cauliflower cheese soup
rating:
from Nigel Slater, in Sainsburys magazine
serves 6
prep time 10 minutes, cook time 40 minues
50g butter
1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 small (not baby) cauliflowers, cut into florets
2 bay leaves
200g creme fraiche
1 heaped tablespoon grain mustard
125g gruyere, cantal or strong cheddar, coarsely grated
salt and pepper
to finish:
2 slices of german dark rye bread
4 tablespoons of grated gruyere
male the butter in a large deep pan, add onion and garlic, fry till soft, but not browned. Boil cauliflorets in about 850ml of water until almost tender. Add the bay leaves to the onions, then add the cauli and its cooking water. Bring to the boil, season, cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the veg are truly soft.
remove pan from heat, discard bay leaves, allow soup to cool slightly. Puree the soup in a blender - be careful! Do it in batches. Pour the mixture back into the pan, stir in the creme fraiche, mustard and grated cheese. Bring it slowly back to a simmer.
toast the bread on both sides, cover with grated cheese and melt under a hot grill. Cut into triangles, and float them on the soup to serve.
