I want to indulge
With wintry cold nights setting in, sometimes you have to treat yourself to a rich, delicious meal in front of the fire.
At this time of year I love hunkering down on a Sunday night, cosy in front of the television or with a good book. This is the type of dinner that suits that kind of night perfectly – a creamy, mild celery and cauliflower flavoured soup with rich, bacon and gruyere tart.
Celeriac is a knobby root with an earthy, celery flavour that makes a great addition to soups, stews, mashed potatoes, and I have even had great success with it in a double-baked cheesy souffle.
The tart is great alongside the soup, but also on its own with a bitter green salad or some blanched beans. The pastry is short and crumbly; the perfect case for the smoky, salty bacon and nutty gruyere – wickedly indulgent!
Celeriac and cauliflower soup
Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 55 minutes Makes: 7 cups
1 tablespoon olive oil FOOD 1 tablespoon butter 1 onion, chopped 300g peeled, trimmed and chopped celeriac (You may need a small sharp knife to peel the celeriac)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 600g cauliflower, cut into florets 1 litre good quality chicken stock
cup cream 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Heat olive oil and butter together in a large pot. Add onion and celeriac, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 12-15 minutes until just soft.
Add chopped cauliflower and cook a further 5 minutes.
Add chicken stock, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 35 minutes. Add cup cream and whiz with a stick blender until smooth.
Serve with a drizzle of remaining cream and a sprinkling of parsley.
Bacon and gruyere tart
Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking: 1 hour, 13 minutes Serves: 4-6
1 tablespoon olive oil 250g streaky bacon, sliced 1 onion, chopped 1 cup + 2 tablespoons cream 110g butter, chopped
cup finely grated parmesan 1 cups plain flour 2 egg yolks 1 onion, chopped
cup whole milk 3 whole eggs 100g grated gruyere 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Heat olive oil in a large frying pan and cook bacon for 3-4 minutes until a little crispy. Add onion, and cook together, stirring for a further 8-10 minutes until the onion is soft. Add 2 tablespoons cream and stir to dislodge any tasty bits sticking to the pan. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
For the pastry, pulse the flour, butter and parmesan in a food processor until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add one egg yolk and 2-3 teaspoons water and pulse to combine. Tip out on to the bench and press together into a dough round. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. When the pastry has rested, roll it out on a lightly floured bench into a circle wide enough to line a 25cm loosebottomed tart tin. Press the pastry into the tin and line the base and sides with baking paper and fill with baking beans or raw rice. Cook for 12 minutes, remove baking paper and weights, and continue cooking for a further 12 minutes while you prepare the rest of the filling.
Whisk remaining egg yolk with milk, eggs and remaining cream. Once pastry has cooked as described above, sprinkle the base with half of the cheese, spread over onion and bacon mixture, top with remaining cheese and pour over whisked eggs and cream. Reduce oven temperature to 160C and cook a further 30-35 minutes until golden. Rest for 10 minutes before removing from the tin, and serve with warmed celeriac soup or a small green salad.
Recipes, food styling and photography by Sarah Tuck