Cream of Cauliflower Soup

Serves 4

One of the best compliments a chef can receive is regular customers clambering for the return of an item that you’ve taken off the menu. Since I always cook seasonally, this meant that the favorites would leave at the end of one season and not return until the same time next year. So you can imagine my glee when August would come and people would be eagerly asking if this soup would be back in September. For all of you that enjoyed this so much, here is the recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into very small pieces.
  • 3 shallots, chopped
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 2-3 cups chicken stock
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
  • 3 tablespoons chopped thyme
  • salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

  • In a non-reactive pot, heat butter and sweat cauliflower, shallots and thyme until they are soft. Do not brown the cauliflower.
  • Add chicken stock to cover the cauliflower and simmer for 20 minutes or until cauliflower is incredibly soft.
  • Place the solids in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
  • Add the chicken stock, nutmeg and cream and blend.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.

Mushroom Fricassee

My standard mushroom mix is Crimini, Portabello and Shitake mushrooms. Of course, if Hen of Wood, Royal Trumpets or any other wonderful mushrooms are available they are a great additions as well.

  • 1 cup of diced mushrooms
  • 1 shallot
  • 1 tablespoon chopped thyme
  • cooking oil
  • 1/4 cup chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Clean mushrooms. For the portabellos and criminis, de-stem and dice into 1/2 inch cubes.  For the Shitakes de-stem and leave whole
  • Pre-heat a non-reactive pan on the stove.
  • Add cooking oil and heat until smoking.
  • Add mushrooms and sautee, quickly get color on all sides. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan, or the mushrooms won’t brown but steam.
  • Add chicken stock and reduce.
  • Add butter, shallots and thyme and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
  • Divide soup into four bowls.
  • Top with mushrooms spooned into the center of the soup.
  • Drizzle generously with truffle oil.