Celeriac and Bacon Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 large celeriac, to measure 500g when peeled, cubed
1 large onion – peeled and chopped
2 medium sized pears – peeled, chopped
4 garlic cloves – peeled, finely sliced
1 lemon
2 litres cold water
50g butter
120g streaky bacon (half diced, other half whole)
Fresh thyme, leaves from 4 or 5 sprigs
10ml finely chopped fresh tarragon
5ml fennel seeds
500ml full fat milk
1,5 litres hot chicken or vegetable stock
250ml cream
5ml dijon mustard
15ml finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and white peppercorns

Method:
Peel and chop the onions. Peel and slice the garlic.
Finely grate the zest off of half the lemon and set aside.
Place pears and celeriac in a glass bowl. Squeeze lemon juice over, add cold water and set aside.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add onions and thyme leaves. Allow to cook for 10 minutes over low heat until pale and translucent.
Add diced bacon and allow to saute until all the fat is rendered and bacon starts to crisp.
Drain chopped celeriac and pears from the water and add to the saucepan with the zest, garlic and fennel seeds. Stir fry for two minutes to coat with the butter and rendered bacon fat in the pan. Add the tarragon and mustard and a good grinding of white peppercorns (no salt at this stage). Stir in the milk and heat through.
Add the hot stock up to the saucepan’s two litre calibrated mark and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat, cool for 10-15 minutes.
While waiting for the soup to cool, fry remaining bacon strips until crisp and set aside.
Blend soup in saucepan with a handheld stick blender until silky smooth.
Return to the heat, add parsley and 200ml cream and heat through gently – don’t boil. Taste and season with salt and white pepper.
Divide soup into 4 warmed bowls, swirl in some extra cream or creme fraiche, crumble over a bit of crispy bacon and some black salt flakes (optional) and serve with crusty bread.

Recipes courtesy of www.browniegirlblog.com