• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
✮ The Food Dictator ✮

The Hirshon Celery Victor

April 6, 2020 by The Generalissimo 1 Comment

200
SHARES
FacebookTwitterPinterestRedditWhatsappYummly
Light Dark Dark Light
()

 

The Hirshon Celery Victor
Celery Victor Image Used Under Creative Commons License From Pinterest.com

 

My Citizens, a confluence of recent events have simultaneously aligned for the Hetman of History, YOUR TFD – while self-isolating due to the pandemic, I find myself with an unexpected plethora of celery. This is not one of my most favorite vegetables, usually only used by me in tuna salad, Cajun recipes or in a stock. However, a dim memory suddenly sprang to electric brilliance in my cavernous cranium – a very old recipe from the early 20th century from right here in San Francisco for Celery Victor!

This recipe hits all my preferred powerful flavor notes and is nearly lost to time – a pity as it is truly delicious! Allow me to take this recipe off life support and return it to the ivory pedestal it once occupied in high society, Citizens!

Celery Victor is an historical American marinated celery salad dish invented in 1910 by Victor Hirtzler, head chef at San Francisco’s St. Francis Hotel, who is also credited with inventing Crab Louie.

The dish, an “American classic”, was popularized by author Clarence Edwords in his 1914 book, A Bohemian Guide to San Francisco Restaurants (a copy of which occupies a place of honor in TFD’s culinary library!).

To prepare, celery hearts are simmered in a veal, chicken, or beef stock, chilled and served with a thickly-emulsified tarragon vinaigrette and a garnish of celery leaves and served as a flavorful first course.

As noted in a fantastic article in the LA Times back in 1988:

There was a time when California cuisine did not mean goat cheese, grilled anything, baby produce and the rest of today’s trendy ideas.

In the past, some remarkable cooking took place in this state, dishes virtually forgotten in the contemporary rush toward smart new foods.

Now homage is being paid afresh to a chef of the past, a man whose taste and innovations established dining style in San Francisco in the first quarter of this century. He is the late Victor Hirtzler, legendary chef of the Hotel St. Francis and creator of such classics as Celery Victor and Peach Melba.

Born in Strasbourg in northeastern France, Hirtzler cooked there and in Paris, served as taster for Czar Nicholas II and as chef de cuisine to King Don Carlos of Portugal. Migrating to the United States, he found work at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. There he was discovered by James Woods, who had been named manager of the luxurious hotel that was being constructed on Union Square in San Francisco.

The St. Francis opened March 24, 1904, and Hirtzler remained as chef until 1926. He died in Strasbourg in 1931.

Bon vivant and companion to celebrities and society, the flamboyant Hirtzler was dedicated to his craft. In 1910, he produced a cookbook, “L’Art Culinaire, Hotel St. Francis Book of Recipes and Model Menus,” with wealthy San Francisco socialites as sponsors of the first privately published edition.

The recipes from this book formed the basis of a much larger work, the “Hotel St. Francis Cook Book,” which was published in 1919.

Citizens, this is by no means a difficult recipe and it calls for no outré ingredients, making it ideal for cooking from your pantry during COVID-19.

I have made a few changes to the recipe, per my norm – the edits as always are notes in the instructions. Anchovy is a crucial part of the flavor profile for this dish – I only endorse this brand.

Enjoy this memory from a bygone age and surprise your family with celery as a delicious vegetable/salad/first course today!

Battle on – the Generalissimo

 

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
The Hirshon Celery Victor

The Hirshon Celery Victor


★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

  • Total Time: 0 hours
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 medium celery bunches (about 4 1/2 pounds)
  • 4 cups (1 quart) homemade or low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/4 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 5 fresh Italian parsley sprigs
  • 3 fresh tarragon sprigs
  • 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf, preferably fresh
  • ***
  • For the dressing:
  • 2 anchovy fillets (TFD endorses only Ortiz brand anchovies!)
  • 3 Tbsp. celery cooking stock
  • 3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1/8 cup tarragon white wine vinegar (TFD change, preferred) or use vinegar from a bottle of capers (also a TFD change) or use white wine vinegar as in the original recipe – adjust amount to taste
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly-ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup vegetable or grapeseed oil
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh tarragon leaves
  • 2 Tbsp. capers (TFD addition, omit for original recipe)
  • ***
  • Reserved celery leaves from the inner hearts of each bunch of celery
  • Extra anchovies

Instructions

  1. For the celery:
  2. Remove and separate the outer stalks from the tender smaller inner stalks. Wash the outer stalks and, using a vegetable peeler, peel and discard the outer stringy layer from each stalk. Trim and cut the stalks on the bias into 6-inch lengths; set aside.
  3. Remove the leaves from the tender inner stalks (you should have about 3/4 cup). Reserve the inner stalks for another use. Rinse the leaves, place in a small bowl, cover with a damp piece of paper towel, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  4. Place the chicken broth, onion, bay leaf, parsley, tarragon, and salt in a large straight-sided frying pan or Dutch oven, season with pepper, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the celery in 2 flat layers and bring to a simmer (the liquid should just cover the celery). Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the celery is just tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
  5. Transfer the celery to an 8-by-8-inch square heatproof dish and pour the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer over the stalks. Refrigerate uncovered until the celery is chilled, about 2 ½ hours.
  6. For the dressing:
  7. Place the anchovies and vinegar in a blender and season with salt and pepper. Turn the blender on high, remove the small cap from the blender lid, and slowly pour in the oils. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until combined. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed; set aside until ready to serve.
  8. To assemble:
  9. Evenly divide the chilled celery stalks among 6 to 8 plates. Drizzle each plate with 1 to 1 ½ Tbsp. of the dressing and garnish with the reserved celery leaves and extra anchovy fillets.
  • Prep Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 0 hours

Nutrition

  • Calories: 410.12 kcal
  • Sugar: 8.91 g
  • Sodium: 1953.13 mg
  • Fat: 30.68 g
  • Saturated Fat: 4.08 g
  • Trans Fat: 0.0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 26.53 g
  • Fiber: 10.74 g
  • Protein: 11.34 g
  • Cholesterol: 2.04 mg

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @thefooddictator on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook and hashtag it #TFD

 

 

How useful was this post, Citizen?

Click to rate My Recipe, Citizen - 5 hearts are ALWAYS appreciated!

Average rating / 5. Vote count:

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

As you found this post useful...

Follow us on social media, Citizen!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

Related posts:

The Hirshon Greek Spiced Christmas Bread - Χριστόψωμο
The Hirshon 'Social Distancing' Roasted Garlic Herb Dip
The Hirshon Cuban Garlic Herb Sauce - Mojo de Ajo
The Hirshon Thai Cucumber Pickles - อาจาด
The Hirshon Breton Cotriade Soup
The Hirshon Luxembourg Hong am Rèisleck
The Hirshon Iraqi Burgers - عروق
The Hirshon West African Curry Powder

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: Appetizers, Salad, Vegetables

About The Generalissimo

The myth of the Generalissimo is far more interesting than the reality.

Previous Post: « The Hirshon Malaysian Peranakan Tamarind Pork – Babi Assam
Next Post: The Hirshon Iranian Hallaq Charoset for Passover – حلاق »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. nofixedstars

    April 9, 2020 at 6:47 AM

    i’ve always liked celery; i particularly like it cooked, and it’s the only other veggie besides fennel and radishes that i truly enjoy eating raw. my family do not share my celery love, however. perhaps this may convert at least one of them…

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

➤ Citizens – Please Support TFD Nation!

Donate to Help TFD!

⇔ Search, And Ye Shall Assuredly Find!

✮ Citizens ✮

TFD currently has a total of 1,363 posts and 1,159,134 words written since December of 2014! Add your voice to My 50,000+ dedicated readers, comment on My recipes and thus become an active member of TFD Nation! Looking for a particular recipe? Search for it in the box above or via the category tags below - there are THOUSANDS of the finest in world and historic recipes here!

❧ TREMBLE Before Our Categoric Zeal!

Appetizers (145)Beef (143)Beverages (24)Bread (111)Cheese (64)Chicken (132)Chinese (121)Chocolate (16)Condiments (262)Dessert (166)Drinks (23)Duck (20)Egg (47)Fish (56)French (56)Game (30)Georgian (34)Indian (60)Italian (58)Jewish (84)Lamb (73)Manifestos (1)Pasta (90)Pork (147)Salad (40)Sandwich (42)Seafood (84)Shrimp (53)Soup (109)Spices (12)Tofu (7)Turkey (15)Veal (18)Vegetables (108)

✺ Click to Follow Us Across Social Media!

Facebook   

    instagram

☥ TFD SPEAKS!!!

https://www.thefooddictator.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/TFD-Avatar-Cold-Open-FINAL.mp4

 Enjoy TFD’s Mellifluous Podcasts, Citizen!

Listen on Apple Podcasts

© 2023 · The Food Dictator is abjectly served by WORDPRESS

✮ The Food Dictator ✮
Manage Cookie Consent
Citizens!

Be advised that as an enlightened Dictatorship here at TFD, we are indeed on the side of right when it comes to protecting the privacy of TFD Nation!

We do use technologies such as cookies to store and/or access device information, solely to improve your browsing experience and to show personalized ads.

Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions - trust us, we really ARE on your side!

YOUR LOYALTY IS NOTED! 🎖️
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
200
SHARES
FacebookTwitterPinterestRedditMailYummly