Parsleyed Celery Root Fritters And Lemon Aïoli Food

PARSLEYED CELERY ROOT FRITTERS AND LEMON AïOLI

Steps:

• Mince garlic and in a bowl stir together aïoli ingredients and salt and pepper to taste. (Aïoli may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.)
• In a bowl whisk together batter ingredients and pepper to taste. With a sharp knife peel celery root and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
• In a deep large heavy skillet (about 12 inches wide by 3 inches deep) heat 1 inch oil over moderately high heat until a deep-fat thermometer registers 375° F. Working in batches of 3, coat celery root slices in batter, letting excess drip off, and immediately press a parsley sprig into batter on one side of each slice. Carefully drop coated slices, parsley sides up, into oil and fry, turning them once, until golden brown, about 1 minute on each side. Transfer fritters as fried with tongs to brown paper or paper towels to drain. Return oil to 375° F before next batch.
• Serve fritters immediately with aïoli.

CRAB FRITTERS WITH HERB SALAD AND MEYER LEMON AïOLI

Steps:

• For aioli:
• Place mayonnaise in small bowl. Whisk in lemon juice, lemon peel, mustard, and vinegar. Gradually whisk in oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
• For fritters and salad:
• Whisk egg yolks and crème fraîche in small bowl to blend. Combine crabmeat, chives, shallot, and chopped parsley in medium bowl. Gently mix in mushrooms and yolk mixture. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover crab mixture and chill.)
• Beat egg whites in medium bowl until stiff but not dry; fold into crab mixture. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. For each fritter, drop 1/4 of crab mixture (about 1/2 cup) into skillet, spacing mounds apart. Sprinkle each with salt and pepper and flatten slightly. Cook fritters until bottoms are brown, about 3 minutes. Turn fritters over. Cook until bottoms are brown and fritters are cooked through, about 3 minutes longer. Meanwhile, whisk oil and lemon juice in medium bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in herbs.
• Transfer fritters to plates. Top each fritter with dollop of aioli. Place herb salad alongside and serve.