Finally there is an inkling of autumn in the air!  I thought the day would never come when I could suitably post a soup recipe on my blog again.

Cauliflower; the underrated, unsung hero and albino cousin of its more colorful counterpart; broccoli…did you know there is such thing as purple cauliflower? Anyway, I really like cauliflower, I have recently discovered.  It can be tough to tackle, sometimes I am just not quite sure how to go about it…whether I should break each stalk off into neat little flowerettes or just take to the whole thing with a knife and make a big mess.  Cauliflower is delicious in soup, sauces and just last night i made a cauliflower gratin with pan fried chorizo, thyme and white sauce…mmm yum.

This cauliflower soup recipe is extremely simple, but the flavours  and end result are much more impressive than you would imagine, so much so, that a whole bowl of it might be a little overbearing.  I like to serve it as an entrée with thyme sprigs, chopped chives, mini croutons and sometimes, when I’m feeling really fancy, a dash of truffle oil. The basic recipe is from donna hay issue 26…but have added a few things of my own…

I didn’t take many photos of this one because I didn’t realise it was going to be so damn good!

ingredients

1 brown onion chopped
1 cauliflower trimmed (and roughly chopped or neatly pulled apart into flowerettes…maybe this could be the new personality test!)
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 cups chicken stock
3 cups water
1 cup pouring cream
tablespoon olive oil
handful fresh thyme
10 chive…leaves…stalks…or just 10 chives?
small french stick / sourdough loaf, chopped into 1cm squares… you will need a handful
knob of butter (i learnt that one from jamie), melted
truffle oil (optional)
salt & pepper

method

Turn oven onto the grill setting at about 180ºc. Place the bread pieces in a tray lined with baking paper and combine with melted butter. Place under the grill until crisp and golden; about 3-4 minutes.
Brown the onion with the olive oil in a large pot over the stove. Add the crushed garlic and cauliflower and stir until warmed through; about 3 minutes.
Pour in the all of the stock and water (you may like to add a little more at the end, but I like my soups thick) and bring to the boil.  Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 12 minutes.
Remove from the heat, blend the contents together and combine the cream.
Serve in demi-tasse cups with a few croutons, chopped chives, a sprig of thyme and a dash of truffle oil if you are feeling fancy too.