Marjorie Taylor’s roasted cream of cauliflower soup…
Posted in kitchen September 29th, 2010 by pia

photograph by Marjorie Taylor

Hello, I’m Marjorie and I am the cook in The Cook’s Atelier.  The Cook’s Atelier promotes sustainable France through hands-on cooking classes, market tours and field trips to local artisan producers. I am a big believer in real food, made from scratch and take pleasure in cooking every day.

When the weather is warm, I plant herbs in my window boxes and throw open the windows so I can hear the people bustling below on their way to the morning market.  In the height of the season, I’m busy making confiture and preserving to save a little taste of summer for when the chill sets in.  In the autumn and winter months, there is always something simmering on the back of the stove; a pumpkin soup or some homemade chicken stock, and a fire in the fireplace to keep cozy when it’s snowy and gray outside.

This roasted cauliflower soup that I am sharing with you today is adapted from Ad Hoc, by Thomas Keller.  The recipe in the book is absolutely lovely.  I just decided to roast the cauliflower in the oven because I love roasted cauliflower. Bon appétit…

Roasted cream of cauliflower soup
Inspired by Ad Hoc at Home, by Thomas Keller
Serves 6

2 heads cauliflower (4 to 5 pounds total)
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter
3/4 cup coarsely chopped onion
3/4 cup coarsely chopped leeks (white and green parts only)
1/4 teaspoon yellow curry powder or Madras curry powder
Sea salt
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups water
Extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

-Remove the leaves from the cauliflower, and cut out the core.  Trim off the stems and reserve them.  For the garnish, trim 2 cups florets about the size of a quarter and set aside.

Coarsely chop the remaining cauliflower and stems into 1-inch pieces so that they will cook in the same amount of time.  You need 8 cups of cauliflower (reserve any extra for another use).

-Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion, leeks, curry, and coarsely chopped cauliflower, season with 2 teaspoons sea salt, cover with a parchment lid (just parchment cut the size of the Dutch oven with a hole cut in the middle so the steam can escape) and roast, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are almost tender, about 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and discard the parchment lid.

-Pour the milk, cream, and water and bring to a simmer on the top of the stove over medium-high heat.  Simmer for 30 minutes, skimming off the foam from time to time.

-Working in batches, transfer the cauliflower mixture to a blender (leave an opening in the lid for the steam to escape).  Carefully, begin pureeing the cauliflower on the lowest speed and blend, slowly increasing the speed, until smooth and velvety.  Check the seasoning and add more salt if needed.  Transfer to a large saucepan and keep warm.

-Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter turns a rich golden brown.  Add the florets and sauté until a rich golden brown.  Set aside.

To serve, reheat the soup.  This is a thick soup, but if it seems too thick, add water to thin it to the desired consistency.  Taste for seasoning. Pour the soup into a warm serving bowl or soup tureen.  Top each serving with a few cauliflower florets.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper.

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Recipe from Marjorie Taylor, The Cook’s Atelier


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2 Comments

  1. Malia says

    Just a little confused – do you simmer just the milk, cream and water, or add the roasted items and then simmer? thank you

    October 2nd, 2010 | #

  2. Marjorie says

    Helo Malia,

    Sorry for the confusion. Pour the milk, cream and water over the roasted cauliflower mixture and simmer on the top of the stove.

    Hope you enjoy the recipe.

    Warm regards,

    Marjorie

    October 5th, 2010 | #


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