Celeriac and Pear Soup

3 tablespoons butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

1 onion, chopped

4 celeriac (celery roots), peeled and cubed

1 carrot, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 large potato, peeled and cubed

8 cups vegetable broth

1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns

1 teaspoon dried tarragon

1 teaspoon crumbled dried sage

1 tablespoon dried thyme leaves

1 tablespoon dried parsley

3 pears - peeled, cored, and chopped

½ cup heavy cream

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, shallot, and onion. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the celeriac, carrot, celery, potato, and 1 cup of the vegetable broth; cook and stir until the vegetables are heated, about 5 minutes before pouring in the remaining broth. Season with the pepper, tarragon, sage, thyme, and parsley; gently stir the pears into the mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove the soup from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes; stir the cream into the soup. Pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.