I sprinkled a bit of herbes de provence into the sliced mixture, along with lots of olive oil, salt and pepper. Once the apple and celery root slices are tossed together, it’s hard to tell what’s what. The juicy apple is less imperative as it breaks down more quickly when cooking. A mandoline works great for this, especially the dense celery root, which you’ll want to slice evenly to cook evenly. While the dough is chilling in a ball, shred your celery root and apple into slivers. I would have tried this with half buckwheat flour also, but mine was spent. A good rule of thumb is to add plenty of salt-half a teaspoon if your butter is unsalted. I used half whole-wheat, half all-purpose flour and a stick of butter. It should also lend a subtle nutty flavor, which I think works well in a savory tart. Whole wheat flour gives the crust a suntan. Tart, sweet, and buttery as can be (butter is the third ingredient here, really, and should have been photographed alongside above), it’s an easy way to make the so-called harshness of celery root go down. Especially paired with wintry fruits like apples. Because celery root, and most root vegetables, are awfully good in a savory tart. I hope that doesn’t get any ideas in your head and you see things more from my perspective (taste can be so learned). Two of them-both avid home cooks and foodies-declined, citing a shocking dislike for in-your-face celery. (One of them also does not like cilantro, which is telling.) I became aware of the aversion to celery and celery root when I presented this tart to a small dinner party of good friends.

And combined with the sweetness of apple and the dairy richness of butter, it’s pure harmony. The herbal, vegetal nuances are beguiling, surprising and intriguing to me. To me, the cleaned bare root looks, smells and tastes fairly innocent at first, then slowly creeps more complexity. The taste and scent of celery root offends some, and this I had not known before.

Using tart apples as a savory starch