With the gray cloudy weather recently, a nice hot bowl of soup has definitely been top-of-mind. We have a French bakery close to work, Casse Croute, and they make homemade soup every day, with 3 to 4 choices on the menu any given day. One of our recent favorites is their Cauliflower Chowder. The owner Lenore checks in with us for new ideas, and let’s us know when cauliflower is on the menu, usually Thursdays.
Lenore prepping the homemade soup at Casse Croute Bakery in downtown Livermore
It’s mid-winter, which means califlower is in season, just picked up two heads at the Farmers Market yesterday. This morning I was watching The Pioneer Woman on the Food Network, and she was making her Cauliflower Soup, cauliflower is certainly trending!
A few of us at work are foodies, so we often share our homemade fare, or cook together on Fry-days at the back loading dock. This week Rebecca brought in a batch of her Cauliflower Chowder, and I got to take a jar home with me, along with the recipe. It’s definitely worth the effort to make it from scratch!
CAULIFLOWER CHOWDER
- 1 head of cauliflower, chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- Garlic salt and pepper to taste
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup flour
- 1-quart milk
- 2 cups of water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 dozen peppercorns
- 1-tablespoon parsley, chopped finely
- 2 celery stalks with inside ribs and leaves, diced
- 1/2-tablespoon chicken stock paste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme (optional)
Toss cauliflower in olive oil, garlic salt and pepper and roast at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Sauté onion and garlic in butter. Add in flour, and lightly sauté with the vegetables. Add milk slowly, and then the water. Stir in herbs and spices, simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, and serve piping hot.
Cauliflower Chowder just waiting to be warmed up!
Soup’s on! Nancy