Sunday, June 27, 2010

Curried Cream of Cauliflower and Apple Soup



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We had guests for dinner last evening and I wanted to share the lovely soup we had to start the meal with you. It is French in origin, and has a highfalutin name that makes it sound more formal and pretentious than it actually is. I do, however, work on the theory, that those who know a language are entitled to use the name with which they are most familiar. Lovers of France and the French language call this potage, Soupe Crème de Choux-Fleurs et Pomme au Curry. Those of us who lack the requisite language skills will call it Curried Cream of Cauliflower and Apple Soup. Julia Child would have loved this recipe. It's based on one developed by Daniel Boulud and I think you'll love it too. It's actually easier to make than any of Julia's recipes and were you to eliminate the garnish, the soup is no harder to make than good old tomato soup. Really. Our local farmer's markets have shelves bending under the weight of cauliflower and it's also being tucked into CSA boxes. This is a wonderful way to use it up. The recipe has been developed to provide six servings and uses a cup of heavy cream. None of you need my permission to swap light for heavy cream. It changes the texture of the soup but it is still lovely. The recipe can also be doubled if you have a gang to feed. When I make the soup for family I omit the garnish, but I do use it when we have guests around the table. I use saffron when we have the queen to dinner. Those of you who try this are in for a sweet and spicy treat. It's smooth and creamy, and, like most cream soups, can be made well in advance of serving. Here's the recipe.

Curried Cream of Cauliflower and Apple Soup...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, inspired by Daniel Boulud

Ingredients:
Soup
4 cups chicken stock
1-1/2 tablespoons sweet butter
1 cup chopped onions
2 teaspoons curry powder
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads or 2 pinches saffron powder
1 cup tart apples, such as Granny Smiths or Golden Delicious, peeled, split, cored and sliced
4 cups cauliflower (about 1 medium head), greens and stem discarded, head broken up
into small florets
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon chives, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Curried Apple Garnish
1 cup Golden Delicious apple, peeled, split, cored, cut in 1/4 inch dice
1 teaspoon curry powder
Optional: 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads or 1 pinch saffron powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1) For soup: Warm chicken stock over medium heat. Melt butter in a heavy bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add onions, curry powder, and saffron and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add sliced apple and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often. Add cauliflower and warm chicken stock and bring to a boil. Boil until cauliflower is tender when pierced with a knife, approximately 20 minutes. Add cream and cook for 3 more minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Transfer soup in batches to a blender or food processor and purée at high speed until very smooth. Strain through a fine sieve. Keep warm until ready to serve or refrigerate when cool and reheat just before serving.
2) For garnish: Place diced apples with 1 tablespoon of water in a pan over medium heat. Add the curry powder, saffron, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well, cover with a lid, and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat. Strain and keep warm.
3) To serve: Ladle soup into warm soup bowls or cups. Sprinkle garnish over top. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

You might also like these recipes:
Yellow Cauliflower - One Perfect Bite
Gobi Manchurian - One Perfect Bite
Roasted Spicy Cauliflower - Kalyn's Kitchen
A Tale of Two Cauliflower Soups - Becks and Posh
Cauliflower Soup - Annie Blogs
Simple Cauliflower Soup - Simply Recipes

62 comments :

Ren- Lady Of The Arts said...

oh yum- I love the name and love the combination- I just returned from the Chinese market and had cauliflower in my hand- alas I didn't buy it but I noticed the same thing- There is a lot in season- Thanks for sharing-

Devaki said...

How wonderful Mary! The combination of flavors is so every French and so very creamy.

Gorgeous soup to serve at a dinner party for sure!

Ciao,Devaki @ weavethousandflavors

Monet said...

I eat cauliflower and apples every single day, so it was lovely to see them combined in a creamy soup. I would love to dip some slices of toast into this creation.

Unknown said...

I've made cauliflower soup before and it always tastes great. I'll have to try this one next time, it sounds nice.

penny aka jeroxie said...

Will add apples to my cauliflower soup next time.

Umm Mymoonah said...

Wow! A very comforting soup, looks so rich and creamy.

♥Sugar♥Plum♥Fairy♥ said...

SOmething different...something delicious....something super ...something good...this and more i always find at ur blog Mary!!!

Have a wonderful Sunday!!!

Alessandra said...

Ciao Mary, how are you?
I have been trying to catch up with your entries, but we are on the move again, so sorry for not writing much.

This sound really interesting good idea to pair apples with cauli!

Have a good day

Alessandra

FOODESSA said...

I like the fact that this soup can be prepared ahead of time. I may even try it with a purple cauliflower...that should jazz it up even more...what do you think Mary ;o)
Have a great Sunday,
Claudia

Diane said...

This sounds an exceptional soup and even better that it can be prepared in advance. Yum Yum. Have a ggod day. Diane

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

This is so elegant - I enjoy the sweetness that apple adds to soup, and the combination with cauliflower is perfect - a French classic!

From the Kitchen said...

Call it whatever you like, it is beautiful and sounds delicious.

By the way, I use saffron when the queen comes to dinner too!

Best,
Bonnie

Ana Powell said...

Lucky guests.
Gorgeous and delicate soup, very delicious too ♥

Carolyn said...

Oooh, perfect soup for a diabetic, I am bookmarking this one!

Deana Sidney said...

We are still some time away from cauliflower here... I always think of it as a September vegetable.. but I look forward to using this recipe then... I love the flavors and you are right, it is simple and you get so much flavor for your effort, Thanks, Mary!

Allie and Pattie said...

Mary, this looks fabulous! I have cauliflower I was planning to roast today, but change of plans now! Thanks for sharing
xoxo Pattie

PeggyR said...

That sounds really delicious!

Katerina said...

Apple, saffron, curry sounds like a really tasty and unique soup.

Carla and Michael said...

This is a very interesting mix of flavors. I have seen a lot of soups with the addition of apple, though I've never tried it. It just sounds strange to me.

CaSaundraLeigh said...

I'm not familiar with the French language as much as I'd like, so I am glad there's an easy name for this soup--I love the sounds of these flavors too.

Kalyn Denny said...

I think this soup sounds wonderful.

Linda Starr said...

I love curry, not cauliflower but I bet this tastes really good.

Rita said...

Now sounds like a great combination of flavours. Looks wonderful; chou fleur avec des pommes; fantastique! I am sure Julia would have applauded this soup.
Rita

Angie's Recipes said...

The soup looks so creamy! The combination of apple and cauliflower is just irresistible.

Jen_from_NJ said...

I'll be saving this recipe for when I get some fresh cauliflower (hopefully in my CSA box). I can't wait to try it! Have a wonderful day Mary.

Joe Ambrosino said...

A very nice recipe, Mary. I will try it (in the Fall).It is soooo HOT here!

Kayte said...

Beautifully elegant. Stealing this one. I am making an cauliflower dish for My Kitchen My World this week and was thinking I would half the recipe, where oh where was the other half of that cauliflower going to go? HERE! Thanks.

Miss Meat and Potatoes said...

LOL! 'Saffron for the queen...'

I know summer is officially here when I crave something I can drink as food. This will surely hit the spot. And I love the use of cauliflower - maybe this will change some people's POV on this lovely but lowely veggie.

Thanks Mary - another gorgeous post as usual.

Unknown said...

Your soup looks wonderful and I have all the ingredients on hand except the heavy cream, thanks Mary, I would love to try this!

Sushma Mallya said...

very unique combo, but looks creamy and nice...

Unknown said...

I'm not a huge fan of cauliflower, but you make this sound and look so incredibly tasty, I just might have to give it a shot. I love the idea of the curried apple garnish...THAT is something I could use in other ways. Thanks so much for sharing!

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Mary, that does it! I've decided I'm just moving to wherever you are, and you have to adopt me! Yes, Mr. Magpie and I are both up for adoption, and we are coming to live with YOU! See what you've done with your recipes and your tempting photos???

Happy Sunday, and this looks divine!

XO,

Sheila :-)

hobby baker Kelly said...

Mmmmmm. Creamy cauliflower soup is one of my favorites, but I've never done it in this style of flavorings. Looks delicious!

Salsa Verde said...

Hi Mary,
This recipe seems so perfect and delicious. What a wonderful combination again!!
Hope you are having a lovely Sunday,
Lia.

Rachana said...

What a lovely combo! The Soup looks so creamy and yumm!

Have a lovely day, dear Mary :-)

Valérie said...

This sounds like such a delicate balance of flavours. Another wonderful find!

GLENDA CHILDERS said...

This is going on my menu for this week.

Stil laughing at your comment about using saffron when you have the queen to dinner. When she comes, could you invite me ~ I have only seen her from a far :)

Thanks, Mary, for your lovely sweet comments on my blog.

Christine said...

This soups sounds absolutely delightful. Cauliflower and apples. Who knew? And curry to bring it all together. Stellar!

Susi's Kochen und Backen said...

I love cauliflower and this soup sounds like a wonderful blend of flavors. Delicious!

Faith said...

I love curried cauliflower and I bet it's delicious in soup form! The apple is a very nice touch also.

Adventures in Domestic Cooking said...

This soup looks heavenly!
You are right, Julia Child would have love this soup. Although, I think you might be the next Julie Child!!=)

Magdalena said...

Mary, I always enjoy when I read your posts....thanks for all those remarks concerning Julia and Daniel B.
The soup is interesting. I love soups (Polish people are soup eaters and traditional people eat them nearly every day a first dish or main meal called "obiad").
Have a good day ...

Cathy said...

The sweetness of the apples must add a wonderful depth to this lovely cream soup. This recipe has gone into my "definitely must make this" file.

Glennis said...

Mary, I happened to have a cauliflower in my fridge and some apples - so I made this just now for lunch. Both husband and son thought it was wonderful!

I had a package of seasoned crispy wontons for salad in the pantry, and so I sprinkled them on top for a little crunch.

Thank you!

Unknown said...

Mary, the soup looks velvety and delicious. I really like the combination. I hope you are having a great weekend. Michael

Unknown said...

I have missed soo much on your blog but as usual everything looks great. I have never had that combination before it sounds terrific. Have a great weekend!

Schnitzel and the Trout said...

Mary, this sounds like such an elegant soup. I am really looking forward to tasting it. Always, always enjoy your forewords.

Unknown said...

OH!!! Mary this sound AWESOME!!! and I bet it taste WONDERFUL!!! The combination of flavors are GREAT!!!
Geri

Unknown said...

I just had to come all the way down to the bottom of the comments so I could add mine! What a sublime soup! Thankyou for posting. I have bookmarked it, and I can't wait to try it. O I would love to use saffron in it!
Thanks Mary!

Tina said...

Oh la la, Mary - I love this recipe!

Kerstin said...

What a gorgeous soup - I've been all about putting curry in soup lately too.

Lana said...

I have a standard Cream of Cauliflower Soup recipe, which has converted many. My family enjoys curried cauliflower. The combination of flavor in your recipe, and the addition of apples seems very appealing. This has to be delicious.
Greetings from California,
Lana

momgateway said...

I've never tried cream of cauliflower soup...but this soup with apples and curry is so lovely...

M @ Betty Crapper said...

Your title makes the soup seem more approachable. I like it.

La Bella Cooks said...

This soup has a lovely combo of flavors. I would love to give this a go.

Deb in Hawaii said...

Such a pretty color and cauliflower, apple and curry are such a great combo too.

Jamie said...

I love all of the flavors in this soup and the apple goes perfectly both with a vegetable soup and with curry. Perfect! Will save this one for winter when I'll bet it is extra fabulous!

Jeannie said...

Wow! this soup looks so creamy! I would love to taste it! First time came across soup with apples in it!

Eliana said...

Nothing is more comforting than a bowl of creamy soup. And the flavors in this one sound outstanding.

Cara said...

This sounds fantastic! What an awesome way to do up cauliflower, love this combination you've created.

SKIP TO MALOU said...

First off you got me on the curried cream of cauliflower then apple? hmmm I was trying to imagine the taste and voila Im craving for something I haven't even tasted yet..
Im intrigued Mary!

nancy at good food matters said...

This recipe really appeals to me, Mary, and I would have to substitute vegetable stock for the chicken to be right for the vegetarian in my household---but I think that the full bodied flavors intrinsic in the dish will still shine through beautifully. Thanks!

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