Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Chives & Truffle Oil

Creamy, warm and hearty...the perfect mix on a chilled February evening.  I whipped this flavorful soup up earlier this week...smooth and luscious without any actual cream (that's the beauty of pureed cauliflower...and you get a solid dose of fiber and disease-fighting antioxidants as a bonus).  Take this seemingly simple soup up a notch with a sprinkle of chives and lemon zest, drizzle in some truffle oil and top it with a parmesan tuile and you've got a dressed up, deliciously light and satisfying dinner.

Cauliflower Soup with Chives & Truffle Oil
serves 4

for the parmesan tuiles 
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chives, minced
dash of cayenne pepper

for the soup
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
1/2 onion, diced
1 head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
32 ounces of low-sodium or homemade chicken or vegetable stock/broth
2 cups water
salt to taste
dash of white pepper
dash of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

for the garnish
zest of 1 lemon
1 to 2 tablespoons of chives, minced
truffle oil (go for a nice, light drizzle)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a stock pot saute garlic, shallot and onion in olive oil over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.  Add in cauliflower florets and saute another 3 to 4 minutes.  Add in stock, water and spices.  Bring heat up to medium-high, bring to a boil and then lower, simmering until cauliflower is soft, about 30 minutes.
While soup is simmering, mix Parmesan cheese, chives and cayenne pepper in a small bowl and place one to 2 tablespoons of the mixture onto a baking covered covered in wax paper.  You should get about 8 tuiles in total.  Bake in the oven for 4 minutes until lightly golden brown, remove and allow to cool and harden.
Serve soup with chives, a touch of lemon zest (about 1/4 teaspoon), a light drizzle of truffle oil and garnish with a parmesan tuile.

Spring...in Paris

If you're on the hunt for a stunning meal, a stellar atmosphere and the added bonus of fine food products, look no further than Spring, ex-pat Daniel Rose's seasonally-focused restaurant.  The restaurant recently reopened in a larger space in the 1st arrondissement near the Louvre  (it was formerly an extremely-cozy 16 seater) , and added a fine foods boutique/wine store just down the street.  Garnering a reservation at the restaurant is still quite a feat, unless you're lucky enough to have time for a leisurely 3-course lunch.  All meals are based on set multi-course menus, the design is contemporary and the new kitchen remains as open and inviting as it was the original space.   They've even added wine pairing classes on Thursday evenings - taught in both English and French.  Sadly, I only had the chance to discover the gastronomic finds at the boutique, but even with a simple lunch of soup and baguette, it was quite possibly the best meal of my trip.  And on a cold day like today (at least in NYC), nothing sounds better than a warm bowl of rich saucisse de canard.  

 lunch: lovely, light & full of warmth

saucisse de canard epeautre e legumes (translates to: a rich soup/stew of duck sausage, duck leg, stock, onion, celery, carrot, barley, diced potato & turnip, garnished w/orange zest & parsley).  olive oil samples stand tall in the background.   

 oh yeah, it was good.  and how amazing is the vintage spoon it's served with

simple yet refined. and something i'll definitely attempt to recreate at home.

 a sampling of the boutique's carefully selected products -- from local French olive oils, to vinegars, honeys, jams and of course wine

 the interior of the boutique: wines to the left, fine foods to the right, cured meats, cheeses, mini pastries and a single lunch option to the back

 a glimpse of the full restaurant...from the outside looking in.  i'm in love with the open kitchen!

Soulful Chicken Soup

Check out my blog post today over at Rue - all about gorgeous chicken soups - quite fitting as we're currently experiencing some of the most bone-chilling temps yet this winter.  My solution: a pot full of homemade chicken soup.  Ok, almost homemade.  When it’s too darn cold to even leave your home, you just have to deal with what’s in the fridge – which for moi, happened to be the remains of a rotisserie chicken and a gorgeous, emerald green bunch of kale.  And in under 45 minutes flat, I’d whipped up a steaming pot of a very soulful soup.  Not bad timing when you just want to pop back underneath a cozy wool throw on the couch.  Here the speedy recipe for Rue that’ll have you coming back for seconds.

Chicken & Kale Soup with Parmesan

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 carrots, diced

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 quart low-sodium or homemade chicken broth

1 cup water

1 small pre-roasted rotisserie chicken, meat torn off  into pieces

1 bunch kale, roughly chopped

3 baby yukon potatoes, quartered

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 pinches red chili flakes

1 piece of parmesan or pecorino romano cheese rind *for extra flavor

1 egg, whisked

1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese

In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil and saute garlic, onions and carrots over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes.  Add in chicken broth and water, along with pieces of chicken, kale, potatoes, salt, pepper, chili flakes and parmesan rind.  *For a richer flavor, add the carcass of the chicken to the stockpot as well and remove prior to serving.  Bring to a boil, cover and lower heat to a simmer.  Simmer for about 20 minutes, add in whisked egg and cook for 5 to 10 minutes more.  Remove parmesan rind and carcass if using.  Serve with grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese.