Creamy Apple And Celery Root Soup With Grilled Cheddar Bacon And Apple Honey Mustard Sandwich Food

APPLE-CHEDDAR SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large wide pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Add the apples and cook, stirring, until soft but not mushy, about 10 minutes more.
• Sprinkle the flour and nutmeg over the onions and apples. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is light brown and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the apple-flavored brandy and continue to cook, stirring, until the pot is almost dry.
• Gradually whisk in the broth until well blended. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the milk and return to a simmer. Whisk in the cheese a handful at a time until completely melted. Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve in soup bowls and garnish with more cheese and the chives if using.

CHEDDAR AND APPLE GRILLED CHEESE

Steps:

• In an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes. Tear in half and set aside.
• Into the same skillet, add the brown sugar, onions and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Cook, stirring as needed, until the onions are golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
• Build the grilled cheese by spreading one piece of bread with the mayonnaise. Sprinkle half of the grated cheese on top, followed by the onions. Place the apple slices and bacon on top of the onions, then add the rest of the cheese. Spread the other slice of bread with the mustard and put it mustard-side down on top of the cheese. Spread the outside of the top bread slice with 1 tablespoon butter.
• Transfer the sandwich to the skillet over medium-low heat, butter-side down. Spread the top of the sandwich with the remaining tablespoon butter. Toast each side of the sandwich until golden on the outside and the cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Cut in half and serve.

HONEYCRISP APPLE, CHEDDAR, BACON AND BITTER GREENS SANDWICH

Steps:

• Preheat a griddle over medium-high heat.
• Lay the bacon strips on the griddle. Cook the bacon until browned and crisp. Drain the bacon on paper towels and reserve the bacon fat.
• To build your grilled cheese, place 1/4 cup of the cheese on the bottom of a slice of bread. Top with 2 slices bacon, 4 slices apple, some arugula, 1/4 cup more of the cheese and another slice of bread. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
• Spread each side of the sandwich with some of the butter. Griddle until the bread is toasted, golden brown and delicious, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Cut each sandwich into 4 pieces and serve.

A HEALTHY APPLE AND CELERY SOUP

Steps:

• Base -- In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the celery, onion and cook 3-4 minutes. Add in the apples and broth and cook until tender. It will take about 20 minutes on a medium low simmer, uncovered.
• Puree -- I used my immersion blender, but you can you can transfer it to a standard blender and puree until smooth.
• Season -- Add in the the sage, and a very small pinch of cloves, go easy ad season with black pepper. Cook another 10 minutes.
• Mascarpone -- Mix the mascarpone with the brandy, and return to the refrigerator. I mixed mine right in the container, save on those dirty dishes.
• Serve -- I like to serve with a fresh small sprig of sage and a dollop of the Brandied Mascarpone cheese. You can serve this hot, which I prefer, or chilled is also very good. And don't forget my Sweet Savory Bread Sticks.

CELERY-ROOT SOUP WITH BACON AND GREEN APPLE

Steps:

• Halve leeks lengthwise, then coarsely chop. Wash leeks in a bowl of cold water, agitating them, then lift out onto paper towels and pat dry.
• Cook bacon in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels.
• Pour off all but 2 teaspoons fat from pot, then add oil and cook leeks over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add celery root and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add water and broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until celery root is very tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
• While soup simmers, thinly slice apple lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices with slicer, working around core, then cut slices into 1/8-inch matchsticks with a knife. Gently toss with celery and celery leaves.
• Purée soup in batches in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to a bowl. Return soup to cleaned pot. (If soup is too thick, thin with 1/2 to 3/4 cup water.) Stir in salt, pepper, and half-and-half and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until warm. Season with salt, then divide among 4 bowls and top with apple-celery mixture and coarsely crumbled bacon.