Cauliflower Soup with Creme Fraiche

I thought that once camp was done, I would be able to slow down a little. But things have been getting more hectic than ever. Suddenly, all my clients have work for me. When it rains it pours! But hey - I guess too much work is better than no work at all. :)

Because I have been working so hard, I treated myself today. I went to a book store! I love book stores. I bought my husband a comic for his growing collection, I bought my daughter some pop-up books and most importantly, I bought myself the prettiest journal. It has beautiful, thick, creamy pages, a magnetic flap, and most importantly - the binding is grey raw silk with blue floral designs in velvet. It looks gorgeously antique and feels absolutely divine in my hands. Ever since I started this blog, I find I have been writing my recipes down more than ever. So, I thought this would be a nice book to write in. Maybe when it's full, I can buy a few more to fill and give them to my daughter when she's older.

Oh and did I brag about my Mother's Day gifts yet? I got a beautiful box of chocolate, a luxurious towel (it's a very fun hot pink!), more chocolate, a trendy handbag, and just so can photograph my food in pretty crockery, some beautiful serving plates and bowls. I'm loving the love! :)

Speaking of love - I love soup! As for my husband, well, let's just say he can live without it. He doesn't mind it as one course in a meal, but he doesn't enjoy soup as a meal. Sigh. But every now and then, I manage to convince him that soup is good for the soul, and today was one of those days.

These were just ingredients I happened to have in my fridge, and I thought they made sense together. We ate it with some homemade bread and some crumb-fried chicken tenders on the side (for crunch and meat, my husband said).

Cauliflower Creme Fraiche Soup

Ingredients
1 large head of cauliflower, cut into medium florets (the smaller they're cut, the quicker they cook)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsbp butter
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt (I used onion salt)
a pinch of nutmeg
4 cups vegetable stock
1/4 - 1/2 cup creme fraiche (to taste)
Pepper to taste

Method
1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil and butter.
2. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent. Do not let the onions brown.
3. Add the bay leaf, salt and nutmeg and stir.
4. Add the 3 cups of stock and bring to a boil
5. Gently drop the cauliflower into the hot stock and cook until the cauliflower is very soft. 20-30 minutes depending on how small you've cut the cauliflower.
6. Allow the pot to cool before blending the soup in small batches until smooth and creamy.
7. Transfer back to the pot and add 1/4 cup of the creme fraiche. Stir until it is completely incorporated.
8. If you feel the soup is too thick, you could thin it with either more stock or even some milk.
9. Adjust the seasoning, add pepper and more creme fraiche if desired.
10. Serve hot or cold, topped with some creme fraiche and dill.

This soup is very smooth, rich and very, very filling. I know cauliflower is a winter vegetable, and I can just imagine sipping this in a cup on cold evening. But I ate the soup cold, and it worked just fine for me on this hot, summer day!

Technorati Tags: Cauliflower, Soup, Recipe, Creme, Fraiche