
French Cream of Cauliflower Soup
Today, I craved a cauliflower soup! Its been raining for days in Cape Town and I felt like some much needed comfort and the thought of watching Wimbledon with a big bowl of steaming cauliflower soup fills me with joy!
I went all out with the richness of dairy here with some very (very) good butter and tangy creme fraiche. If you are not keen on dairy, try this equally delicious vegan cauliflower soup recipe.
Winter months brings about the best of the season brassicas like cauliflower and broccoli, and I am finding lots of ways to eat them! Cauliflower is mild in taste which means it can be paired with stronger flavoured ingredients and I absolutely love their creaminess, perfect to use in soups.
In this recipe, cauliflower, onions and garlic are slowly simmered in salted butter, blitzed, and followed by a swirl of creme fraiche which provides a ‘tang’ to balance out the creaminess.
Serving Suggestions:
Would be wonderful with a chunk of well buttered speedy Soda Bread or a slice of toasted No-Knead Bread.
Getting Ahead: the soup can be made a few days ahead. You can blitz the florets in a food processor for ease.
Seasonal Swaps: you can use double thick yogurt instead of creme fraiche.
Zero Waste: Soup Topping idea: Blitz the cauliflower stem, leaves and 3 cloves garlic together to resemble breadcrumbs. Fry in some olive oil with a pinch of salt and chilli flakes until golden, season and sprinkle over each bowl of soup.

French Cream of Cauliflower Soup
Equipment
- food processor or hand-blender
Ingredients
- 1 large onion peeled, sliced finely
- 1 large 1kg cauliflower, florets sliced finely
- 4 large garlic cloves finely sliced
- 60 g salted butter
- 1 teaspoon fine good salt
- 2-4 tablespoons creme fraiche
- 600 ml vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
- few grinds nutmeg
- salt & white pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat until foamy, add a splash of water ( about 4 tablespoons) along with the cauliflower, garlic, salt and onions, cook, covered for 15 minutes until the veggies are soft but have not taken on any colour.
- Add enough stock to just cover the veggies (between 500/600ml) and gently simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
- While the soup is simmering, you can go ahead and make the topping if you like.
- After 15 minutes of simmering, whizz the soup until creamy and smooth.
- Start by adding 2 tablespoons of creme fraiche to the soup. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking, adding more creme fraiche if you prefer. Season with nutmeg, salt and white pepper.
- To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls and sprinkle over the chopped chives. Enjoy!