Celery Root Soup With A Cheddar Cap

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 2 lbs celery root, bulbs rinsed well
• 4 granny smith apples, cortland or 4 mcintosh apples
• 1/2 a large yellow onion, peeled and finely diced
• 1/2 an 8-oz russet potato, scrubbed, peeled, and finely diced
• 4 cups whole milk
• salt and pepper
• 1/8 lb unsalted organic butter
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 12 ounces grated cheddar cheese
• 1 red delicious apple
• 1 ounce celery leaves (pale green, innermost leaves from celery stalks, 4 per serving)
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice, divided
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Recipe

• 1 soup:.
• 2 trim outer layer of celery root, cutting around bulb and leaving center flesh, and dice.
• 3 peel, core and seed the apples. grate apple on a box grater.
• 4 place a large saucepan over low to medium heat. add milk, celery root, apples, onion, and potato.
• 5 bring to a slow simmer and cook 45 minutes, until celery root is fork-tender. (do not use high heat.).
• 6 carefully puree soup in a blender until smooth. strain through chinois or fine mesh strainer.
• 7 season with salt and pepper to taste and stir butter into soup.
• 8 cheddar cap:.
• 9 place a very clean, small, dry, non-stick pan over medium heat. add 2 ounces of grated cheddar, evenly distributed in the pan.
• 10 cook about 2 minutes on one side and check for color. you want each side to be a crispy golden brown. when the first side is cooked, flip and cook the other side.
• 11 remove immediately from pan and place onto a cutting board. using a cup or ring mold, cut cheese into a circular shape. place round on paper towels to drain.
• 12 garnish:.
• 13 fill a bowl with very cold water and add 1 tsp lemon juice.
• 14 core the apple and cut into very thin strips, immersing in the cold water.
• 15 just before serving drain apple strips, dry, toss with the olive oil, lemon juice, and celery leaves.
• 16 to serve:.
• 17 divide soup into heated serving bowls.
• 18 top each bowl with a cheddar cap. note: do not place cap on bowl until just ready to serve.
• 19 spoon garnish atop cheddar cap and serve.