Cream of Cauliflower Soup

My grandmother was the very best at making soups. She could make delicious soups out of anything. I am fortunate to have her cooking books which slowly but surely I want to try to make every recipe she wrote throughout her live. Some are her own creations, others are family recipes and lastly others are traditional recipes she adjusted to her taste.

As I am going through them all, I am also creating a document so that all of her great-grandchildren and cousins will be able to cherish for years to come. This one is a favorite of mine, it has a velvety taste and oddly enough it barely tastes like cauliflower.

My daughter’s reactions? The little Princess ONLY had 3 cups of it!! OHHH and as I was preparing the soup, she kept on wanting “little bites” of the soup. So I guess this was a winner for her. My Dancer? Well I first did not tell her it was cauliflower as for whatever reason she says she does not care for it, but ended up eating a FULL bowl of it and this morning asked if she could have some cold for breakfast.

Indeed, this cream is also very good cold. Finally I asked her. By the way… do you like cauliflower? And her nose frowned right away and said noo. Hmmm well you LIKED the soup. As usual I got that look I usually get as if saying… I hate it when you trick me!

INGREDIENTS

1 cauliflower
2 cups of beef stock or vegetable stock
1 cup of whole milk or heavy cream

1 tbsp butter

parsley leaves
salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil the cauliflower in water and a pinch of salt until well cooked
2. Remove the water and pass the cauliflower through a food mill
3. Place it back in the pot and add the stock and milk
4. Bring it to a boil for about 6 minutes
5. Prior to serving add the butter
6. Serve it garnished with a few parsley leaves

Thai Hot and Sour Soup

We all love Thai food. Last year we hosted a Thai student, therefore I ventured into cooking more Thai at home.

This was a recipe I tried from Leite’s Culinaria site. Everyone absolutely loved it, though I decided to remove some of its broth aside and add the spiciness onto it, then only my husband, the Thai student and I added it back to the soup. This way the soup for the dancer and the princess was not as spicy. The Thai student felt it was not as authentic as back home,yet she still loved it and made her miss home a little less.

Lettuce Soup

This is one of my GrandMother’s favorite soups. So simple yet the taste is amazing and very delicate and just as good hot as cold for a warm summer day. If we ever have leftovers, the Dancer will go to the fridge first thing in the morning, grab  and drink it cold for breakfast!

INGREDIENTS

1 large iceberg lettuce head or 2 small ones (if you are to use other ones adjust their taste with a little extra sugar)
1 medium onion
2 tbsp of butter
1.5 cups of chicken stock (or vegetable stock if you are vegetarian)
1 cup of milk
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp of heavy cream OR Greek yogurt
1/4 tsp of nutmeg
1tsp of sugar
salt , pepper
1 cup of croutons (if desired)
a small bunch of parsley to decorate (if desired)

DIRECTIONS

1. Fill a medium pan with water and salt, and bring it to a boil.
2. Wash the lettuce leaves, slice them up into strips and put them for about 5 minutes in the boiling water.
3. Remove them from the water and pass them through cold water.
4. Mince the onions.
5. In a medium size pan melt the butter add the onions and stir until they are translucent.
6. Add 3/4 of the lettuce strips and add the stock and let it simmer in medium heat for about 15 minutes.
7. Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg and the sugar.
8. Stir for about 2 to 3 minutes then remove from heat.
9. Put it in a blender to create a nice smooth cream.
10. Add the milk then bring it back to a low boil for about 5 minutes.
11. In a bowl beat the egg yolks and heavy cream, then slowly add a few spoons of the soup while mixing well.
12. Add the whole thing to the soup and stir continuously until the the soup thickness up.
13. Prior to serving add the leftover lettuce strips.

SUGGESTIONS

You can also add a few croutons, parsley leaves and a touch of heavy cream prior to serving.