Today is our last day to focus on beef in this class.  Tomorrow we start on chicken.  It's been a gooooood week!  Today we made pot roast, shoestring potato garnish, celeriac and potato puree with truffle butter, and tourne vegetables.  I don't think I have ever eaten celeriac before.  I love it!  I think I expected a turnipy flavor but the taste is mild and kind of a cross between celery and parsley.  I am going to make this puree at home very soon but probably without truffle butter.  You can use another flavored oil and other herbs in a compound butter and put it on everything.  I like truffle oil, but it's not in my budget right now.  I will get a bottle when I get a job!  Anyway, I looked up celeriac when I got home because I was curious about its nutritional value and I learned that it is high in fiber and completely fat-free.  I learned that even though you only use the root, the leaves should be green and not wilted when you buy them and that smaller ones will have more flavor.  The most interesting thing, though, (thank you, Wikipedia) is that the stems are hollow and are used as straws in Bloody Marys.  The drink picks up the celery flavor as it goes through.  How cool is that?  Celeriac is on my list for next year's garden.

I am posting the potato & celeriac recipe.  Try it!  You'll like it!

Celeriac and Potato Puree with Truffle Butter
1/2 pound celeriac
1/2 pound potato
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces butter, softened
1 teaspoon truffle oil
1 tablespoon chives, minced

Soften the butter at room temperature.  When it's soft mix the oil and chives in very well.  Either shape it into a log and wrap it in parchment paper or pipe it out into rosettes.  Stick it in the fridge.

Wash the celeriac and potatoes, peel them and cut them into smaller pieces, and place them in a pot.  Cover with water by two inches.  Simmer until they're tender.  Meanwhile, heat the butter and cream together until warm.

Place potatoes and celeriac in a bowl and use your mixer to slowly whip them while adding the cream mixture.  Season them with salt and pepper to taste.  Continue to whip until they are light and fluffy.  Just before serving, finish with truffle butter.

Remember Andre from my post Saturday?  I don't know him very well but he seems like a very nice guy.  He's very soft-spoken and is just sort of restful to be around.  Andre cans!  He brought to school today a jar of bread & butter pickles and this one in the picture which he gave to me.  It is vinegar-based and has banana peppers, bell peppers, and onions in it.  Looks good!  He advised me to not open it for a couple of weeks.  I can't wait!  Thank you, Andre!