sweet miscellany

Paper thin slices of celeriac are dressed simply with minced fresh chives, chive blossoms, extra virgin olive oil, and lemon salt. This vegan and gluten free side dish is refreshingly light and only requires 6 ingredients and 10 minutes of your time!

I can’t express how good it has been for my soul to be back in the garden after the dreary darkness of winter. Everything is verdant and springing forth with life. I often find myself wanting to linger and observe as if I could actually see the plants growing if I stood there long enough. I figured it was about time to share some of the beauty of the garden with you and the simple dish it inspired last week: shaved celeriac with minced chives and lemon salt. If you’d like to head straight to the recipe, you can scroll down to the bottom of the post!

I’d been thinking of a dish like this after several people told me they like to enjoy celeriac raw. I’ve always enjoyed it roasted or cooked so it got the creative wheels turning. And suddenly, I began to dream of a simple salad of paper-thin slices of celeriac dressed with fresh garden herbs. A dish where you could taste every component reminiscent of the freshness of spring. A dish that marks a moment in the season when certain vegetables and herbs converge. And a dish that makes you close your eyes and smile until the last bite has long been eaten.

So here we are, a celebration of celeriac and chives brightened up with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of lemon salt. Since celeriac might not be in season or available to you in your neck of the woods, you can still enjoy this dish with any of the following: kohlrabi, beets, or radishes. I hope you enjoy this simple spring dish!

Shaved Celeriac with Chives and Lemon Salt

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Author: Courtney
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Diet: Vegan

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Description

Ingredients

Scale

1 celeriac/celery root
1–2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small bunch of onion chives
a few chive blossoms, optional
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp coarse sea salt (I used Maldon)

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Instructions

Using a paring knife, remove the outer skin of the celeriac. You can do this with a vegetable peeler but I find it quicker to use a knife. Once all of the rough outer skin has been removed from the celeriac, use a mandolin to begin carefully cutting it into very thin slices.

Layer the slices on a large serving platter or on individual plates if you like. Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over the shaved celeriac. For the portion you see in the photos, I used about 1 1/2 -2 tsp of oil.

Mince your chives, then scatter them evenly over the surface of the celeriac. If you’re using chive blossoms, scatter them evenly over the surface as well.

Combine the lemon zest with the coarse sea salt in a small bowl. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the salt. Sprinkle a pinch or two of your lemon salt over the celeriac and chives.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

The best way to create the thin slices of celeriac is with a mandolin. If you don’t have one, you can use a very sharp knife and a steady hand. Celeriac oxidizes after a while so make sure to prepare this dish right before you’d like to serve it!
Since celeriac might not be in season or available to you in your neck of the woods, you can still enjoy this dish with any of the following: kohlrabi, beets, or radishes.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Category: side

Almond Shortbread Sandwiches with Dark Chocolate Ganache (vegan & grain free) | seasonal plant-based recipes via the Sweet Miscellany blog

Grain free and vegan almond shortbread cookies are sandwiched together with a simple vegan dark chocolate ganache. These cookies are great for enjoying any time of year and can be elevated with a few colorful edible flowers.

I was originally going to shoot and share a savory spring salad with you today, but somehow my mind became fixated on ganache. So, here we are! I’ve been drawn to learning more about French cuisine lately (hence the ganache fixation). I actually have a minor in French, and was fluent at one point, but have not used my français in many, many years. It started with seeing a movie set in the French countryside. And then I found out there’s a Chef’s Table: France. And now, I have two French cookbooks to peruse. C’est charmant!

Obviously it can be a little challenging to make traditional French recipes vegetarian or vegan, but ganache is a pretty easy one to adapt. Ganache is simply chocolate and cream. To make it vegan, I used a vegan dark chocolate and coconut cream. Just two, relatively-easy-to-find ingredients, and you’ve got vegan ganache!

Since it’s spring and there are so many beautiful edible flowers in the garden, I decided to adorn the cookies for the photos. I used violas but lavender or rosemary flowers would be lovely, too! The edible flowers don’t add much flavor-wise, but it definitely makes eating the shortbread sandwiches more delightful. And, it dresses up their relatively plain appearance.

Almond Shortbread Sandwiches with Dark Chocolate Ganache

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Author: Courtney
Total Time: 42-45 minutes (plus chilling time)
Yield: 13–14 sandwiches 1x
Diet: Vegan

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Ingredients

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for the shortbread cookies

250g (2 1/4 cups) almond flour/meal
30g (1/4 cup) arrowroot flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
100g (1/2 cup) coconut oil, melted
95g (1/3 cup) maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
edible flowers for garnish, optional

for the ganache

6 oz vegan dark chocolate
6 tbsp coconut cream

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Instructions

Whisk together the almond meal, arrowroot, sea salt, and baking soda. Add the coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Mix well until you have a cohesive cookie dough.

Divide the dough into two equal portions. Place each portion onto a sheet of plastic wrap or other food wrap and roll it into a long that is roughly 6 to 7 inches long and about 1 1/2 inches wide. Cover the logs of dough with the wrap and place them in the fridge to chill fully for 4-6 hours.

When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment. Remove the logs of dough from the fridge and unwrap them. Using a serrated knife, carefully slice the logs of dough into roughly 1/4-inch rounds. Place the rounds onto your prepared baking sheet, leaving at least once inch of space between each. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes in your pre-heated oven or until they are turning golden brown around the edges. Cool the cookies completely on the tray.

While the cookies are cooling, make the ganache. Roughly chop the dark chocolate and add it to a small metal or glass mixing bowl along with the coconut cream. Fill a small pot with about an 1 1/2 inches of water and set it on a burner over medium heat. Set the mixing bowl on the pot. The bowl should rest on top of the pot without the bottom of it making contact with the water. You’ve now created a double boiler! As the water begins to simmer, it will release steam that will begin to warm the mixing bowl and melt the chocolate. Once you see the chocolate beginning to melt, stir it gently until it is fully melted and smooth. Remove the bowl with your ganache and set it on the counter.

At this point, you can let the ganache come to room temperature by letting it sit on the counter at room temperature, or you can place it in the fridge and whisk it every 15-20 minutes until it has thickened to a spreadable consistency (this is what I ended up doing to speed up the process). You don’t want it completely solid but rather at a consistency you’re able to spread or pipe onto the cookies!

When you’re ready to assemble, count the number of cookies you have. You’ll only be putting the ganache on half of them. For the half getting the ganache, you’ll flip them over onto the flat side (the side that was face down on the baking tray). You can use either a palette knife or a piping bag to spread the ganache onto the flat side of half of the cookies. I ended up using about a heaped tablespoon on each. Once you’ve placed ganache on half of the cookies, you’ll sandwich them with the remaining half.

Garnish your shortbread sandwiches with edible flowers if you like before enjoying. Keep leftovers in an airtight container and enjoy within 3-4 days.

Notes

This recipe does require a bit of chilling time, both for the dough and for the ganache, so make sure to factor that into your time. I ended up making the dough the night before I wanted to bake these so it could chill overnight.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 12-15 minutes