Consider the cauliflower. It’s one of our most humble, and
sadly, most maligned vegetables. Too often boiled or steamed to death or
drenched in neon-orange Velveeta sauce (at least when I was growing up),
cauliflower often gets a bad rap. —
Of course, more and more of us have learned the joys of
roasting cauliflower or tucking it into macaroni and cheese. But I have come to
believe that the snowy white vegetable can be at its most sublime in a
luscious, silky soup, spiked for good measure with creamy Gruyere cheese.
This is one of my favorite soups for my personal chef clients,
my family, and as a first course for dinner guests. I adapted the recipe from one of my all-time favorite
cookbooks The Girl & the Fig, from the restaurant of the same name in
Sonoma Valley. Like many recipes in restaurant cookbooks, this soup was too
just rich for everyday eating. But with a few tweaks this version is just as
delicious as the original. If you can, prep it a day ahead. As with most soups it
only improves with a day of rest in the fridge.
Whenever you eat it, I think you’ll discover that it’s the
perfect showcase for the fabulous, under-appreciated cauliflower.
Cauliflower-Gruyere
Soup
Serves 4 (first course portions)
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium head cauliflower, broken into florets
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 quart chicken broth
one-half teaspoon kosher salt
4 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated
pepper to taste
1. Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium-high
heat. Add the onion, reduce the heat, and cook until the onions are tender, but
not browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
2. Add the cauliflower and butter and up the heat to medium.
Cover the pot and cook until the cauliflower is just tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the chicken broth and kosher salt. Bring the soup to
a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until cauliflower is falling
apart, about 20 minutes. Let soup cool for at least 10 minutes.
4. Transfer the soup to a blender (or use an immersion
blender). Add the cheese and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning, adding
more salt and/or freshly ground pepper.
-Jenna Helwig, Rosaberry
