Brown Butter and Garlic Cauliflower Soup
This soup has flavor for days with warm notes of brown butter and earthy tones of fried garlic and pecans that is tied together with the brightness of balsamic vinegar and pomegranate seeds. The soup is as easy as 1-2-3 and stores well in the refrigerator and freezer.
It is as beautiful as it is decadent and a perfect soup for a fall dinner party.
Brown Butter and Garlic Cauliflower Soup Ingredients
8 Tbl butter
1 med onion, roughly chopped
2-3 Tbl crushed garlic
2 lbs cauliflower, cut into about 2” florets and stems
6 c water
¼ tsp cayenne
2 Tbl Better than Chicken Bouillon
¼ tsp salt
Pomegranate, seeded
Roasted pecans, chopped
Balsamic vinegar (aged)
Brown Butter and Garlic Cauliflower Soup Directions
Heat a Dutch oven to medium and add 8 Tbl of butter. You should hear a gentle sizzle that fades. If you don’t hear it, leave the butter in the pan, but get the pan a little hotter. The butter will bubble and sizzle then most of the bubbles will disappear and the sound will quiet. This stage is when the butter will begin to brown. You want it to be a little lighter than milk chocolate. You may need to tilt the pan so the butter deepens or it will look too light.
Add 1 med onion roughly chopped to the pan. You should hear it sizzle then fade.
Slice off the dry end of a clove of garlic. Lay the blade of the knife flat over the garlic and with the exterior of your fist, hit the flat side of the knife. The skin will pop open and the garlic will be crushed. Remove the skin.
When the onion is softened and begins to turn clear, add 2-3 Tbl of garlic. Stir every 3-5 minutes until the garlic becomes light brown.
Add 2 pounds of cauliflower, 6 c water, ¼ tsp cayenne, ¼ tsp salt, and 2 Tbl Better than Chicken Bouillion. Bring it to a boil then simmer it until the cauliflower is soft. It should take about 10-15 minutes.
Put an immersion blender in the pot and puree. Taste. Add more salt if needed.
To serve, put the soup in a bowl. Sprinkle chopped roasted pecans and pomegranate seeds on top of the soup in the center of the bowl. Drizzle a couple of quick circles of balsamic on the soup between the other garnishes and the bowl.
Notes
If you really like garlic, you can increase the garlic to a ¼ c. It will taste of heavenly garlic and less of the butter and cauliflower.
If you don’t have aged balsamic, you can use balsamic glaze, pomegranate molasses, or lemon juice.
Use any type of roasted nut or seed that you like. Hazelnuts pair exceptionally well with this soup.
If you use a different brand of chicken baste or substitute in stock, taste the soup before you add salt.
