This recipe comes from Alain Passard who is my utmost culinary hero. The first time I saw him in person I blushed so feverishly that I wanted to hide my face under the table or fan myself ferociously with my napkin. I did none of the latter, instead I just sat there-star struck and wide eyed.
Passard is a genius because he is a 3 Michelin star chef who showcases the beauty of the simple, elegant, sweet and subtle vegetable. His restaurant in Paris
L'arpege previously had a tasting menu with only veggies prepared into truly sublime creations yet he has recently changed his menu and has started to offer guests the choice of meat or fish. While I appreciate the choice I dont think it's necessary as his masterful skills in my book are centered on creating undeniable scrumptious creations out of veggies!
This risotto is made of not rice but celery root which is one of my favorite hearty and under-used veggies. This dish (which I made while in a gorgeous cozy little home in the beautiful
Ile de Yeu, France with a dear friend) is oh so savory and smooth. I promise you that you will have NO IDEA that this is not rice but a veggie that oh so closely resembles rice.
84 Rue de Varenne 75007 Paris
01 47 05 09 06
Lunch 120€, Dinner 360€
RISOTTO "le celeririsotto" Brunoise celery root-Milk-Marscapone-Paramesean-Moutarde a l'ancienne
Makes 4 Servings
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- 1 celery root
- 3/4 cup organic whole milk
- Few spoonfuls of Straus or high quality European butter
- 1 tablespoon of mascarpone
- 1 teaspoon of ancien or dijon Mustard
- olive oil
- 1 black truffle if you want to indulge-shaved just before serving
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- Set aside a large cutting board and a sharp knife. The precise chopping of the celery root is important as you want gorgeous little cubes which will be quite small and resemble rice.
- Peel the celery root. Next cut it in half and then into fourths so it's more manageable. Now cut each forth into 1/2 inch pieces lengthwise making a julienne cut. Cut the julienne into squares creating the brunoise. Watch a video here if you need help!
- Melt the butter and add the celery root
- Keep the flame low. Do not attack the product and do not change color.
- After a few minutes add 1/4 cup of milk.
- Make sure to constantly turn the celery with a wooden spoon, like the classic risotto.
- Add spoonful of butter and a dash of parmesan and lastly a Tbls of mascarpone.
- Then add a tablespoon of mascarpone to smooth.
- Add a touch of mustard for seasoning, a little milk to create an extra creaminess and a dash of olive oil before serving
- The chef's advice: this dish is perfect as an appetizer or side dish beautiful poultry, fish or shellfish. Can be served with an artichoke foam and fresh shaven truffles
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