Celery Root-Apply Salad with Creamy Mustard Dressing. Photograph by Stephen Kent Johnson.
THE ART OF FLAVOR
By Daniel Patterson and Mandy Aftel
When a celebrated perfumer and a Michelin-anointed chef team up for a book exploring the myriad nuances of flavor, magic happens. Thoughtfully researched and curated, The Art of Flavor (Riverhead Books) will prove indispensable even for seasoned cooks, helping to cultivate a more intimate knowledge of ingredients and how to use them. Here, a recipe that uses mustard for a spike in flavor in a crisp salad.
Photograph by Stephen Kent Johnson
Celery Root–Apple Salad with Creamy Mustard Dressing
Serves 4 as a main course, 6 as a side dish
1 celery root
1 tart green apple
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
3 tablespoons crème fraîche
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced chives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Peel and julienne the celery root and apple. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, crème fraîche, and lemon juice to taste. Add the celery root, apple, and chives. Toss to coat well, then season with salt and black pepper. Serve on its own or as an accompaniment to meat or game.
Should you find this salad too demure, its flavors almost too balanced and harmonious, amp up the mustard and take your cue from it to pile on the
heat: seeded and finely chopped jalapeño can add a sweet, round spiciness that locks with the mustard and punches through the other flavors.
Printed with permission from THE ART OF FLAVOR: Practices and Principles for Making Delicious Food by Daniel Patterson and Mandy Aftel. Published by arrangement with Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2017 by Daniel Patterson and Mandy Aftel.
NEIGHBORHOOD
By Hetty McKinnon
Cook and food writer Hetty McKinnon and her community-based Arthur Street Kitchen may now be based in Brooklyn, but her cookbook takes a more global perspective on vegetable-forward eating. A compendium of practical, plant-based recipes it included this clever remix on a classic potato leek soup punctuated by buttery mustard-doused croutons.
Roasted Sweet Potato with Leeks and Mustard Croutons
Serves 4-6
6 sweet potatoes (about 3 lb), unpeeled, washed and cut into ½ in (1 cm) cubes
4 small leeks, white and light green parts only, finely sliced into rounds and washed
2–3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
2 cups baby arugula leaves
Sea salt and black pepper
MUSTARD CROUTONS:
7 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
3 teaspoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
½ lb stale bread, such as sourdough or ciabatta, torn into 1 inch chunks
1 oz parmesan, grated
Sea salt and black pepper
MUSTARD DRESSING:
1 cup Greek yogurt
1½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, grated
Sea salt and black pepper
Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C).
For the mustard croutons, melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat until it starts to foam. Whisk in the mustard, herbs, and a big pinch of salt and pepper, take off the heat, and leave to cool for a few minutes. Spread the bread pieces out on a large baking tray, pour over the mustard butter and sprinkle over the grated cheese. Mix everything together well to ensure the bread is evenly coated. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the croutons are golden. Set aside to cool.
Arrange the sweet potato and leeks on a large baking tray. Drizzle over 1–2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20–25 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
To make the mustard dressing, combine the yogurt, mustard, oil, and garlic. Whisk until smooth. Add a little water if it is too thick —you want the consistency of thickened cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Combine the sweet potato and leeks with the chives, arugula, and mustard croutons. To serve, stir through the dressing, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
Printed with permission from Neighborhood by Hetty McKinnon © 2016 by Hetty McKinnon. Photography © 2016 by Luisa Brimble. Reprinted in arrangement with Roost Books, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder, CO.
THE BOOK OF GREENS: A COOK’S COMPENDIUM
By Jenn Louis
Portland, Oregon-based chef Jenn Louis’s so-called love letter to greens of every creed, including many lesser-known varieties (like burdock, tatsoi, mallow, and chrysanthemum), is part compendium, part cookbook and utterly essential for anyone looking to broaden their greens-forward recipe repertoire. This easy, breezy lettuce jam, an ideal dip, sandwich accompaniment, or sauce for fish or pork, makes clever use of any damaged lettuce leaves blending it with plenty of mustard and two of our other favorite ingredients: capers and cornichons.
Lettuce Jam
Makes 1½ cups
6 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil
10½ ounces assorted lettuces (about 1 packed heaping quart), including outer leaves and damaged leaves
2 large shallots, sliced into ¼-inch [6 mm] pieces
1½ tablespoons drained capers
8 cornichons
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Fine sea salt
Place a large pan over high heat. When very hot, add 4 tablespoons of the oil. When the oil shimmers, add the lettuce. Let the lettuce cook, undisturbed, until the moisture has evaporated, about 2 minutes, then stir to redistribute. Do not burn the lettuce, but cook through and make sure the leaves become dry. This should take 3 to 4 minutes total. The greens will absorb the oil. Using a plastic spatula, scrape the lettuce onto a plate and chill in the refrigerator until very cold.
While the lettuce is cooling, return the large pan to medium-high heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add the shallots and cook until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Scarpe onto the same plate as the lettuce and cool both completely.
Combine the capers, cornichons, and mustard in a food processor and pulse to chop, leaving the mixture chunky. Add the greens and process until a creamy paste or dip consistency forms. Season to taste with salt. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
Other greens to try: mixed chicories, head lettuces.
Printed with permission from The Book of Greens A Cook’s Compendium by Jenn Louis with Kathleen Squires, published by Penguin Random House.
ONIONS ET CETERA: THE ESSENTIAL ALLIUM COOKBOOK
By Kate Winslow
A perennial presence in everyone’s kitchen, the humble onion doesn’t often get the attention it so rightfully deserves. This tome by former Gourmet editor and recipe developer Kate Winslow aims to shift our perspective on the ubiquitous allium, giving it a new place of purpose on our plates. Her recipe for pork chops with apples and onions, inspired in great part by a passage from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie, relies heavily on mustard to punctuate the dish’s flavors.
Pork Chops with Apples And Onions
Serves 4 to 6
1½ pounds boneless pork chops
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
6 small unpeeled apples, thinly sliced
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
Using a meat pounder or the side of a rolling pin, pound the pork chops between sheets of plastic wrap until they are an even ¼ inch thick. Season them all over with salt and pepper. Spread a thin layer of mustard on both sides of the chops, then dredge lightly in the breadcrumbs to coat. Set aside on parchment while you prepare the apples and onions.
Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy skillet over moderately high heat. Add the apples and onions, cover and cook for about 2 minutes until they begin to soften. Uncover the skillet, season with salt and pepper and continue to cook, stirring gently from time to time, until the apples and onions are softened but still have some bite, 8 to 10 minutes more. Transfer to a platter and cover loosely to keep warm.
Wipe out the skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat over moderately high heat. Depending on the size of the skillet, you may have to cook the chops in batches or use 2 pans. When the butter foams, add the breaded chops and cook until golden brown and crisp on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip carefully and cook until the bottom crumbs are golden brown and the pork is cooked through and juicy, another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve right away with the warm apples and onions.
Recipe text c/o Burgess Lea Press, an imprint of The Quarto Group
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