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128
128
Shrimp Celery Victor
With a red fez set rakishly atop his head and a persona
larger than life, chef Victor Hirtzler reigned over the Hotel
St. Francis in San Francisco from 1904 to 1926. Hirtzler
was a native of Strasbourg, France, a former taster for
Czar Nicholas II, and once chef to King Carlos I of Por-
tugal. Among the astonishingly varied, European-inspired
creations Hirtzler named after himself, Celery Victor (ca.
1910) may be the most enduring. The simple and delicious
poached vegetable dish hails from the days before raw
greens defined a salad. We've added shrimp for substance
and capers for spark.
3 pieces celery hearts,
about 5 inches long each,
cleaned and trimmed
1 quart chicken stock
18 pieces shrimp (16-20), peeled
and deveined, tail on
6 leafs Bibb lettuce
12 pieces tomato wedges
3 ripe avocados, peeled, halved,
sliced, and fanned
12 pieces hardboiled egg wedges
12 strips anchovies
Poach celery hearts in strong chicken stock until soft.
Allow to cool in the broth.
6 sprigs chervil
When chilled, remove celery from the stock and gently
squeeze out excess liquid. Cut in half lengthwise and
arrange on plates.
Dip the shrimp in Tarragon Vinaigrette (recipe fol-
lows) and broil over an open-flame BBQ until cooked.
Arrange the poached celery with Bibb lettuce, the
broiled shrimp, tomato wedges, a sliced and fanned
half avocado, and the hardboiled egg wedges. Criss-
cross the anchovy strips over the celery heart and spoon
the tarragon dressing over the celery and lettuce. Gar-
nish with a fresh chervil sprig.
.
YIELD
,
Serves 6
