Spotlight on Lynda of “TasteFood”

This is my chance to salute Lynda Balslev, food writer extraordinaire, an incredible chef (trained at Le Cordon Bleu de Cuisine in Paris) and a lovely, kind person who always has time for new food bloggers like me.

I first noticed her bright green apple avatar during competitions on the food52 site. Later on, I began following TasteFood on Twitter and Facebook, impressed by her creative posts.

During a recent lunch, Lynda admitted that she doesn’t often rely on cookbooks, preferring to develop her own recipes.  I hope you will visit her beautiful site to enjoy both her recipes and brilliant photographs.

Hard as it was to focus on just one recipe to feature here, I picked Lynda’s Cauliflower and Celery Root Soup with Truffle Oil and Crispy Kale. This delicious soup recipe is actually a two-for-one, and the kale chips have become a favorite snack in our household. My husband recently asked for another batch of “green potato chips”!

Cauliflower and Celery Root Soup with Truffle Oil and Crispy Kale

Serves 4-6

Soup:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium celery root, peeled, cut in 1 inch cubes
• 1 medium cauliflower, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2- inch chunk of Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• truffle oil

1. To prepare the soup, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the celery root and cauliflower and cook for 3 minutes without browning. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

2. Add the chicken stock and cheese. Cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.

3. Carefully transfer small batches of the soup to a food processor and puree until smooth. Return to soup pot.

4. Add cream, salt and pepper and additional chicken stock if needed. Simmer for 5 minutes and serve. Garnish with crispy kale leaves and a drizzle of truffle oil.

Kale:

• 6 (or more) kale leaves, halved, tough stems removed
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the kale, toss with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper on a sheet pan.

2. Bake for about 15 minutes until leaves are crispy but not blackened. (Kale may be prepared a day in advance.)