Sunday, December 5, 2010

Cream of Cauliflower Soup

MMM! Delicious!

Recipe found here.
(I didn't have garlic or white wine. I skipped the garlic and used sherry and it was still wonderful!)

Cream of Cauliflower Soup
(makes 6-8 servings)

1 head cauliflower, trimmed of stalks and chopped to pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock (preferably homemade)
2 strips bacon, chopped
1 cup half and half, whole milk or heavy cream (or any combination, depending on desired richness)
2 tablespoons butter
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons fresh dill or chives, chopped

Heat a large soup pot or Dutch oven over a medium flame. Add the bacon, and stir for a minute. Add the onion, shallot and garlic. Stir occasionally for 5-7 minutes, until softened. Add the white wine, and raise heat to medium-high to bring to a boil. Add the bay leaf, cauliflower and all the stock and season with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring once or twice. Once it begins to boil, turn heat to low, cover and let simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Open and turn off heat. Try to remove that bay leaf. If using a handheld blender, puree until thick and somewhat uniform in texture. I like to keep it a little bit chunky. Or, if you have a food processor, let soup cool for 10 minutes or so, then work in batches to puree. Once the soup has been blended, return to the pot and cook over medium-high heat. Add the cream, half-and-half or whole milk. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary. Bring soup to just a boil, but don’t let it keep boiling as the milk will burn. Turn off heat and stir in the butter and dill or chives. Serve in bowls and garnish with more of the herbs.

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