Cauliflower-Garlic Soup

One of my go-to recipes.

I clipped it out of Sunset magazine (December 2004), pasted it into a spiral notebook I was keeping for "those recipes I wanted to make," forgot about it for a stint, and finally made it.

It was fantastic. Creamy, subtle, the tiniest bit sweet and salty, not too cauliflowery, not too garlicky (why is there a "k" in garlicky? I digress...), and oh so easy.

Cauliflower-Garlic Soup
Makes 3 quarts

1 head garlic, unpeeled
1 tablespoon butter
3 heads caulifl ower (4.5 pounds total)
2 quarts chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons chives, snipped

1. Heat oven to 400°.
2. Cut top 1/2-inch off of garlic head. Set garlic on a sheet of foil and top with butter. Draw sides of foil up around garlic and pinch together to enclose in a loose, sealed pouch.
3. Bake 45–50 minutes, until garlic is soft when pressed. Unwrap and let stand until cool enough to handle.
4. Meanwhile, cut caulifl ower heads into 1-inch fl orets, discarding leaves and stems. In a 4-quart pot, combine caulifl ower and broth. Cover, bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until caulifl ower is very tender when pierced, 12–15 minutes.
5. Squeeze garlic cloves from papery skins into pan with caulifl ower and broth; pour in cream. Working in batches, transfer to a blender and whirl until smooth (or use an immersion blender). Return soup to pan and add nutmeg. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Heat through over medium-low heat while stirring occasionally.
7. Serve with chives.

I make it just as written, save for the following:

• Cauliflower: discard the leaves and the core, but just roughly chop the rest—it's all going to be blended later anyhow
• Blending: I always use an immersion blender
• Serving: I wait to add the nutmeg until serving, grating it directly onto the soup; thyme leaves are a fantastic substitution for the chives (equally as pretty, if not more)

It's quick (save for the roasting of the garlic). You can eat it out of a bowl with a spoon or serve it in mugs and sip away.

I store the leftovers (and, because you're making 3 quarts, there will be leftovers) in a lidded pitcher in the refrigerator. This makes pouring into a bowl or mug the next day easy and you don't have to dirty another ladle.

This is an excellent soup to make when you're not feeling well, too.

Link to online recipe from Sunset here.