A French Picnic and Celeriac Remoulade
My first bite of Celeriac Remoulade was in Southwestern France. I was on a picnic with some friends from a class I was taking, and the spread was breathtaking: goat cheese croustades, fresh baguettes, cured meat, an assortment of olives, a platter of cheese, a beautiful bottle of rosé, and a bowl of celery root salad — something I’d never even heard of.
The four of us crowded around a small folding table; its simplicity was hidden by the colourful piece of fabric that was draped over top, which was held in place by the bottle of wine as the hot wind threatened to blow it, and everything else, away.
Our surroundings weren’t perfect, the dry summer had transformed the once-green forest into a colourless scape, and the lake had dried up completely — leaving sailboats and dories stranded until the rainy season arrived.
But it wasn’t all falling leaves and waterless lakes… the sky was a rich azure, the sun was beaming, and the hazelnuts were dropping like, well, hazelnuts. The food was delightful, the company even more so, and everything was as it should be.
To this day, whenever I eat the odd-looking root vegetable that is celeriac, I think of that day. The subtle perfection, the luscious meal, the good friends …
… everything as it should be.
Traditionally this salad is made with homemade mayonnaise or aioli, Dijon mustard, and celeriac. Some recipes call for crème fraiche, others for parsley, and some people even add capers or gherkins. My recipe, below, is simple and uses pre-made mayo, so it’s ideal for packing up as a last-minute picnic item.
Simple Celeriac Remoulade
Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 medium-sized celeriac (celery root), washed
1 lemon, halved
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sour cream
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Instructions:
1) Using a sharp knife, cut the thick, outer portion of the celery root off (it helps if you cut off the end that is attached to the celery stalk first, and then place the flat side down). Using a hand grater or a grater attached to a food processor, grate the celeriac and then place in a medium bowl. Squeeze the juice of one half of the lemon over top and stir. Stir in the parsley and set aside.
2) In a small bowl, whisk the juice from the other half of the lemon with the mayonnaise, sour cream, and mustard. Pour over top of the celeriac and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. If the dressing is too thick, add more lemon juice, until desired consistency is reached.
