Curried Celery Root Soup

Another slap dish recipe from Cafe Drake, this little gem (modesty be damned) was concocted tonight in our home as a light autumn rain fell outside the kitchen windows. Who knows where to credit the inspiration? The cool weather or the booty hauled from our local greenmarket earlier in the day? Variations we've sampled at restaurants and friends' homes? The delectable celery root mash made by our Mother for 2006 Christmas Eve dinner? The bottle of Rangpur gin we worked through while "building" the soup? Whatever the divine origin, the result is silky smooth and gentle enough in celery flavor to impress even us (those who know Cafe Drake well know our loathing for celery - we're still wondering if we were on glue the first time we purchased celery root and discovered its mild taste to be yummy), although the version below is quite spicy; some may wish to tame the heat by using less chiles. Vegetable stock was employed here because we had a can in the pantry - feel free to substitute chicken broth but this is so good a substitution is not recommended.

First one must face the daunting appearance of the celery root itself. Use a standard size - 1 celeriac (another term for this root veggie) usually equals roughly 1 1/2 pounds. Things go smoother if you trim each end and then remove gnarled outer layer with a sharp knife, standing the root on its end (similar to the process for pineapple).

Add chopped, peeled celery root to a medium saucepan, along with 1/2 onion (chopped), 1 large apple (peeled and chopped), 2 fresh green chiles, 2 dried red chiles and a few of the celery leaves saved from the root.

Cover all with vegetable stock (1 14 1/2 oz. can) and whole milk (about 1/2 cup). Add 1-2 T good curry powder and some salt and a T or so of sugar to the mix. Bring to a steady simmer for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool, puree in blender, reheat on stove gently and stir in 3 T of heavy cream. Season to adjust and serve hot.