Celeriac Pie
A cozy pie + the recipe for buttery and versatile pie dough
Coming off the heels of the creamy celeriac soup I shared a couple of weeks ago, this root vegetable is also amazing in pie form. Here, it is cooked alongside aromatics and potatoes until tender, then nestled under a layer of buttery pastry that bakes into a golden and flaky crust in the oven. It’s serious comfort food.
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
340g (2 3/4 cups) all-purpose (plain) flour
1 tsp kosher salt
255g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) very cold, unsalted butter, cut into 2 cm / 1” cubes
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
8-10 tbsp (120mL) ice water
For the filling:
60mL (1/4 cup) olive oil
1 large white onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks of celery, sliced 1/2 cm / 1/4” thick
1 large celeriac, diced 1 cm / 1/2” wide
1 large potato, diced 1 cm / 1/2” wide
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp thyme leaves (fresh or dried)
1 tsp dijon mustard
175mL (3/4 cup) white wine
235mL (1 cup) vegetable stock
2-3 tbsp cream
1 egg, whisked
Instructions:
1. Make the pastry: in a bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Whisk together the ice water and apple cider vinegar then place in the freezer while you work. Add the cubed butter to the flour mixture and use your fingers to coat the butter in flour while you squish and break it up into large, flat pieces. Once all of the butter cubes have been broken up/flattened out, pour in the ice water-vinegar mixture and use a wooden spoon to stir until a shaggy mixture forms. Pour the dough mixture out onto your work surface and use your hands to compress all of the flour and butter bits together. It’s alright if there is some loose flour but if the mixture seems too dry, add more cold water 1 tbsp at a time until the dough comes together. Press the dough into a disk, then wrap it in beeswax or plastic wrap and place in your fridge while you make the filling.
2. For the filling, heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat, then add the diced onion and season well with salt. Cook until transparent, then add the garlic and celery and continue cooking for 5-8 minutes until the vegetables have reduced and taken on a light golden colour: this will add depth of flavour to your pie.
3. At this point, stir in the celeriac and potato. Add the 2 tbsp butter and once melted, sift in the flour and add the thyme and dijon, then stir until all of the vegetables are evenly coated.
4. Add the wine, and stir to incorporate, then simmer until it has reduced significantly, 5-6 minutes. Then, add in the vegetable stock and cream and simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring once in a while, until the vegetables are just tender and the liquid has thickened. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a 9” pie dish or other similarly sized, oven-proof baking dish (a cast iron skillet or casserole dish would also work well).
6. To roll out your dough, generously flour a work surface. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a large circle 1/2 cm (1/5”) thick, carefully rotating the dough and flipping it over every so often to ensure that it isn’t sticking. Once it is thin enough, fold the dough in half and carefully transfer it to cover the baking dish with your filling. Use a pair of scissors to trim the overhang to be 4 cm (1.5”) thick, then tuck in the overhand by folding it in half under itself and pinching it to form a wavy boarder (I’ve linked a video demonstrating this below). Place the pie in the freezer for 20 minutes and preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
7. Once 20 minutes have passed, remove the pie from the freezer and brush the pastry evenly with egg wash, making sure to get in all of the crevices. Bake the pie for 55-60 min, or until the crust is golden brown all over. If parts of the crust darken too quickly, tent them with foil to prevent burning.
8. Cool for 20-25 minutes, then serve.
-Your pastry dough should be kept as cold as possible at all times. If it seems to be warming up at any point, quickly transfer it to the fridge or, ideally, freezer for 20-30 minutes until it chills. This is essential to maintain the nice, large buttery pockets that lead to the flakiest pastries. Make sure the water used for your dough is icy cold and try not to over-work it.
-The potato and celeriac will finish cooking while the pie bakes. To avoid them becoming mushy in the oven, cook them until just barely tender when you prepare the filling on the stove. You can check this by piercing them with the tip of a paring knife: you should still feel a bit of resistance when the filling is done.
-Here is a helpful video demonstrating how to shape your pie crust with a fluted edge: