Daniel Bouluds Celery Root Puree Food

CELERY ROOT PUREE

Steps:

• Place the celery root in a large pot and cover it with the milk by a few inches. (You may not need to use all the milk.) Add a few pinches of salt along with some freshly grated nutmeg. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer until the celery root is fork tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1/4 cup milk, then return the celery root to the pot.
• Place the pot over medium heat and let the celery root dry out for a minute or 2. Add the reserved milk and mash or puree using a potato masher or blender until very smooth. Check for seasoning, adding more salt if necessary.

CELERY ROOT AND POTATO PUREE

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a pot large enough to accommodate the celery root and the potatoes. Add enough water to cover the vegetables by 2 inches and season generously with salt. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the celery root and cook until both vegetables are fork tender. Strain the celery root and potatoes.
• Pour the cream in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, pass the celery root and potatoes through a food mill into a large bowl. Add one-quarter of the hot cream and 2 pats of the butter. Stir vigorously until the cream and butter are thoroughly combined. Repeat for the remaining cream and butter. Taste for seasoning, you will probably have to add salt. Serve in a warm serving bowl immediately or keep warm until ready to use.

DANIEL BOULUD'S CELERY ROOT PUREE

Steps:

• Place garlic, sage, and thyme in a piece of cheesecloth; tie with kitchen twine to enclose. Place in a medium saucepan along with celery root and enough milk to cover (you may not need to use all the milk). Bring to a simmer over medium heat; continue simmering until celery root is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve set over a medium bowl, reserving 1/2 cup of milk and discarding cheesecloth bundle.
• In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat until nut-brown in color, about 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour butter into a bowl, leaving any burned sediment behind.
• Transfer one-third of the celery root, reserved milk, and browned butter to the jar of a blender; blend until smooth. Slightly mash remaining celery root with a wooden spoon or a potato masher. Stir in pureed celery root mixture and chives; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

DANIEL BOULUD'S SHORT RIBS BRAISED IN RED WINE WITH CELERY DUO

Steps:

• 1. Pour the wine into a large saucepan set over medium heat. When the wine is hot, carefully set it aflame. Let the flames die out, then increase the heat so that the wine boils; allow it to boil until it cooks down by half. Remove from the heat.
• 2. Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350°F.
• 3. Warm the oil in a large, heavy, ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Season the ribs all over with salt and the crushed pepper. Dust half of the ribs with about 1 tablespoon flour. Then, when the oil is hot, slip the ribs into the pot and sear 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until well-browned. Transfer the ribs to a plate. Repeat with remaining ribs. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pot, lower the heat under the pot to medium and toss in the vegetables and herbs. Brown the vegetables lightly, 5 to 7 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
• 4. Add the wine, ribs and broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover tightly and place in the oven to braise for 2 1/2 hours or until the ribs are very tender. Every 30 minutes, skim and discard fat from the surface. (It's best to make the recipe to this point, cool and chill the ribs and broth in the pan overnight; scrape off the fat the next day. Rewarm before continuing.)
• 5. Carefully transfer the meat to a platter; keep warm. Boil the pan liquid until it has reduced to 1 quart. Season with salt and white pepper and pass through a fine strainer; discard the solids. (The ribs and sauce can be combined and kept covered in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Reheat gently, basting frequently, on top of the stove or in a 350°F oven.)
• 6. To serve, spoon the celery root puree into the center of 8 plates and top each with a short rib. Cross 2 pieces of braised celery over each serving. Pour the sauce onto the plate around the puree.

CELERY DUO

Steps:

• For Celery Root Puree:
• 1. Place the milk, water, salt, celery root, and potatoes in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Lower the heat; simmer until the vegetables are very tender, 20 to 25 minutes; drain and return them to the pan.
• **2.**Place the pan over low heat to cook off excess moisture; transfer the vegetables to a food processor. Add the butter, then puree until just smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
• For Braised Celery
• 1. Trim the bottom of each celery bunch (make sure the ribs remain together); then measure 5 inches up from the bottom and cut off the celery tops at that point (you'll be using the bottom end). Remove and discard the 3 or 4 tough outer ribs. Remove any stringy parts with a vegetable peeler; cut each bunch of celery lengthwise into quarters.
• 2. Warm the oil in a large sauté pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the carrot, turnip and celery quarters; season with salt and pepper and cook 3 minutes. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil.
• 3. Adjust the heat so that the broth simmers steadily. Cook the vegetables for about 25 minutes or until they are very tender and the liquid is nearly gone. You should have tender vegetables lightly glazed with the broth. Remove and discard the carrots and turnips. Serve the celery immediately.

CELERY ROOT PUREE

Steps:

• Peel the celery root. Cut off the knobby top and bottom. Set the root upright on a cutting board and trim away the tough outer peel with a chef's knife. Cut into roughly 1-inch cubes and place in a large saucepan with cold water.
• Peel and cube the potatoes and add the potatoes and the garlic to the saucepan. Season the water liberally with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender enough to be crushed with a fork, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Drain the vegetables and empty them into a food mill fitted with a fine disk. Turn the crank, pressing the vegetables through the disk into a clean saucepan underneath. You may need to reverse the blade a time or two to clear any tough fibers that are caught in the disk. Scrape the purée on the underside of the disk into the saucepan. Depending on the size of your food mill, you may need to purée the vegetables in two batches to accommodate them comfortably.
• Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir the ground vegetables with a wooden spoon until they form a smooth paste. The heat is also drying excess moisture out of the vegetables; stop when a dry film begins to form on the bottom of the pan. Beat in the butter and when it is thoroughly incorporated, beat in the whipping cream to make a silky purée.
• Season the purée to taste with more salt if necessary, white pepper and a pinch of nutmeg and spoon it into a serving bowl.
• If you like, place a knob of butter on top to melt into the mixture.

CAULIFLOWER & CELERY ROOT PUREE

Steps:

• Place a steaming basket in a large pot. Pour in enough water to reach just below the basket, cover and bring to a boil. Add florets and celery root cubes; steam for 15 minutes or until tender.
• Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons butter. When melted, add onions and sauté for 3 ½ to 4 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and sauté for only 1 minute. Remove from the heat and transfer onion mixture to the bowl of a food processor; set aside.
• When cauliflower and celeriac are tender, transfer to the bowl of the food processor and blend until half the mixture is somewhat puréed. Add 2 tablespoons butter and process until well combined. Slowly pour in heavy cream and continue mixing until blended. Clean the sides of the bowl before adding sour cream, salt and pepper. Process once again until well mixed.
• Just before serving, sprinkle on some fresh chopped parsley. Serves 6.