Author Notes
Cauliflower took a long time to grow on me. When I was little, my mom would make this cheesy mushroom and cauliflower dish to try to get me to eat it, but the one time she forced me to take a bite, I threw up instantly on the spot in protest! As an adult, however, I have become much more fond of cauliflower especially in roasted or soup form. This soup is inspired by an amazing soup I had as a starter in a restaurant nearby. It was wonderfully rich and creamy with a little bit of smoke from the bacon. I don't like all the "creamy" cauliflower soups out there that don't even use cream. I figure, if you have cream in the title, you'd better use it, and it adds such voluptuousness to the final product. Just put thoughts about calories out of your mind! - fiveandspice —fiveandspice
Test Kitchen Notes
Fiveandspice’s soup came out velvety smooth, full of cauliflower goodness with an underlying smokiness from the bacon fat. The recipe didn’t specify the amount of garlic so I added two minced cloves and that seemed to work out fine. It would have been delicious even without the crème fraiche, roasted florets and lardons, but they took it over the edge into sublime territory. Super soul-satisfying on a chilly night. - Midge —The Editors
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Ingredients
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10 ounces
bacon slab, cut into lardons
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olive oil
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1 1/2
heads of cauliflower, cored and cut into small florets
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1
medium yellow onion, diced
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1
stalk celery, diced
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2
medium potatoes, peeled and diced
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1
bay leaf
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4-5 cups
chicken broth
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1 cup
heavy cream
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1 cup
creme fraiche
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salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
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Take about 1 cup of the cauliflower florets, toss them with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, spread them on a baking sheet and roast them at 425F until brown and crispy on the outside, about 3o minutes. Set aside.
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In a large soup pot, fry the lardons until almost crispy, then remove them from the pot, leaving the fat. Add the onion, celery, and garlic to the fat in the pot, stir and cook for about 2 minutes until the onion begins to soften.
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Then stir in the bay leaf, the potato pieces and the remaining cauliflower and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5-7 minutes. Add 4 cups of the chicken stock, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes, until the cauliflower and potatoes are soft. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the cream.
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Puree the soup using a handheld blender, or in batches in a blender, until it is creamy and smooth. Return to the heat for another 5 or so minutes until heated through. At this point you can also add some more broth (or cream!) if you'd like to thin the soup a bit.
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Add salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, stir in the crème fraiche.
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Divide the soup into serving bowls, top each bowl with pieces of roasted cauliflower and crispy lardons.
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