Pear and Celeriac Soup with Frizzled Leeks

Here's an interesting and delicious recipe that pairs two classic fall flavors from Chef Seth Caswell. NOTE: The "frizzled" leeks make any dish taste better.

Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 lbs celeriac, peeled and roughly chopped into large pieces
2 ea leeks, some greens removed and chopped
1 lb Bartlett or D’anjou pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
2 Tbsp butter, unsalted
1 Tbsp kosher salt
½ tsp white pepper, freshly ground
1 qt vegetable stock
1 Tbsp heavy cream

2 cups grapeseed oil
2 ea leeks, julienned whites
tt kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

“Frizzle” the Leeks:
Heat the grapeseed oil to 375°. In small batches drop the shredded leeks into the hot oil. Stir for fifteen seconds and remove leeks with slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels to drain. Immediately sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Make the Soup:
Melt butter in heavy-bottomed sauce pan with high sides. Add leeks and stir over low heat for five minutes until the leeks are softened. Add celeriac and hot vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for twenty minutes. Add pears for final four minutes. When celeriac and pears are mushy, transfer everything to a blender and carefully puree for two minutes. Add cream, salt and white pepper to taste.

Assemble:
Ladle 6 oz of hot soup into a bowl. Gather a pile of frizzled leeks and place in center of soup. Enjoy!