This soup is really good and earthy. And it pairs sinfully well with a bottle of burgundy. Cauliflower has a delicate subtle sweetness and porcini broth gives it depth and fragrant richness. Perfect for a wintery afternoon.
I don’t see the need to add cream to this soup or egg yolks or roux. Butter, yes, but the creaminess really comes from the cruciferous vegetable itself.
Mushroom lovers will enjoy dried porcini’s for their intense flavor. Just a few per bowl are enough or they overpower. The water they are hydrated in becomes a mushroom stock that can be used for enriching many recipes from rice dishes to meat sauces.
Ingredients
- 1 medium cauliflower
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1 handful dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 sprig fresh thyme, salt & white pepper
- Chicken Stock or water
Segment cauliflower saving a few florets for decoration. Cover florets in a medium pot with water (just to cover) add salt to taste and butter. Cook until very soft on medium-high heat. Purée cauliflower in a Cuisinart adding cooking liquid until it has the desired consistency. Thick but not too thick. Add more water if necessary. Season with salt & white pepper.
Rehydrate a handful of dried porcini mushrooms in a bowl with 1 cup water. Let sit for 15 minutes. Add mushroom liquid from hydration to cauliflower soup little by little. Taste. Add. Taste. Add. Rinse porcini mushrooms in water several times to remove any grit. Sauté in butter.
Shave reserved cauliflower florets on a mandoline. Serve soup hot with shaved cauliflower and sautéed porcinis and chopped fresh thyme.
yum!!!Will definitely make this soup when the weather turns cold…we are having Indian summer here in San Mateo!
This looks absolutely divine! And I LOVE the mandoline-sliced florets for decoration. What a great idea! I think I know what I’m having for dinner tonight!
Tell me… is that a regular chef’s tip, to add butter to the cooking water for vegetables? Or is it just for cauliflower? Or just for soup? Or just for THIS soup?
😮
Sounds delicious and perfect for fall. Porcinis add such depth of flavor–they would be great with cauliflower, which can be a bit blan on its own. Nice idea.
Maureen – I thought you might appreciate a vegetarian choice!
Gordon – Good question about adding butter to water. I guess the answer is not so straightforward. If I’m making a purée I normally will opt for butter in the water if the vegetable pairs well with it (celeriac, cauliflower, squash, asparagus, turnips, carrot, and parsnip). Butter will change the flavor as it is rich, so it is important not to overdo it. But I think the mouthfeel of the purée is nicer with a little fat.
The real thing to remember is if you cover your vegetables in too much water then all the flavor goes into the liquid and it’s not fully incorporated back into the purée (or it would be too thin!) and you loose out.
In essence adding butter and salt to the water combines with the vegetable to form a broth of sorts adding another layer of flavor.
If I’m blanching vegetables I never add butter. Salt yes, to help keep the color vibrant and give a little seasoning, but never butter.
Mashed potatoes I had an insane amount of butter to, you don’t even want to know how much!
Hungry Dog – Yes, I agree that cauliflower on it’s own has a real subtle flavor. But is certainly goes well with mushrooms – even truffles!
I dunno – cauliflower reminds me of a brain, and you’ve even gone and sliced up little brain sections…
Now, straight-ahead mushroom soup is another matter. Or maybe a squash or pumpkin soup with some of these funky mushrooms.
But brains…brrrrrrrr
Jerry! That’s funny because so many people have the same reaction to cauliflower – they don’t like it because it looks like brains. Having cooked brains before which are messy and disgusting to prepare (you have to pick all the little blood vessels off first) I can say that cauliflower resembles little snow crystals more than cerveaux!!!!
Just saw the info on the “AR” TV show – will we be seeing you in any of the restuarant shots? :>
SAS – I have no idea! I was certainly in the kitchen during most of the filming but I think mainly sous chefs and chefs are in most of the shots. Which is a good thing, because I’m sure I look tired, run down, and stressed out 😉
Well, I’ll look for you, but I was really hoping for more – like waving wildly behind his head, or holding up fingers to make horns, or making faces. LOL…
Ummm, that looks scrumptious.
I was thinking about cauliflower soup while I was at the farmer’s market the other day – wouldn’t have thought to add porcini, though. Nice idea!
SAS – Okay, I do have a funny story about the film crews and their affect on our inability to complete our mise en place because they use the kitchen and we have to clear out and the panic it instills in most cooks hoping and praying they will be set up in time for service, but I’ll have to save it for a rainy day…
I made this tonight, but … I used button mushrooms, and it came out pretty thick, so I used it as a starchy base under pan-seared peppered london broil, cooked rare, sliced and fanned over the purée and mushrooms.
DELICIOUS. We had Bandit Merlot and a light salad of butter lettuce, carrot and grape tomatoes with a buttermilk dressing to go with.
It goes in the répertoire!
i have not tasted it though… but it look delicious…. could you post a video on how to prepare it? nice post
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That sounds superb – we’re having a cooking party soon and I may unleash this on my guests! Thanks.
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