Easy Chilled Root Vegetable Soup

In the summer, I love making cold soups - just toss a bunch of stuff in a blender, add stock if it's not already liquidy, and refrigerate. So easy. Gazpacho is my fave; it takes no time at all if I'm really lazy because I'll used canned tomatoes and jarred roasted red peppers. But woman does not live by gazpacho alone. Sometimes the farmers' market (or grocery store) has other interesting veg on offer, like celery root.

I love celery root, or celeriac, both raw and cooked. I use it raw in a salad like celeri remoulade, and I always roast it as part of a Thanksgiving side dish. For this dish, I used it two ways, both raw and cooked--very Fine Young Cannibals of me. (Despite the cannibal reference, it's completely vegetarian and can be made vegan as well.) I thought my concoction was reminiscent of vichyssoise, the classic French chilled potato soup, but with the twist of celery root. Also, regular onion was used in place of the traditional leeks, but you could certainly substitute 2-3 leeks if you prefer.

I can't not make a bit of celeri remoulade if I have a celery root. The flavor is hard to describe, but I'm crazy about it. Celery root tastes somewhat like celery, very aromatic, but has a texture closer to a carrot or parsnip. Sliced thinly and combined with a mustardy remoulade sauce with lots of tangy capers, it's great as a substitute for cole slaw with dishes like bbq or crab cakes. And it added much-needed texture to the pureed soup. Even if you don't like celery (it's not my fave) you might enjoy celery root, so I say it's definitely worth trying if you see it somewhere.

Celery Root Vichyssoise

1 medium celery root
3 medium potatoes, like Yukon Gold, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 cups of stock (I used 1 Bou Bouillon cube in the Vegetable flavor)
2 or more cups of milk (use your favorite non-dairy milk for a vegan version)
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons capers in brine
1 scant tablespoon mayonnaise
Dash champagne vinegar
Dijon mustard
Lemon juice
Several sprigs fresh thyme

Peel the celery root. Thinly slice about 1/4 of the root and cut the slices into matchsticks and set aside. Cut the remaining root into 1" chunks.

Put the chunks of celery root, along with the potato and onion, in a large saucepan. Add the stock and milk and the bay leaf and bring mixture to a boil. Once it boils, turn the heat to a simmer. Watch the pot so it does not boil over and cook the potatoes and celery root until tender. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf from the pot and add about half of the potato/celery root/milk mixture to the jar of a blender (do not fill all the way). Remove the stopper from the blender lid and place a folded tea towel on top. Hold the towel down tightly over the opening and start the blender on the lowest speed. If the mixture is too hot, it will shoot out the top of the blender, so it's very important to keep a tight grip on the towel. If the mixture is adequately cool, it will blend without exploding. Still, it doesn't hurt to keep your hand on top. Puree the mixture, adding more milk if it's too thick, into a soup-like consistency. You don't want it too runny, nor do you want something resembling mashed potatoes. Pour the puree into a container with a lid and add the remaining potato/celery/milk mixture to the blender. Repeat the steps to puree. Add the new batch of puree to the container with the first batch and stir. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.

While the soup is cooking, put the capers on a cutting board and smash them into a chunky puree with the side of a knife. Make a dressing with the mayo, vinegar, a small dollop of Dijon, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Add the capers. Taste for seasoning and add salt if you need it, but the ingredients are probably salty enough. The dressing should be lightly tangy and taste of capers. Toss with the matchstick cut celery root and refrigerate  until ready to use.

To serve, ladle the soup into serving bowls. Top with a handful of the celery salad, and garnish with the thyme leaves and fresh pepper.

Serves 4.

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Chicken in Milk

Years ago, when Mr Minx and I were regular Food Network watchers, we saw an episode of Jamie Oliver's show (The Naked Chef, I believe) in which he oven-braised a whole chicken in a pot of milk. Seemed a little weird, especially as he also added lemon peel, which curdled the milk. Jamie insisted the chicken was the best thing ever, so I filed the idea away in my head to make sometime in the future.

Flash forward a good 15 years when I stumble upon the recipe on the Internet. "Oh yeah," I think, "I was going to make this at some point." Better late than never is definitely true in this case.

I had to adapt the recipe somewhat. I don't have an oven-safe vessel that would comfortably hold a whole chicken, so I used the stovetop. Small chickens are nigh impossible to find in a regular supermarket, and if you know me, you'll know I'm not the kind of person who will go running around from store to store to find a perfect ingredient. Chicken thighs and chicken legs were more than good enough for the job, however, The recipe called for 10 cloves of garlic, skin-on, but my small bulb yielded 14 and I used all of them. I would, in the future, remove the skins, as they don't melt during cooking and are a little annoying to find in one's mouth.

The end result was pretty amazing. The chicken was meltingly tender, garlicky but not overwhelmingly so. The curds in the sauce were small and not entirely unappealing. Most of my liquid cooked away so I added a splash of milk at the end to create more sauce. I'd also, in the future, save some of the sage to chop up and sprinkle on at the end of cooking, for some fresh herbal flavor. This recipe will definitely go into my cooking rotation, as it was easy, used only one pot, and tasted great. Plus there's the possibility for variations: coconut milk and lime, perhaps, with makrut lime instead of sage; sub orange for the lemon; etc.

Chicken in Milk (adapted from a recipe by Jamie Oliver)

1 tablespoon butter
8-10 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and legs
Salt and Pepper
½ stick cinnamon
1 good handful fresh sage leaves
Zest of 2 lemons, cut into long strips with a vegetable peeler
10 -14 whole cloves of garlic, skins removed (about a whole small bulb)
2 cups whole milk + more

Melt the butter in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, which you have salted and peppered, skin-side down and cook until browned on both sides. (You'll need to do this in two batches.)

Remove the chicken to a plate and drain any liquid fat from the pan, leaving the sticky crusty bits behind. Add the chicken back to the pot with the rest of the ingredients. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat down so the milk is just simmering and cook until chicken is falling-apart tender, about an hour, maybe a bit more. 90 minutes max. If you find that much of the liquid has boiled away, add half a cup or so additional milk toward the end of the cooking time, so you 'll have sauce.

Serve a few pieces of chicken per person with some of the juices spooned over, plus a green veg and some sort of starch to absorb the sauce. (I used quinoa.)



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Chamomile Honey Tea Gelato

Over the past few years, we've been hearing about the puzzling mass die-off of honey bees. Studies show that 85% of all plants are due to pollinators--like honey bees--so this is an issue that should concern everyone. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation has instituted special programs to address this issue and have recently entered into a charitable partnership with The Republic of Tea. Their new Biodynamic Chamomile Honey Tea, available exclusively at Whole Foods throughout the Mid-Atlantic, was created to bring attention to this issue. The company was kind enough to send us a can to sample.

The chamomile in this tea, as with other The Republic of Tea chamomile varieties, comes from a small biodynamic farm at the base of the Italian alps, and is highly fragrant. In this particular tea, the flower is infused with a delicate but noticeable honey flavor, and it makes a terrific hot or iced beverage. While sipping it (iced), I thought it would make a lovely ice cream. Indeed, at the Fancy Food Show last summer I had tasted a chamomile tea ice cream that knocked my socks off.

So, after a fruitless search for my own ice cream maker (likely tossed in a fit of pique, as my kitchen is too small to hold such unitasking appliances), I borrowed one from a gracious friend and set to work. Because chamomile is a rather delicate flavor, I thought gelato, made with whole milk rather than tons of heavy cream, would be a better way to show off the flavor of this tea. And it was. The flavor of the chamomile is subtle, but the honey is quite pronounced. There is no vanilla in it at all, but Mr Minx thought there was. It's really very delicious, on its own or scooped over a piece of pound cake. It'd also be dynamite served with a fruit crisp or crumble.

Chamomile Honey Tea Gelato

2 cups whole milk
¾ cup sugar
6 The Republic of Tea Chamomile Honey Tea bags
5 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream

Put the milk and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until the sugar melts. Add the teabags and continue to heat the milk just until tiny bubbles appear around the edges. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the tea to steep for at least one hour. Remove the tea bags from the milk, gently squeezing them dry.

Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl. Reheat the milk until steaming. Using a ladle, dribble some of the hot milk into the eggs in a thin stream, whisking constantly. After about half the milk has been whisked in, pour the egg and milk mixture back into the pot with the remaining milk. Cook over medium-low heat until thick enough to coat a spoon, whisking all the while.

Strain the custard and stir in the heavy cream. Refrigerate until cold.

Freeze the cold custard in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Gelato has less air than ice cream, so keep it in the machine only until it starts to hold its shape. Once the consistency is like somewhat melted ice cream, scoop it into a covered container and freeze until firm.



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Milk Jam: Not for the Impatient

I may not be the most patient person in the world. This is why I have yet to make short ribs in my SousVide Supreme™. Oh sure, I can put a pot of chili on to cook for several hours while I do something else in another part of the house, no problem. It's the ability to leave the room and go elsewhere that works for me. With milk jam, however, I had to sit vigil over the pan, lest it boil over and bespoil my (granted, already messy) cooktop.

I stumbled upon the recipe whilst perusing the September issue of Bon Appetit at the dentist's office Yes, I let my subscription lapse. :::hangs head::: (I really should rectify that. I get Food & Wine, but prefer Bon Appetit because...a little secret...I don't care to read about wine. Apologies to whomever it was that anonymously gifted me with a subscription to Wine Spectator a few years back.) The simplicity of the recipe struck me, and I committed it to memory.

Not that difficult: 2 cups milk + 1 cup sugar + cook 45 minutes until light reddish-brown and measures a scant cup.

I busted out my fancy All-Clad saucier for the job. (It's the only piece of All-Clad I can lift without my wrists screaming for mercy.) Here he is at the beginning of the cooking process.

And here he is again, after 90 minutes. Yes, after twice the recommended cooking time, the milk jam was medium beige and measured far more than a scant cup. But I was tired of perching on a chair in the kitchen, giving it the evil eye. 

For the most part, the milk behaved itself, burbling contentedly between stirs. But every once in a while, it got too big for its britches and bubbled to the top edge of the pan, at which point I raced to turn the heat down. Despite the mind games, there were no boil-overs. Yet I was not quite victorious.

After refrigeration, the jam thickened up quite a bit, but wasn't as thick as either sweetened condensed milk or caramel. The flavor reminded me of a Japanese candy that I like called Milky. The suggested use for this milk jam is as a topping for chocolate cake when mixed with sour cream or creme fraiche, but I rather like it as a dip for fresh fruit. Strawberries are nice, as are nectarines, bananas, apples, and just about anything else.

Probably chocolate cake, as well, but I might not have enough patience to wait for one to finish baking. In the meantime, I may eat all of the milk jam straight out of the jar with nothing but a spoon for company.

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