FUNKY BUTTER DISH RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/180 degrees Celsius.
• Add 2 tablespoons/30 grams of butter and all the oil to a medium (10-inch/26-centimeter) ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt, turn the heat down to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and have taken on a light coloring, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme leaves, and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Stir in the miso and wine, and cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 4 more minutes. Remove from the heat.
• In a large bowl, very gently toss together celery root (celeriac), potatoes and flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a generous grind of pepper. Stir in the onion mixture to coat, then transfer everything back into the skillet, piling the vegetables haphazardly, so that the batons are pointing in different directions. Pour in the stock. Lightly grease a piece of foil with a little oil, then tightly cover the pan (oiled side down) and bake for 1 hour, or until the vegetables have cooked through.
• Remove the foil, and turn the oven temperature up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit/210 degrees Celsius. Sprinkle over the Gruyère and return the dish to the oven for 30 minutes, or until nicely browned on top, rotating the dish halfway. Leave to settle for at least 20 minutes while you make the brown butter (beurre noisette).
• Add the remaining butter and the thyme sprigs to a small saucepan, and place it over medium heat. Once melted, cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until it starts to smell nutty (add more or less time if necessary). Add the capers (carefully, as they might spit) and cook for 4 more minutes, or until they darken and burst. Off the heat, stir 1 tablespoon lemon juice from 1 lemon, chives and another good grind of pepper.
• Pour the caper brown butter all over the top of the gratin and serve warm, with the remaining lemon sliced into wedges to squeeze alongside.

Steps:

• For the pastry dough: Mix together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the lard and butter and mix with your hands until crumbly. Slowly add the water and mix until the dough comes together, then coat with flour to prevent sticking. Refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 2 hours and preferably overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Roll out the dough into a 1/8-inch-thick square on a lightly floured surface, then cut the into six 7-by-7-inch squares.
• For the apple filling: Peel and core the apples. Place an apple in the center of each dough square. Put 1 piece of butter into the center of each apple. Push some brown sugar down on top of the butter until packed tight. Put a second piece of butter on top of the sugar. Sprinkle cinnamon liberally across the dough and the filled apples. Fold opposite corners of the dough up around each apple, and then turn over and mold the rest of the dough over the apples, being careful not to leave any parts of the apples exposed. Tear off any excess dough on the bottom of each apple.
• Place the apples in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• For the dumpling sauce: Combine the water, granulated sugar, butter and vanilla in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Ladle 1/2 cup of the dumpling sauce over each dumpling and pour the excess sauce into the baking dish. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is tender, about 35 minutes. Serve warm.