Behind the French Menu

Céleri - Celery. The Joys of Celery in French Cuisine.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Celery.
Photograph courtesy of wikioticslan
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Céleri

Celery the vegetable.

Celery in France is in recipes for the aroma and taste that it brings to many soups and stews; used lightly it enhances and does not overpower the other ingredients. Individual members of the celery family are also served raw as part of salads and vegetable juices. However, celery seeds on their own have a strong taste, and they will be used as a spice. Celery salt is made from celery seeds and salt makes an excellent condiment. For all these reasons, I have included celery within the appendix on herbs and spices in the book behind this blog.

In the UK and the USA, most people still see only the traditional branch celery in our local supermarket; farmers' markets are the best place to find the other members of the celery family. In France and the rest of Europe, you will be made aware of the other members of the celery family in the markets and supermarkets.

Céleri or Céleri Branche

Branch celery.

Branch celery, or blanching celery, is the celery that most of us recognize on sight by its long green stems. Branch celery’s exact origins are much disputed, but we know that it has been grown in the Mediterranean region for at least 3,000 years.

Even Guinea Fowl enjoy celery
Photograph courtesy of Guinea Fowl Flock.
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Branch celery will be served raw in salads, and in Europe the stalks may be cooked and used in soups or served with other vegetables. Branch celery, cooked or uncooked, is also often partnered with fish. The celery leaves may be used for their flavor or like parsley prepared as a garnish as well as for decoration. In North America and the UK, the roots of branch celery are usually cut off before they arrive at a supermarket. However, branch celery in France will be sold to restaurants with their roots intact. The roots will be used to flavor soups and other dishes.

Branch celery on sale
Photograph courtesy of Fortunato Calabro.
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Branch celery on French menus:

Filet de Sole Farci aux Crevettes, Fumet au Vin Blanc, Céleri Branche et Pomme de Terre au Citron - A filet of sole stuffed with shrimp, prepared in a fish stock flavored with white wine. The dish is garnished with branch celery and lemon-flavored potatoes.

La Salade de Quinoa au Crabe, Herbes et Céleri Branche. - A salad of quinoa, crab, herbs and branch celery. Quinoa is a New World import from South America that is neither a cereal nor a grass and contains no gluten. In fact, while I eat quinoa I am not quite sure what quinoa is. Any ideas? The crab offered in this menu listing is France’s most popular crab. You will know that by its name…." the crab". This crab's real French name is the crabe torteau, the edible brown crab in English.

La Niçoise - Salade, Poivron, Concombre, Haricots Verts, Céleri Branche, Tomate, Oeuf, Thon, Anchois, Olive, Radis. – A Salad Nicoise that includes: sweet peppers, cucumber, French green beans, branch celery, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, tuna, anchovies, olives, and radishes.

This menu listing clearly describes the chef’s ingredients for a Salad Niçoise, and all chefs from Provence have their own recipe for Salad Niçoise. The debates on the correct ingredients have continued for more than 100 years.

Henri Heyraud was a famous Provençal chef, teacher and historian of the the cuisine served in France in the early 20th C. His recipe included both anchovy filets and tuna. Escoffier’s recipe included anchovies only; tuna was not included. However, neither of those famous chefs used branch celery or cucumbers. For more about the history of Salade Niçoise click here,

Branch celery in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan – api), (Dutch – selderij), (German – sellerie), (Italian – sedano), (Spanish – apio, celerí, apio traditional), (Latin - Apium graveolens var. dulce),

Livèche, Céleri Bâtard, Ache des Montagnes

Lovage or False Celery.

Livèche, Céleri Bâtard, Ache des Montagnes and Céleri de Montagne - Lovage or False Celery is a plant with a strong celery aroma and taste but no true relationship to the celery family. Despite that, it is appreciated in the kitchen for its strong celery taste and aroma. Lovage may also be on the menu by name when its flavor and scent is perfect for a particular dish, and young lovage leaves may also be added, albeit sparingly, to a salad.

Stewed rabbit with lovage.
Photograph courtesy of Chris Pople
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Lovage on French menus:

Fraises en Morceaux à l'Ache "céleri de montagne" – Sliced strawberries flavored with lovage.

Le Fera de Neuchâtel en Mignon à la Livèche et Cèpes de Pays – The broad whitefish caught in Lake Neuchatel in Switzerland. The menu description here of “mignon” indicates an attractive serving, and the menu listing shows that the fish is flavored with lovage and wild porcini. cepe, mushrooms.

Saumon Label Rouge Mi-cuit, Mi Fumé par Nos Soins Coulis de Livèche, Jeune Betterave. – Red label Atlantic salmon lightly cooked and smoked in-house. The salmon is served with a coulis, a puree, of fresh lovage and young beetroots.

Lovage
Photograph courtesy of alh1.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/allan_harris/34828171805/

Lovage in the languages of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan - api bord, api de muntanya), (Dutch - lavas). (German – liebstöckel), (Italian – levistico), (Spanish – levístico), (Latin - levisticum officinale).

Céleri-rave – Celeriac

Céleri-rave – Celeriac. If, like me, you are not a great fan of branch celery, I really do advise you to try celeriac despite that caveat. Celeriac is an odd-looking root vegetable, but do not let its looks put you off. On the outside, without its leaves, celeriac looks somewhat like a rough, brown beetroot. However, Celeriac has a taste, texture and aroma that is entirely different from branch celery. Celeriac has a light celery taste, and its texture is completely different. The French usually prepare celeriac as a slightly rough puree that you may mistake for hand-mashed potatoes until you taste it or smell it. After my first unintended introduction, I have been hooked. Celeriac mashed on its own or mixed with mashed potatoes and with added butter, milk or cheese, are all flavorsome dishes.

Celeriac is grown only for its root and mild celery taste; the leaves may be used for decoration, but they add very little taste. Celeriac is not just tasty; it is also good for you as it has only 6% starch, compared with a potato that has 15%.

Celeriac on French menus:

Saumon Grillé et sa Purée de Celeri-Rave . - Grilled salmon served with a puree of celeriac.

Céleri-Rave Rémoulade – Celeriac mashed, and served with sauce rémoulade. A sauce remoulade is a mayonnaise and mustard sauce egg. This dish is very popular.

La Soupe de Céleri Rave et Roquette. - A celeriac soup lightly spiced with the addition of rocket, the herb.

Celeriac
Photograph courtesy of Leimenide
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Celeriac in the language of France’s neighbors:

(Catalan - api rave), (Dutch - knolselderij), (German – knollenselleri, , knollen-sellerie), (Italian - sedano rapa), ( Spanish - apio nabo, celeriac), (Latin - apium graveolens var. rapaceum).

Céleri Sauvage, Ache des Marais

Marsh Parsley or Smallage.

Céleri Sauvage, Céleri à Couper, Persil des Marais or Ache des Marais – marsh parsley, smallage, slender celery, fir-leaved celery. This European celery family member originally grew only in the wild. It is the great-grandfather or great-grandmother of both branch celery and celeriac. As may be expected, wild celery is now also domesticated by market gardeners; the taste and aroma of domesticated wild celery are now going into recipes for soups and salads all over Europe.

The original wild celery plant is very leafy. The raw leaves of the plant may be used in salads, and the stalks, when used, must be well cooked and cut, as they can be stringy. The real wild plant has a stronger taste and smell than the cultivated “wild” variety. For that reason, wild celery provides an important side income in the season for gatherers of wild mushrooms and herbs who make a living selling to restaurants. Both the wild and the cultivated wild celery are biennials; that means there is only one crop every two years, and that makes wild celery more expensive. There are two plants called wild celery in North America. The American wild celery grows underwater and is unlikely to be seen in your local supermarket. However, the wild celery that originated in Europe is, of course, grown in and on the menu in North America.

Wild celery on French Menus:

Pâté d'Oie, Émulsion aux Racines de Céleri Sauvage, Pain de Campagne. Duck liver pate prepared with a thick sauce made from the roots of wild celery and served with country bread. For more on pain de campagne, country bread, and other French breads click here.

Escabèche de Queues d'Écrevisses, Vinaigrette de Céleri Sauvage.– Marinated crayfish tails served with wild celery flavored with a vinaigrette sauce. Escabèche is a dish of Peruvian origin and is always served cold. Escabèche is well established in France and will be on many seafood restaurant menus. France has always had its own excellent dishes with marinated fish, and the Peruvian additions of seafood, smoked fish and shellfish with a different flavor have expanded the offerings. Unless otherwise indicated the marinade will be wine vinegar with herbs.

The seeds, the fruits from wild celery, are considered tastier than the seeds from branch celery or celeriac and so wild celery seeds are preferred for making celery salt. French chefs are well aware of the different tastes of wild and cultivated wild celery and what they can add to soup or a sauce; the demand for the wild plant is growing. French market gardeners are the source of the cultivated wild plants.

Wild celery in the languages of France's neighbors:

(Catalan – api boscà), (Dutch -wilde selderij), ( German – echte sellerie, vild sellerie), (Italian - sedano selvatico, sedano commune), (Spanish - apio silvestre). (Latin - apium graveolens var. graveolens).

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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
Copyright 2010, 2012, 2015, 2024.

Amande – The almond, the nut. Almonds in French cuisine.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Almonds.
Photograph courtesy of HealthAliciousNess
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Almonds are an indispensable part of French cuisine; they will be in French recipes from the hors d’œuvre to the dessert and are essential for many pastries. However, the Amande de Mer, the sea almond or dog cockle, is a tasty smooth-shelled clam that will be on seafood restaurant menus and has its own post. (Click here).

N.B. A French friend with a great deal of culinary knowledge, as well the correct use of French Grammar, my nemesis, has reminded me to be very careful with the words “amande” and “Amende.” The two words are pronounced the same though they are spelled differently. However, “une amende” is the French for a parking ticket, and you will not want an amende before you sit down to dine.

Soles "Meuniere" Aux Amandes
Photograph courtesy of Les Foodies.

Almonds on French menu:

Fromage Blanc au Miel et Amandes – Fresh white cheese served together with honey and almonds.

Figues Rôties, Glace au Lait d'Amande – Roasted figs served with an almond milk ice-cream

Sole Façon Belle Meunière aux Amandes – Sole meunière, prepared with almonds. This sole is the fish called in the UK the Dover sole.

Tarte Amandine aux Poires – A pear and almond tart. Elsewhere this dish may be on the menu as a Tarte Bourdaloue. In the 1850s in Rue Bourdaloue, Paris, a pastry chef became famous for his creation sole, made with pear and an almond or Frangipane cream.

Frangipane is an almond-based custard filling.

The name Frangipane is attributed to a 13th Century Italian nobleman, Muzio Frangipan, who created a leather perfume using a bitter almond base. Then, some 300 years later, French pastry cooks who liked that scent made an almond custard with a similar scent and named it after Senor Frangipani. BTW Frangipane is also the name of a family of North American tropical shrubs with fragrant, multi-colored flowers. Hawaii is the primary grower of Frangipane flowers today whose scent is floral and not at all like almonds.

Truites aux Amandes, Beurre Noisette au Miel d’Amandier - Trout with almonds prepared with beurre noisette sauce and almond tree honey. Beurre Noisette is a melted butter sauce. Noisettes are hazelnuts, and here the butter is melted until its color resembles the color of hazelnuts and it has a slightly nutty flavor.

Parfait with almonds
As a dessert a parfait will be a cold or frozen dessert mousse, often a fruit-based mousse, made with cream.
Photograph courtesy of Sophie
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Almonds in pastries and cakes.

You may make a quick check on the almond’s popularity in pastries by looking at a display of pastries in any medium-sized French café, a cafe that offers at least seven or eight choices of pastries or cakes. Without a doubt, two or three or more pastries will have almonds in their recipes. In the rare cases where almonds are in less than thirty percent of the recipes, their place will have been taken by the walnut or hazelnut. Almonds are also number three in the best-selling croissant stakes; the Croissant aux Amandes comes after chocolate croissant (in France called a Pain au Chocolat, not a croissant au chocolat). Of course, the best-selling croissant is the Croissant au Beurre, a butter croissant.

Many other famous pastries and cakes are made with almonds and include the traditional Dacquoise, the Marjolaine, the Gateaux Paris-Brest, as well as Financiers, Pralines, Pralines Roses, and Pralulines.

Croissant aux Amandes
Photograph courtesy of Cuisine AZ

Almonds are also the essential ingredient in marzipan, massepain in French. There are famous marzipan varieties associated with Spain, Italy, and Germany, and while France has several unique marzipan recipes it is more famous for the marzipan decorations that make birthdays and holidays come alive.

Marzipan displays.
Photograph courtesy of Dave Collier
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Lait d'Amande – Almond milk.

Almond milk is another recipe introduced by the Romans, made by soaking almonds for two or three days and then peeling and crushing them. However, I have no idea how the Romans made almond milk without electric blenders. In sauces and dessert recipes, almond milk adds its unique flavor without the texture of the nut. French chefs have improved on the original Roman recipes and add other flavors. However, read the label as some modern almond milk products include additives other than just sugar. As almond milk has no connection to real cow’s milk, it is also enjoyed by vegans and those with milk allergies. My first vegan cappuccino introduced me to almond milk when it did an outstanding job replacing cow's milk.

Almond milk on French menus:

Clafoutis Figues et Lait d'Amandes – Clafoutis made with figs and a batter made with almond milk. Clafoutis began as tarts made with a thick crêpe-like batter cooked together with sour cherries, but today will have ingredients that go far beyond fruits.

Dos de Cabillaud au Chou-Fleur, Parfumé au Lait d'Amande – A cut from the meatiest portion of cod. The fish is served with cauliflower flavored with almond milk.

Glace au Lait d’Amande – Ice-cream made with almond milk.

French Almond milk.
Photograph courtesy of Bjorg.

The almond tree comes to France.

The Romans brought to France their straight roads, amphitheaters, bathhouses, temples, villas. But of more lasting use, they also brought many fruit trees to France. Along with almond trees came apricot trees, cherry trees, plum trees, and many others. Already 2,000 years ago, almonds were part of the Roman diet and culture.

Almond candies, sweets.

Look in a traditional chocolatier window, a classic French chocolate shop, or a conventional confiserie, a traditional confectionery. Then go to a modern candy store, a sweet shop, and, of course, a supermarket. All will offer an endless choice of candies, sweets, and that include almonds.

A confiserie.
Photograph courtesy of Michael Bundscherer
www.flickr.com/photos/bundscherer/3253370215/

Dragées - Sugared Almonds

The Romans threw almonds at newlyweds as a fertility rite and the first recipes for sugared almonds were almonds coated with honey came from Rome. The tradition of almonds at wedding spread to Europe and most family celebrations, especially baptisms in France are considered incomplete without a small gift of sugared almonds for the guests. By the 17^th century almonds with a hard sugar covering were well established.

Toffee world 3-kilo jar of sugared almonds
Toffeeworld.co.uk/Glisten_Sugared_Almonds_Sweets_3kg_Bags/

Amandes Aboukir
Whole almonds covered in almond paste or marzipan and dipped in caramelized sugar.

Amandes Aboukir are served as a petit four, occasionally as a dessert. That bay is famous in French history as the site of Napoleon I’s victorious land-based battle in Egypt with the Ottoman Turkish army. Here, began the slow end to Turkish rule over Egypt, and historically that battle paved the way for the construction of the Suez Canal and eventually Egyptian independence.

Amandine – A soft pastry made with almonds.

Amaretto - An almond-flavored liqueur. While Amaretto was created in Italy, today, it is made all over the world. French companies such as Marie Brizard of Bordeaux, famous for their Anisette, make their own French versions of Amaretto.