Recipes Asparagus Soup with Parmesan Shortbread Coins 4.0 (881) 1 Review "I adore savory cheese cookies with creamy asparagus soup," says Carla Hall. "Both are dead simple to make."Plus: Vegetable Tips and Recipes More Vegetable Soups By Carla Hall Carla Hall Instagram Website Carla Hall first won over audiences when she competed on Bravo's Top Chef and Top Chef: All Stars and shared her philosophy to always cook with love. She believes food connects us all, and she strives to communicate this through her work, her cooking, and in her daily interactions with others.Expertise: cooking, soul food, food TV, cookbooks.Experience: Carla spent 7 years co-hosting ABC's Emmy award-winning, popular lifestyle series The Chew, and she currently brightens the mornings of millions as a Culinary Contributor to Good Morning America. Carla is featured on Food Network shows such as BakeAway Camp, Thanksgiving Baking Championship, Holiday Baking Championship, and Worst Cooks in America, as a judge and a host. She was also a judge on Netflix's Crazy Delicious. Carla hosts a podcast on the Wondery Platform, called Say Yes with Carla Hall, focused on interviews with successful people to explore how they overcame challenges and found ways to flourish. Her latest cookbook, Carla Hall's Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration, was published in 2018, landing on best cookbook lists across the country and receiving a NAACP Image Awards nomination.Born in Nashville, Carla grew up surrounded by soul food. When the time came for her to select her career path, she first opted for a business route – she graduated from Howard University's Business School and worked as an accountant for two years – before deciding to switch gears to work as a runway model. It was during that time, as she traveled (and ate) her way through Europe for a few years, that she truly realized her deep-rooted passion for food could be her career path.Today, she is a trained chef who has worked in several professional restaurant kitchens in and around the Washington, D.C. area and is an accomplished television personality and author. In addition to being featured in numerous cookbook collections including The Chew series of cookbooks, she authored Carla's Comfort Food: Favorite Dishes from Around the World and Cooking with Love: Comfort Food That Hugs You.Carla is very active with a number of charities and not-for-profit organizations that reflect her passion for causes close to her heart. She is on the board of trustees for Helen Keller International, Pajama Program, GenYouth, and 4H. The thread which runs through all of these things is advocating for the physical and mental well-being of children.Carla lives in D.C. with her husband, Matthew Lyons. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 7, 2019 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © David Malosh Active Time: 50 mins Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins Yield: 6 Ingredients Shortbread 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (6 ounces) 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened 2 large egg yolks Soup 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 1 1/2 pounds asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 quart low-sodium chicken broth 1/4 cup tarragon leaves, plus more for garnish 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley leaves 3/4 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup frozen baby peas, thawed Salt and freshly ground white pepper Finely grated lemon zest, for garnish Directions In a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the flour, cheese, thyme, lemon zest and salt. Add the butter and egg yolks and beat at medium speed until lightly moistened crumbs form. Gather the crumbs and knead to form a 2-inch-thick log. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Slice the log 1/4 inch thick and arrange on the baking sheets. Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden around the edges; let cool on the sheets. In a large pot, melt the butter. Add the onion, cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer until the asparagus is tender, about 10 minutes. Add the 1/4 cup of tarragon and the parsley. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender. Return the soup to the pot, add the cream and peas; rewarm. Season with salt and white pepper and garnish with tarragon and zest. Serve with the Parmesan coins. Rate it Print