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Gratinated Cauliflower Soup

Name: Gratinated Cauliflower Soup
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 0.5 st Cauliflower head; 4 st Shallots; 2 dl White wine; 1 dl Cream; 1 st Vegetable bouillon cube; 1/2 msk Honey; 1 msk Rapeseed oil; 1 1/2 dl Västerbotten cheese (grated); Salt; Black pepper

45 min 4 servings

Part of menuCauliflower, Plaice and Rhubarb

At first glance cauliflower may seem a rather dull vegetable, with its pale colour leaning towards beige. But it is something of a rough diamond on the vegetable counter and, cooked right, offers both great flavour and an interesting texture. In a soup it adds body and a mild flavour that plays delicately with the other ingredients.

Servings

Ingredients

Cauliflower head1/2 pcs
Shallots4 pcs
White wine0.8 cups
Cream3.4 fl oz
Vegetable bouillon cube1 pcs
Honey1.5 tsp
Rapeseed oil1 tbsp
Västerbotten cheese (grated)0.6 cups
Salt
Black pepper

Nutrition per serving

Energy255 kcal

Protein6.5 g

Carbohydrates7.3 g

Fat18.4 g

Fiber2.1 g

Instructions

Finely chop the shallots and fry them in oil to give them a little colour. Add the wine, honey, stock cube and finely chopped cauliflower and simmer gently for about 10–15 minutes, until the cauliflower is soft. Add the cream and 100 ml (scant ½ cup) of the cheese. Blend with a stick blender until smooth and season with pepper and, if needed, salt.

Depending on the cauliflower, the soup can turn out a little thin. That is easily fixed by thickening it with cornflour and bringing it back to the boil. Divide between bowls and sprinkle the rest of the grated Västerbotten cheese on top (a well-aged Parmesan works if you can’t find it). Brown with a kitchen blowtorch for a gratinated top.

Garnish with something green if you like, and serve at once!

Tips & Inspiration

Wine

White wine is usually made from green grapes, but red grapes can be used too, since the colour sits in the skins. If the skins are removed straight after pressing, you get a white wine. If the juice and skins are left together for a few hours up to a few days, you get a rosé instead. Red wines come from juice and skins fermenting together, sometimes for several months.

Västerbotten cheese

Västerbotten cheese is sometimes called northern Sweden's own Parmesan. It is a flavourful cheese made at the dairy in Burträsk. According to legend, it came about by accident late in 1872, when the dairymaid Ulrika Eleonora Lindström was working alone at the Gammelbyn dairy in Burträsk. She had to leave the cheese she was making for other duties; some rumours claim these duties had to do with love. As a result the curd cooled and was reheated several times, and the cheese did not turn out as intended. Despite the mistake, it was delicious and quickly became a success across the country.