Stuffed Celery

Name: Stuffed Celery
Prep time: PT0D0H0M
Cook time: PT0D0H45M
Total time: PT0D0H45M
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 6 oz. blue cheese, preferably Roquefort, crumbled (about ¾ cup), at room temperature; 6 oz. cream cheese, cut into 1-in. cubes, at room temperature; ¼ cup sour cream; ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce; ⅛ tsp. hot sauce, preferably Tabasco; Green leaf lettuce, for garnish; 5 celery ribs, trimmed and halved crosswise into sticks; Paprika, for garnish; 5 pitted black California olives, halved, for garnish; Curly parsley sprigs, for garnish

A creamy blue cheese filling elevates this humble vegetable into an elegant hors d’oeuvre at L.A.’s legendary Musso & Frank Grill.

Serves
4
Time
45 minutes

PHOTO: JULIA GARTLAND • FOOD STYLING: JESSIE YUCHEN

By SAVEUR Editors

Updated on August 20, 2024

This old-school appetizer from Los Angeles’ storied Musso & Frank Grill—now more than a century old—turns humble celery into a creamy, elegant hors d'oeuvre. While the restaurant peels the celery ribs before stuffing them, the dish is just as satisfying without that extra step.

Featured in the April 2009 issue.

Ingredients

6 oz. blue cheese, preferably Roquefort, crumbled (about ¾ cup), at room temperature
6 oz. cream cheese, cut into 1-in. cubes, at room temperature
¼ cup sour cream
½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
⅛ tsp. hot sauce, preferably Tabasco
Green leaf lettuce, for garnish
5 celery ribs, trimmed and halved crosswise into sticks
Paprika, for garnish
5 pitted black California olives, halved, for garnish
Curly parsley sprigs, for garnish

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Instructions

Step 1

To a food processor, add the blue cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, Worcestershire, and hot sauce and pulse until smooth. Scrape the cheese mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a small piping tip or a quart-size zip-top bag, seal, and refrigerate to firm up, at least 30 minutes.

Step 2

On a platter, arrange the lettuce leaves in an even layer and, if desired, top with 1 cup of crushed ice. Arrange the celery sticks, concave side up, on top. Retrieve the cheese mixture from the fridge, snip off a lower corner if using a zip-top bag, and pipe about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture into each celery stick. Sprinkle with paprika, garnish each celery stick with an olive half and a parsley sprig, and serve immediately.

To a food processor, add the blue cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, Worcestershire, and hot sauce and pulse until smooth. Scrape the cheese mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a small piping tip or a quart-size zip-top bag, seal, and refrigerate to firm up, at least 30 minutes.
On a platter, arrange the lettuce leaves in an even layer and, if desired, top with 1 cup of crushed ice. Arrange the celery sticks, concave side up, on top. Retrieve the cheese mixture from the fridge, snip off a lower corner if using a zip-top bag, and pipe about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture into each celery stick. Sprinkle with paprika, garnish each celery stick with an olive half and a parsley sprig, and serve immediately.