Description
Creamy cauliflower soup blends velvety textures with rich, comforting flavors from roasted vegetables. French culinary techniques elevate this simple dish into a luxurious experience you’ll savor with each spoonful.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 whole cauliflower head (about 4 cups florets)
- 4 cups (946 ml) chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream (or coconut milk for dairy-free option)
- 1 tbsp olive oil or unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 0.5 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Croutons
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Chopped chives or parsley
- Drizzle of olive oil
Instructions
- Preparation: Disassemble cauliflower into uniform florets, maintaining consistent size for optimal cooking performance.
- Flavor Foundation: Heat olive oil in a large pot, creating a aromatic base for culinary transformation.
- Aromatic Layering: Sauté onions until translucent, then introduce garlic, releasing its fragrant essence and building depth of flavor.
- Ingredient Integration: Fold cauliflower into the seasoned base, ensuring complete coating with the developing flavor profile.
- Liquid Infusion: Pour vegetable broth over ingredients, covering completely. Simmer until cauliflower surrenders to tenderness, breaking down cellular structure.
- Textural Metamorphosis: Pulverize the mixture using an immersion blender or transfer to a standard blender, creating a silky-smooth consistency that transforms the soup’s character.
- Final Refinement: Return to gentle heat, incorporating almond milk and thyme to elevate complexity and introduce subtle herbaceous notes.
- Seasoning Calibration: Adjust salt and pepper, achieving a perfectly balanced flavor profile that harmonizes all elements.
- Presentation: Ladle into serving bowls, crowned with optional garnishes like fresh parsley, delicate olive oil drizzle, or nuanced cheese shavings to add textural intrigue and visual appeal.
Notes
- Uniform Floret Cutting: Ensure all cauliflower pieces are similar in size to guarantee even cooking and consistent texture throughout the soup.
- Sauté Precision: Cook onions and garlic carefully to develop a rich flavor base without burning, which can introduce bitter undertones to the soup.
- Blending Technique: Use an immersion blender for smoother results and easier cleanup, but work carefully to achieve a silky consistency without over-processing.
- Dietary Adaptation: Easily convert this recipe to vegan by using nutritional yeast instead of cheese, or make it dairy-free by selecting plant-based milk alternatives like coconut or oat milk.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Blending
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 13 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg