Louisiana Crab Remoulade with Roasted Beet Tartare

[Megan Hobza]

I'll just warn y'all -- this is some complicated recipe!  But if you're having guests over, whether they are vegan or not, it's sure to impress.  This recipe includes the Tuesday Dinners super secret favorite remoulade recipe, too.  You can make just the remoulade as a dip for veggies, fried foods, etc., if you want the flavor of this dish without all the fanciness. 

Oh and yes, it's all vegan!

Louisiana Crab Remoulade with Roasted Beet Tartare

• 10 cups diced roasted beets  (10-15 medium-sized beets)
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ⅓ cup Dijon mustard
• 6 minced shallots
• 3 teaspoons minced garlic
• ½ cup capers
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4.5 cups “crabmeat” (Chickpea of the Sea, below)
• 1+ cups white remoulade sauce (recipe follows)
• 18 sprigs chervil or tarragon

Beets
Preheat oven to 350°F. Trim the greens off the top of the beets. Wrap each beet in foil. Roast in oven for approximately 1 hour. Check beets by inserting a wooden skewer into center of the beet to make sure it is tender. Once done, allow beets to cool.  Peel the skin off the beets using a vegetable peeler. Dice into 1/4-inch cubes. (Wear latex gloves to avoid staining the skin on your hands.)

In a small stainless steel mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, mustard, shallots, and garlic. Stir in beets, capers, parsley, salt, and pepper. Divide beets into portions by placing approximately 1/4 cup of beet mixture into a 4-inch ring mold in the center of each plate. If you don’t have a ring mold, you can use a soup or tuna can that has both ends cut off.

Original Remoulade Sauce (Step One) → completed, in jar

• ¼ chopped onion
• ⅛ cup oil
• ¼ cup tarragon vinegar (you can also add 1 Tbps minced fresh tarragon to rice vinegar)
  
• ¼ cup brown Creole mustard or other spicy mustard
• 1 t paprika
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 medium clove garlic, pressed
• ¼ cup chopped green onion

In a blender, place onions, oil, vinegar, mustard, paprika, cayenne, salt, and garlic. Pulse for 5-6 seconds. Stir, then pulse another 5-6 seconds.  Add green onions and pulse for 2 seconds.  Do not blend longer or you will have puree.  Chill sauce.

White Remoulade Sauce (Step 2)

• 3/4 cup cashew cream (1/2 cup raw cashews soaked overnight with water, blended)
  
• 2 tablespoons celery, finely diced
• 2 teaspoons parsley, chopped
• Add Original Remoulade Sauce recipe above, ¼ cup at a time, to taste

Crab Remoulade (Chickpea of the Sea)

• 3-4 cups cooked chickpeas
  
• ½ cup white remoulade sauce at a time, add more in ¼ cup increments to taste

Place chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor and pulse two or three times to roughly chop. Add remaining ingredients and pulse two or three times more to incorporate. DO NOT OVERBLEND.  Should have the consistency of tuna salad.

[mshauck]

wow! sounds excellent megan. thank you!!! do you just pour the sauce over the top and then remove the mold? or remove the mold and pour the sauce around it?