Yield: 4 servings

Recipe courtesy Chef Matteo Mistura, Ferraro's at Seaside Restaurant

Ingredients:

Butter
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (made from day old white sandwich loaf, discarding the crust)
1 pound celery root, peeled, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
Salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sprig thyme
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 Maui onion, minced
2 large eggs
1 Forell pear, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley leaves
1 cup mashed potatoes
4 (3/4-inch) cubes fontina
1 medium shallot, finely minced
3/4 cup fresh cherries, pitted and quartered
2 tablespoons molasses
1/2 cup port wine
3 cups veal stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 (3/4 pound) veal tenderloins
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Mixed herbs (sage, rosemary and thyme) finely chopped

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
   
2. To make the Sformato, brush 4 (3-inch) ramekins with butter and coat with fresh bread crumbs, tapping out and reserving excess.
   
3. In a large pot of boiling water, blanch celery root with pinch of salt, garlic and thyme for 5 minutes. Remove from water using slotted spoon.
   
4. In a large skillet, on medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add minced onions and celery root, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until onions are golden. Remove from heat.
   
5. In a medium bowl, beat eggs and whisk in pear, chopped parsley, mashed potatoes, celery root mixture and salt and pepper.
   
6. Fill each ramekin half way with celery root mixture. Place a fontina cube in the middle, then finish filling ramekins with celery root mixture and cover with reserved bread crumbs.
   
7. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
   To make the cherry sauce:
   
8. For the cherry sauce, heat remaining olive oil on low heat in a medium skillet.
   
9. Add shallots and cook until golden.
   
10. Add 1/2 cup of the cherries, molasses, port wine and veal stock. Reduce the sauce to 1 cup.
    
11. Strain sauce through a chinois or fine meshed sieve into a clean bowl and whisk in the butter to finish.
    
12. Season, to taste.
    
13. Add remaining cherries to sauce. Set aside and keep warm.
    
14. To prepare the veal, brush veal with Dijon mustard.
    
15. Season with salt and pepper and roll in mixed herbs.
    
16. In a large skillet, heated on medium-high, add olive oil and sear veal on all sides.
    
17. Finish to cool in the preheated oven until medium rare, about 5-10 minutes.
    
18. Remove meat from skillet and allow to rest. Slice veal right before serving.

To serve: On a large serving platter, arrange celery root sformato on bottom of platter, place sliced veal on top and drizzle with cherries and sauce.

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. Fine Living has not tested this recipe in the proportions indicated and therefore cannot make any representation as to the results.