December 10, 2006
Curried Cauliflower Soup
Here's one straight out of Patricia Wells's At Home In Provence. It's simple and it's quick. You can prepare this up to a day in advance and reheat. The curry flavour and colour will intensify with age.
Serves 6.
2 lbs cauliflower, trimmed and rinsed
Sea salt to taste
4 cups homemade Chicken Stock
2 tsps curry powder
1 large egg yolk
2/3 cup heavy cream
1. Break up the cauliflower in to florets and blanch for 2 minutes in a large pot of boiling, salted water. Drain and refresh under cold, running water.
2. Warm the stock over moderate heat in a large saucepan. Season with salt to taste. Add the cauliflower and simmer, covered, until tender (about 20 minutes).
3. Puree the cauliflower and broth in a blender and return to the saucepan. Simmer uncovered over moderate heat until it's reduced to 3 cups (about 15 minutes). Season with the curry powder.
4. Whisk the egg yolk and cream in a separate bowl. Pour a ladleful of the simmering puree in to the bowl and whisk vigorously. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook it slowly over a low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens to a creamy consistency (2 to 3 minutes). Do not let it boil, unless you like bits of scrambled egg in your soup.
5. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately, ideally with a big dollop of crème fraîche.
Posted by toby at December 10, 2006 08:48 PM