The oft-maligned cauliflower – pushed to the side of children’s plates with its cousin, broccoli, and historically viewed by us grown-ups as a bit wan and tasteless – has really found itself in the spotlight of late. Turns out, steaming a bowl of the stuff is always going to smell kind of funny and taste pretty bland, but roasting it until it’s a shade somewhere between very golden and burnt or smothering it in breadcrumbs and butter is a whole other story. Cauliflower might be subtle, but that makes it a fantastic vessel for any number of other flavors.
Two of the best dishes I ate in 2017 (and that is QUITE a proclamation) were cauliflower-based! I am thinking particularly of the Colonel Tso’s cauliflower at Babu Ji in New York (holy moly) and the Jaffa-Style Cauliflower at The Barbary in London (very nearly ordered a second helping). Both dishes were a revelation- extremely flavorful with a somehow meaty quality, and they put me squarely on Team Cauliflower. And so, during my dark soup-only times earlier this year, I made sure to include a cauliflower soup in my line-up.
You will not be shocked to learn that, unlike cauliflower, soup doesn’t exactly get me jumping up and down these days. It is not soup’s fault, per se, though it was never necessarily a favorite of mine, but I have eaten more soup in the past 12 months than I probably did in the 30 preceding years, and really- enough is enough. So it takes a Very Good Soup to warrant being made a second time at my house.
The first time I made this, I ate it pureed, for obvious reasons (toppings included), and even then it was outstanding. The second time around, I was able to enjoy the darkly roasted cauliflower florets, nearly burnt brussels sprout leaves and sprinkling of herb-infused goat cheese that adorn the top. WOW. The flavor of the soup alone is subtle but tasty- the wine in the recipe is a key element to getting a bit of a floral flavor with a bit of acid- and the toppings provide a great texture and flavor contrast. The paper-thin brussels sprout leaves get extremely crispy (and, being in the same family, their flavor is already complementary to a cauliflower’s) and the cheese provides just the right amount of funk to keep things interesting. And the texture of the soup is rich and velvety smooth.
I don’t want to jinx it because, after all, it snowed last week, but I think we might be in the tail end of winter and this will likely be the last soup I share with you until fall. I’m very much looking forward to closing the chapter on soups for quite awhile, so I apologize in advance that you will need to go elsewhere for your gazpacho this summer…
Ingredients
- One 2 1/2 lb. head of cauliflower, cored 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, coarsely chopped
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- Kosher salt
- 1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 quart chicken stock or low-sodium broth
- 3 thyme sprigs tied in a bundle, plus 1 teaspoon chopped leaves
- 8 brussels sprouts (6 oz.), trimmed and separated into leaves
- 4 oz. cold fresh goat cheese, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons snipped chives
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°. On a work surface, cut one-fourth of the cauliflower into 1/2-inch florets. Coarsely chop the remaining cauliflower.
- In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the leek, garlic and a generous pinch of salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in the potato and the chopped cauliflower, then add the wine and cook over high heat until reduced by half, 4 minutes. Add the stock and the thyme bundle and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes. Discard the thyme bundle.
- Meanwhile, at either end of a large rimmed baking sheet, separately toss the cauliflower florets and brussels sprout leaves each with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt. Roast for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring each halfway through, until lightly browned and tender. In a small bowl, mix the goat cheese with the chives and chopped thyme.
- In a blender, puree the soup in 2 batches until very smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan and stir in the cream. Rewarm over moderate heat, adding water if the soup seems too thick; season with salt. Ladle into bowls and top with the roasted brussels sprout leaves and cauliflower florets. Sprinkle the herbed goat cheese on top and serve hot.
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2018/03/19/cauliflower-soup-with-herbed-goat-cheese/
