I’ve wanted to make this for years, but never quite got as far as trawling through my many recipes to find The One to make.
Buying the Ingredients and the Making of the Soup
I’d bought the blue cheese a few days prior, and standing in front of the massive cheese display, forgot what type of actual blue cheese I needed. Stilton was on special, so I got some of that, and it worked beautifully. I asked a friend what the difference was between Gorgonzola, Roquefort and Stilton, and she said place of origin. It’s probably a bit more than that, but I was happy to finally make a soup I’d wanted to try for ages. It’s winter here in Ballarat, and it was such a comforting, yummy, more’ish taste that I had two bowls, and finished off the leftover Stilton. Then, the nearby hospitality training school offered their version of cauliflower and blue cheese soup. Theirs hadn’t been pureed, and wasn’t as strong with the blue cheese flavour, but was still lovely as a comparison. I liked mine better 😉
Ingredients
- 1 medium cauliflower
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 smallish yellow onions, peeled and finely sliced
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 2 bay leaves
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock
- 1 cup Gorgonzola cheese (can use less; say 1/3 cup for less intense taste)
- 1/3 cup creme fraiche
- parsley for garnish
Method
Remove the outer leaves from the cauliflower and break it into small florets (leave the stalk as it adds to the flavour). Set to the side. Melt the butter gently in a saucepan (big enough to hold all ingredients) over medium heat. Add the onions and sweat gently for 5 minutes or thereabouts until translucent.
Add the cauliflower, thyme and bay leaves. Season with a touch of salt and pepper. Pour in the stock, stir and then bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or so until the cauliflower is very soft.
Crumble in the cheese and stir over a low heat until it has melted into the soup. Add the creme fraiche and stir.
Pick out the bay leaves and thyme stalks then blend the soup until really smooth.
Return the soup to the pan and reheat gently. Taste and add a little more salt and pepper to suit.
Ladle unto warm bowls and serve topped with chopped parsley.
This recipe can be found at 101cookbooks.com/cauliflower and blue cheese soup
Thank you to Heidi Swanson at www.101cookbooks.com for inspiration, and the recipe.