Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Caramelized Onions

Growing up in Vienna, it was a given to start our meal off with a bowl of soup before the main course. My Omi always made the best soups in the world and each time I make a soup, I think of her. Most of the everyday soups that she made were broth based, but she made the most delectable cream soups. She had a penchant for either adding rich cream, or roux and even adding some sherry or cognac to her cream based soups.

Photography by Heaven on Hearth

A steaming bowl of creamy velvety smooth soup warms your heart and soul, no matter what the weather. Now with a family of my own, I have continued with the tradition, just not as often and certainly not before each main course. I am also thrilled that my husband gets all fuzzy on me when he comes home to the aromas of a wonderful pot of soup.

This is a rich, creamy, velvety and satisfying non-dairy soup. The sweetness added by the bits of caramelized onions and the creamy texture of the blended cauliflower are married into a wonderful bowl of goodness.

6 cups of vegetable broth

1 large head of cauliflower or 7 cups of cauliflower florets

2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped (1 large and 1 medium sized clove)

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon salt

Caramelized Onions (see recipe)

Cauliflower Caramelizing

Start by caramelizing the onions. Once they are finished, remove the onions from the pot and add the cauliflower florets, using the left over oil in the pan to brown them for 3 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 cloves of roughly chopped garlic, tossing occasionally in the pot for another 5 minutes. The cauliflower will start caramelizing a bit and will also start softening a bit. Pour the vegetable broth in the pot and bring to a boil. Once brought to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes covered and 5 minutes uncovered.

Cauliflower on Vegetable Broth with Thyme Leaves

Once the soup has cooled use a hand immersion blender to blend the soup. Leave a few small florets in the soup for texture. Then add ½ of the caramelized onions to the soup, so you have bits of sweet, soft onions that you can bite into but leaving the rest for when you are ready to serve the steaming soup in bowls. Portion the balance of the caramelized onions evenly in four portions. Before serving each bowl of soup, add the final touch…the caramelized onions and a sprig of thyme just to please the eyes.

This serves for 4. Voilà. Enjoy a bowl of goodness!

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Baked Cauliflower and Chicken with a Sage and Mustard Sauce

I was feeling for comfort…something warm, definitely creamy, with a little edge in flavor. Sage tastes a bit sweet, savory, yet slightly peppery and goes a long way when it comes to flavor, so use it sparingly. Whole grain mustard is zesty; Dijon mustard is sharp and pungent. But mix them all together and the combination will surprise you!

Photography by Heaven on Hearth

So, start by preheating the oven to 375°.



Cauliflower
Use about a ¾ head of cauliflower, parted into florets. You can cut the florets too, if they are too large. Bite size pieces work well for me.
Butter a baking dish with about 1 tablespoon of butter making sure that all corners are well covered. If you need to use more, go right ahead. I used a baking dish that would hold all the ingredients in one to two layers.
Arrange the florets in a layer, in the baking dish.
Pour 6 tablespoons of chicken broth over the florets and season with ¼ teaspoon of salt, preferably kosher and black pepper. Cover well and tightly with aluminum foil and bake for about 10 minutes while preparing the rest of the ingredients. This will soften the cauliflower just a bit so that once you add the chicken component the cauliflower isn’t overcooked at the end.
While the cauliflower is steaming away in the oven, start with the chicken mixture.


For the Chicken with Sage and Mustard Sauce

Photography by Heaven on Hearth

Cut six large deboned chicken thighs into ½ inch strips, or a bit larger if you like
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper
½ of a medium onion and 2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
10 small fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1 cup whole milk and ½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
2 ounces grated gruyère

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the skillet with 2 tablespoons olive oil. In the mean time, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Sauté chicken till just before it reaches a nice golden color before adding the finely chopped onion and garlic. Once the onions and garlic are soft, add the chopped sage leaves and toss until the spice has been evenly distributed in the pan. Before pouring the whole milk and heavy cream mixture into the pan, whisk in the mustard, and then pour into the pan. Once the chicken with the milk and cream starts bubbling gently, you will notice that it’s also getting a bit thicker. If it’s not thickening to your liking, and you wish to have more of a thicker consistency, mix a ½ - 1 teaspoon of corn starch with a bit of water or chicken broth and pour into the skillet, that should do the trick, now make sure to stir constantly and evenly so that you don’t get a thick clump in one part of the pan. Once the sauce has thickened, remove the pan from the burner. Gently pour the mixture into the dish with the cauliflower florets and toss gently so that the cauliflower is well coated with the chicken sage and mustard sauce.


Cover the dish once again with the aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes covered. Take off the cover, sprinkle evenly over the entire mixture with the grated gruyère and bake a further 20 minutes uncovered. Voilà! A comforting dish to be enjoyed. This easily serves 4 persons. It can be accompanied with French bread, potatoes and even rice if you wish. Add a simple salad and you are good to go.
Bon Appétit.

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