Celery Root Soup With Bacon And Green Apple Recipes

Steps:

• For the soup, heat the EVOO, 3 turns of the pan, in a soup pot or large Dutch oven. Add the chopped celeriac, parsnips, potato, onion, bay and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and cook, partially covered, to soften, 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the apples and lemon juice and cook 5 minutes more. Then deglaze the pan with the Calvados or Sauterne and add the chicken stock. Simmer over medium-low heat, 20 to 25 minutes more. Then remove the bay leaf and puree the soup. If too thick, add 1 cup water to puree. Add the cream or creme fraiche, turn off the heat, cool and store for a make-ahead meal.
• Butter one side of each slice of bread. Combine the apple butter, honey and mustard and spread over opposite sides of the bread. With the buttered-side facing out, build the cheese sandwiches and individually wrap for make-ahead.
• To serve, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat the soup up over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Arrange the bacon on a slotted pan and bake until crisp, about 15 minutes. Place the bacon and sliced apples in the prepared sandwiches. Heat a griddle pan over medium heat and make the grilled cheeses, cooking until deeply golden and crisp on both sides.

Steps:

• In a stock pot over medium heat, melt the butter and salute the leeks for 3-4 minutes.
• Add the celery root, stock, and salt, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 18 minutes or until the celery root is fork tender.
• Using a regular or immersion blender, carefully blend the soup until it is smooth and creamy.
• To Freeze: Allow to cool, store in appropriate container or ziploc bag, label and freeze up to 4 months. When ready, defrost in fridge for 24 hours or place in pot and bring to heat over low-medium heat.

Steps:

• Halve leeks lengthwise, then coarsely chop. Wash leeks in a bowl of cold water, agitating them, then lift out onto paper towels and pat dry.
• Cook bacon in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels.
• Pour off all but 2 teaspoons fat from pot, then add oil and cook leeks over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add celery root and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add water and broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until celery root is very tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
• While soup simmers, thinly slice apple lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices with slicer, working around core, then cut slices into 1/8-inch matchsticks with a knife. Gently toss with celery and celery leaves.
• Purée soup in batches in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to a bowl. Return soup to cleaned pot. (If soup is too thick, thin with 1/2 to 3/4 cup water.) Stir in salt, pepper, and half-and-half and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until warm. Season with salt, then divide among 4 bowls and top with apple-celery mixture and coarsely crumbled bacon.