I’ve always been fascinated by the French dish, a simple preparation I’ve never tired of tinkering with. In France, plain old ‘celeri’ is actually celery root. (That vegetable we use to garnish our Bloody Marys is called ‘celeri branche’ over there.)
Celeri Remoulade, which I learned to make on the first class of my first day of cooking school, is a bistro classic made by shredding celery root thinly and tossing it with mayonnaise and mustard. I’ve always found that this traditional recipe doesn’t quite work over here: French celery root is more tender in France than it is in America.
I like to quickly blanch my celery root for Celeri Remoulade, which preserves its toothsomeness while ridding it of its fibrousness. I like to add apple and Brussels sprouts, two ingredients that are fresh and plentiful when celery root season starts.
And to make the salad pop, I like to sprinkle in pickled mustard seeds, which are slowly simmered in a vinegar and sugar solution and have a pleasant texture and a strong mustard bite.
Note: When preparing the celery root, work quickly, because it begins to oxidize almost right away.
Celery Root, Apple and Brussels Sprouts Salad
Serves four.
Ingredients
1 medium bulb celery root
1 apple
1 cup Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Squeeze fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Pickled Mustard Seeds (recipe follows)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Optional: handful watercress leaves
TO MAKE THE PICKLED MUSTARD SEEDS
½ cup white wine vinegar ¼ cup granulated sugarPinch salt1 cup yellow mustard seeds
Directions
Place all the ingredients in a small pot and simmer for 1 hour over very low heat. Add a splash of water if the liquid gets too low. Cool the mustard seeds in the liquid and refrigerate overnight. Keep refrigerated for up to a month.
Rinse off the celery root. With a sharp knife, peel it until you reach the white flesh. Rinse the celery root again. With a mandoline set on the julienne attachment, shred the celery root into pieces 2 inches long and about 1/8 inch wide.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the celery root pieces about 20 seconds, then immerse them in a pot of ice water. Drain the celery root well, then dry on a paper towel. Refrigerate the celery root covered until ready to use.
Separate the Brussels sprouts into individual leaves. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the Brussels sprouts leaves for about 2 minutes, then immerse them in a pot of ice water. Taste the Brussels sprouts leaves. They should be crisp, but they should no longer ‘squeak’ against your teeth.
Drain well and refrigerate covered until ready to use.
To assemble the salad, place the celery root, Brussels sprouts leaves, pickled mustard seeds, watercress leaves ( if using),mayonnaise and mustard in a mixing bowl. Using a mandoline with a julienne attachment, shave the apple into the salad.
Squeeze the lemon over the salad and season with salt and pepper. Toss well and serve immediately.
