The other night we were watching America's Test Kitchen and they made this amazing cauliflower soup with pretty much just cauliflower. It looked amazing. And it is.
ingredients:
1 head cauliflower
7 tablespoons unsalted butter (cut into 7 pieces)
1 leek, white and light green parts, halved and sliced thinly
1 small onion, thinly sliced
salt & pepper
4 1⁄2 cups water
1⁄2 teaspoon sherry vinegar
chives
Clean the cauliflower, pull off the leaves and cut out the core. Trim and slice thinly. Cut 1 1⁄2 cups florets and reserve for later. Trim the rest of the cauliflower into 1/2 length cross cuts and divide this portion in half.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter into a 5 quart pan. Over medium low heat, sauté the onion and leek with 1 1⁄2 teaspoons of salt until softened, but not yet browned. About 7-10 minutes.
Add 4 1⁄2 cups of water and increase heat to high. Add half of the cauliflower and the core, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let simmer gently for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, add the rest of the sliced cauliflower and cook an additional 15-20 minutes.
While the soup is simmering for the final 15 minutes, melt the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter in a sauté pan and add the florets. Sauté over medium heat until the florets and the butter are both browned, about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the florets to a small bowl and toss with vinegar and coarse sea salt, set aside. Pour browned butter into a small bowl.
Ladle soup into blender and pulse until smooth. Wipe out your soup pot and return the soup to the pot over a low simmer. To achieve your desired consistency, you may have to add up to a 1⁄2 cup more of water. To serve, garnish with florets, chives and drizzle with browned butter.
