Coeurs de Céleri en Salade (French Celery Appetiser)

2 heads celery
1 chicken stock cube
1 level tablespoon salt
½ pint well-flavored Vinaigrette sauce (see card 5 in this set)
½ level teaspoon paprika
Cayenne pepper
¼ pint double cream
4 hard-boiled eggs
4 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Trim heads of celery, cutting off top third of branches and outside stalks; cut each head in half; put celery in a saucepan with trimmings, chicken stock cube and salt; cover with cold water and bring slowly to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes; remove from heat. and leave in hot water for 5 minutes; drain and cool. Arrange celery in a flat serving dish; spoon over half of the Vinaigrette sauce and allow celery to marinate in this mixture for at least 1 hour.

Combine remaining Vinaigrette sauce with paprika, a pinch of cayenne pepper and the double cream; mix well. Separate yolks from whites of eggs, and rub each separately through a wire sieve.

To serve: place blanched celery hearts on a serving dish; cover each celery half with dressing; garnish on-third of each portion with sieved egg white, one-third with sieved egg yolk, and remaining third with finely chopped parsley. Serve immediately. Serves 4.


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