Cauliflower Soup

METHOD

• 1
  Remove the outer leaves from the cauliflower and break its head into small florets. Cut the main stem and smaller stems into 1 cm pieces. Thoroughly wash the prepared vegetables in cold water. Finely chop the onion.
• 2
  Bring 1.1 l of water to a boil in a pot and season with a level teaspoon of salt. Add the chopped cauliflower to the boiling water and cook until almost tender (al dente). Then, transfer it to a bowl using a slotted spoon and set aside. Strain the water in which the cauliflower was cooked through a fine sieve into a clean container.
• 3
  In a saucepan, melt 60 g of butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring frequently, until translucent. Reduce the heat to one-third, add the flour, and stir for 3 minutes. Pour in the water in which the cauliflower was cooked, increase the heat, and thoroughly whisk the soup until all the roux has dissolved.
• 4
  Set aside one-third of the cooked cauliflower florets and add the rest to the soup. Once the soup comes to a boil, reduce the heat to one-third and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Add the cream, a pinch of white pepper, and nutmeg. Stir and thoroughly blend with an immersion blender. Strain the finished soup through a coarse sieve into a clean pot, add the reserved one-third of cauliflower, and heat through. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining cold butter cut into smaller pieces. Season the soup with salt if needed and stir.
• 5
  Finely chop a few chives and add them to the finished soup.