When I saw a delightful picture illustrating a Creamed Celery with Poached Eggs recipe in a hundred-year-old magazine, I knew that I needed to give it a try.
The recipe did not disappoint. My rendition of Creamed Celery with Poached Eggs was lovely. The presentation was just a tad dramatic, and it turned an ordinary meal into a special one.
This vegetable and egg dish is perfect for breakfast . . . or lunch. The slight tang and bite of the celery combines with the cream sauce and eggs to create lovely taste sensation.
Here’s the original recipe:
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Creamed Celery with Poached Eggs
1 1/2 cups celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup milk (preferably whole)
2 eggs
salt and pepper
celery leaves, optional (for garnish)
Put the celery in a medium sauce pan. Cover with water and bring to a boil using high heat; then reduce heat and simmer until tender (about 10 minutes). Drain well.
In another pan, using medium heat, melt butter; then stir in the flour, salt, and pepper. Gradually add the milk while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the white sauce thickens. Gently stir in the cooked celery, and remove from heat.
In the meantime, bring 1 1/2 to 2 inches of water to a boil in a skillet, then reduce to a simmer. Break each egg into a small bowl or cup, then slip into the water. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove the poached eggs from the water using a slotted spatula, and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
To assemble the dish: Put the creamed celery in the serving dish, then gently place the poached eggs on top of the celery. If desired, garnish with celery leaves.
A Hundred Years Ago 
The ingredients in this are so ordinary, but the dish is so elegant. I love this and will try it. A new spin on celery!
I think that you’d enjoy this dish. Presentation is so important, and can make ordinary ingredients special.
I have never heard of this ,I’m gonna have to give it a try!! Thanks!!
It’s a fun way of serving eggs and a vegetable. I think that you’ll like it.
Wow, what a great way to eat celery. So different. And I realized I’ve never cooked poached eggs before. Have to try this.
I often make poached eggs for breakfast, and they really aren’t very difficult to make. Sometimes the shape of the egg turns out a little better than others, but it’s always tasty. I think that people tend to think they are difficult to make because Julie in the movie Julie and Julia made a big deal out of making a perfect poached egg.
For this recipe, I cooked the poached eggs a little longer than I might if I was going to eat them on toast to make extra-sure that I won’t accidentally break the yolks when I assembled the dish.
The dish looks just beautiful and so appealing for the simplicity of the ingredients. Lu
It was a very nice dish. I always like foods that are attractive and easy to make.
That sounds divine! I love celery!
I like celery, too. Celery is a wonderful winter vegetable that we too often forget about.
I also like how organic celery is quite affordable. 🙂
I love poached eggs. I have never thought to have creamed celery. Looks delicious 🙂
I like both poached eggs and creamed celery – either combined in one dish or separately. If I dig deep enough into my memories, I can remember eating creamed celery when I was much, much younger.
Cream of celery condensed soup, homemade! Pretty ingenious, actually.
Yes, it’s kind of the same idea.
I’m more used to using celery root with cream, but love the idea of using “ordinary” celery this way. Great find. Will definitely give it a try soon! 🙂
I need to experiment more with celery root. It’s a vegetable that I enjoy in restaurant dishes, but haven’t really used much myself.
It’s a wonderful root, and it is at its best in the winter.
If interested, check this link for a more-than-hundred years old recipe from the Sephardic cuisine. I’ve just made it again and can’t stop eating… 🙂
https://ronitpenso.wordpress.com/2014/09/14/sweet-and-sour-celeriac-sephardic-style/
Thanks for sharing the link. I generally like sweet and sour dishes. I’m going to have to look for celeriac, and give it a try.
Looks scrumptious
It’s delightful. 🙂
I love the reference to a “dish suitable for the table”. Looks delicious too.
Your comment makes me think about how, when my husband and I first got married, we sometimes just carried the pans that we cooked our meal in to the table to serve the food. We definitely weren’t using dishes suitable for the table. 🙂
Oh dear – I did the same thing just yesterday! But hard not to serve kleftiko in the pan it was cooked in. That’s my excuse, anyway, and I’m sticking to it. 🙂
Works for me. 🙂
Elegant and delicious!!
It’s a very nice dish.
What an interesting combination. I think I’ll give it a try. Thanks for the intriguing recipe.
I’ve been following your blog but don’t always have time to reply. Keep up the good work! Always interesting to see what you’re going to come up with. Stay warm!
Thanks for the note. I totally understand about not always having time to leave a comment. I often have the same problem. I hope that you also stay warm.
I’m surprised to realize that the dish actually looks quite good! I would never have thought of making creamed celery, much less pairing it with poached eggs. But now I think I have to try this….
Sometimes pictures really help provide a sense of what a dish is like. I know that the picture of this recipe in the old magazine motivated me to try it. I don’t think that it would have intrigued me if I’d just read a written recipe.
What an interesting recipe! Your blogs looks so intriguing:)
I have a lot of fun doing A Hundred Years Ago, and it’s wonderful to hear that you enjoy it.
I have to admit, I’m not a fan of cooked celery so I read the title of this post and made the Mr. Yuck face . . . . It obviously pleased the rest of your readers more!
If you don’t like cooked celery, this is definitely not the right recipe for you. 🙂
I had forgotten that I used to cook onion, carrot and celery together. I liked the combination of flavors, and I’m thinking that smaller pieces, with the cream sauce, might make a terrific base for the eggs. Now, if only I had my old Mirro aluminum egg poacher…
mmm. . . I like your idea of using a combination of vegetables. I bet that it would taste super good. Those old-time egg poachers were wonderful – though poached eggs made in a skillet also are very nice. 🙂
I just love the theme of your blog! Very interesting. I’m sure that food 100 years ago was made with ordinary ingredients and animal lard?
Yes, lard was commonly used in many recipes (including pie and bread recipes) a hundred years ago. When I update an old recipe that called for lard for modern cooks, I struggle with whether to substitute shortening for lard. I don’t think that I’ve consistently done it, but I often write “shortening or lard” in the updated recipe.
I love it when an ordinary meal is turned into a special one with a bit creativity and garnish. Looks delicious. 🙂
My attempt to replicate the way this dish looked in the hundred-year-old picture reminded me of important role that presentation and garnishes play in making foods special.
This promises to be very special! Need to try this for lunch one day.
I think that you’d enjoy this dish.
Love this simple and comforting plate. Thanks for sharing!
I like how simple foods can become special dishes when the presentation is done in a creative way.
Your photo definitely looks better! I’m going to give this recipe at try. It sounds tasty!
It’s a fun recipe to make. It’s nice to hear that you liked my photo.
My Grandma’s Searchlight cookbook has a Creamed Celery and I’ve always been curious about it – but just never tried it. It looks much better here than I imagined! 🙂
I really like creamed celery. For some reason celery seems to have been more popular in the past than what it is today. In my opinion, celery is past due to become trendy again.
I agree and have noticed the same!