heat. Loosely drape the muslin over a bowl and secure with an elastic band. Delicately ladle the green liquid on to the muslin and leave to drain through for about 20 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape off the soft green chlorophyll from the surface of the muslin and put it into a ramekin. (It will keep for several days in the fridge covered with a little groundnut oil.)
To make the green mayonnaise, whisk a spoonful or two of the chlorophyll into the mayonnaise, to taste. Check the seasoning, then serve.