A celebration of celeriac

40 mins

75 mins

It may look like an ugly, knobbly, funny-shaped vegetable, but to me, the celeriac is a thing of beauty. If you can find one that’s big enough, it’s possible to make a delicious dinner for four people from a single celeriac with this recipe. This celeriac recipe can either be a vegetarian main course or adapted for a vegan diet by using olive oil and almond milk to cook each celeriac element, and just as nice as a side dish for a carnivore.

Ingredients Required

For the Celeriac Choucroute: (approx. 50g per portion)

200g: Celeriac, cut into 2mm julienne strips on a mandolin

30ml: Olive oil, refined

80ml: White wine vinegar

2 pinches: Sea salt

2 pinches: Black pepper, freshly ground

30ml: Gin

4: Juniper berries, crushed and finely-chopped

1 leaf: Bay

For the Celeriac fondant:

400g: Celeriac, sliced across the circumference at 4cm thickness and then cut in half so you have a semi-circle shape.

50g: Unsalted butter

1 clove: Garlic, crushed

1 sprig: Thyme

1 sprig: Rosemary

50ml: Water

For the Celeriac puree: (approx. 40g per portion)

200g: Celeriac, cut into small pieces

10g: Unsalted butter

100ml: Whole milk

1 pinch: Sea salt

1 pinch: Cayenne pepper

1 squeeze: Lemon juice

For the Celeriac Jus: (approx. 25ml per person)

200g: Celeriac, cut into 1 cm pieces, plus any trimmings from the fondant, Choucroute or purée

80g: Unsalted butter

1 clove: Garlic, crushed

1 sprig: Thyme

1 leaf: Bay

1 sprig: Rosemary

20ml: White wine vinegar

30ml: Madeira

200ml: Water, plus the cooking liquor from the fondant

Garnish: (optional)

20g: Black truffle, sliced or grated

12: Yellow chicory leaves

Cooking Method

Step 1

For the Celeriac Choucroute: In a large saucepan on a high heat, sauté the strips of celeriac in the olive oil for 30 seconds, stirring all the time. Add the vinegar and reduce until you have about a tablespoon left. Reduce the heat to low, add the salt, pepper, gin, juniper and bay and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring from time to time. When the Choucroute is soft but still has a bit of a crunch left, turn it out onto a clean tray and cool as quickly as possible. Reheat quickly in a saucepan when required or reserve in the fridge.

Step 2

For the Celeriac fondant: Preheat the oven to 180°C. In a large frying pan on a high heat, melt the butter until it begins to foam. Place the semi-circle of celeriac in the pan and leave to caramelise for 5 minutes. Carefully turn it over, add the garlic, herbs, water and, loosely cover with a piece of tin foil and cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes until it is cooked in the centre. To check this, insert a small knife to check there is no resistance, and it feels soft inside. Strain off the cooking liquor and save this for when you’re making the jus and leave the celeriac fondant to cool slightly before you cut it into 4 equal pieces.

Step 3

For the Celeriac purée: In a large saucepan on a medium heat, soften the celeriac pieces in the butter for 5 minutes covered with a lid. Add the milk, salt and pepper and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes until the celeriac is completely soft. Remove from the heat, and with a slotted spoon, place all the celeriac in a food blender with a little of the hot milk and blend to a smooth puree. Make sure you do this on a gradual speed and build up to full power to prevent the purée from being thrown up the side of the blender, and never fill your blender over halfway with hot liquid. Once the purée is smooth, add a little squeeze of lemon juice and put to one side until required or store in a sealed container in the fridge.

Step 4

For the celeriac jus: In a large sauté pan on a high heat, bring the butter to a foaming stage and caramelise the celeriac pieces for 10 minutes until quite dark but not burnt. Carefully strain off the hot butter and place back on the heat. Add the garlic, herbs and white wine vinegar and reduce to a sticky glaze. Add the Madeira and bring back to the boil before you add the water and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. If you feel it needs to be slightly thicker, you could always dilute a teaspoon of arrowroot with cold water and stir this in as you bring the jus to the boil to thicken.

Step 5

To serve: When all the garnishes are hot, and you are ready to plate, divide each of the elements evenly between 4 plates and serve as it is or, if you’re feeling generous, you could use a little black truffle and chicory leaves, or a fricassée of wild mushrooms would also be delicious. But I think it looks stunning as it is and your guests will love it.