Roasted Cauliflower Soup
This is a great, filling soup to make on a chilly day, and the roasting really brings out the best flavor from the vegetables. You can save yourself some work and roast the garlic cloves with their papery skins on- just give each clove a gentle squeeze and the garlic will pop right out of the skin after roasting (you may want to use a pair of kitchen tongs to do this if the garlic cloves are still hot from the oven). You can probably do the same thing with the shallots too, but the larger shallots may take a little more effort to peel than the garlic. I like to serve this soup topped with fresh snipped chives and a bit of grated cheese (Parmesan and sharp cheddar both taste great with this soup).
Ingredients:
Method:
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Cut cauliflower into 1-inch florets (about 10 cups). In a large baking pan toss cauliflower, garlic, and shallots with oil to coat and roast in middle of oven about 30 minutes, or until golden.
In a 4-quart kettle simmer broth, water, roasted cauliflower mixture, and herbs 30 minutes, or until cauliflower is very tender. Discard bay leaf and in a blender puree soup in batches until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to a bowl. Return soup to kettle and stir in cream and salt and pepper to taste. Heat soup over moderate heat until just heated through.
Make 10 cups (about 6-8 servings).