Supper Club Tests #1

I've been testing recipes for the Supper Club dates for November.

Something I'm considering are vegetables that are salt baked; coated in a thick layer of salt and baked gently until they are tender all the way through. It sounds appealing and jacket potatoes have been done this way by some for many years but more recently other vegetables have become the vogue on tasting and traditional menus alike, familiar and yet a little bit novel, well flavoured without stretching the bravery of diner's palates much further than they're accustomed to.



I had a go with a celeriac root and a similarly sized beetroot as a first attempt. The vegetables were washed very well, grit is nasty, but the skins were left intact to provide a barrier against too much salt pervading them.

I used a deep ceramic casserole for two reasons, mainly to help hold the salty coating around the roots without having to use too much salt and also to catch any juices should they exude. I was a bit worried that the salt would attack the glaze but although it seemed as if the salt crystals were inextricably welded to the dish just after it came out of the oven it came away easily once it was cooled. 

The salt was sea salt, my favourite Sel de Guerande from Brittany. Straight from the bag it was just damp enough to cling thickly to the sides and top of the vegetables nestled on a shallow bed of more salt.

They were baked in the gas oven at about 180C-200C for one and half hours. I tested them with a knife for tenderness, smaller or larger roots will need different timings.

Carefully extract the roots from the salt. Some of the coat will break off in chunks and some will need to be brushed off with a cloth or even a stiff brush. It's all rather hot too so use protection for your hands. When all the salt is cleared from the veg. remove them to a clean bowl or board and clean up all the salt from the working area before proceeding. An unexpected mouthful of salt crystals is quite nasty. The used salt can be crumbled when cool and reused for baking.

Then you can carve your dish. It's best to peel the salty skin away and make thin cuts, either sliced or narrow wedges as desired.

This is the moment when I have to admit I was less than overwhelmed by it all. The intensified celeriac flavour was almost too strong to be pleasant, the beetroot no better that roots roasted without salt. I'm going to try again with the intention of dressing the finely sliced vegetable flesh with some sort of balancing sauce but for the moment this lovely sounding idea is still a work in progress.