Hello, everyone! Someone recently gave me a HUGE head of cauliflower and I couldn’t think of anything to make with it- until a hint of scandal entered my brain from a recipe we learned at the Le Cordon Bleu school in Paris:Crème Dubarry (or Cream of Cauliflower Soup). You might ask, “How could a scandal be attached to a simple Cauliflower soup?”
It turns out that Madame du Barry of France had many lovers and eventually became the mistress of King Louis XV. Decked out in jewels and fancy clothes, she led a pampered life until she was finally forced to leave Versailles upon the King’s death. Eventually she became a victim of the Reign of Terror and was beheaded in 1793.
Madame du Barry
But not to worry. Madame du Barry’s spirit lives on through this soup named after her: Crème Dubarry, or Cream of Cauliflower Soup. It’s a pretty easy recipe and I’ve added a little Gruyere cheese to give the soup more body: I’m sure Madame du Barry wouldn’t mind!
Cream of Cauliflower Soup (Crème Dubarry)
A creamy Cauliflower Soup named in honor of Louis XV mistress!
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 5 1x
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 300 g (11 oz) cauliflower
- 120 g (4 oz) leeks, white part
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 tbsp. flour
- 5 cups chicken stock or water
- Salt/white pepper to taste
- ½ cup thickened cream
- ¼ cup gruyère or parmesan cheese, grated
- Garnish:
- ¼ cup small cauliflower florets
- ¼ cup small broccoli florets
- Chives, diced
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, chopped shallot, leeks and cauliflower; sauté for several minutes until the vegetables soften a little. Add the flour and stir. Add the chicken stock and cook for about 15 minutes until the cauliflower softens and is fully cooked through. Add salt and white pepper to taste.
- Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend for several minutes until smooth. Transfer mixture back to the saucepan, add the cream and cheese and stir until thickened. Add more salt and pepper if required.
- In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil and add the cauliflower and broccoli florets. Cook for several minutes, then remove. To serve, add soup to bowl, place several cauliflower and broccoli florets in the center of the bowl and sprinkle with some chopped chives.
9 Comments
John/Kitchen Riffs
May 1, 2017 at 12:21 amOf the years I’ve made a lot of cream soups, but never cauliflower for some reason. I gotta try this! Looks terrific. Scandalous or not. 🙂
Fran
May 1, 2017 at 6:29 amThanks for your comment, John. Having a little scandal behind the recipe seems to make the dish taste a little better!
mimi
May 2, 2017 at 1:49 amI love creamed soups, and this one, with the leeks, must be just fabulous. I bet it would be good cold as well?
Cecilia
May 2, 2017 at 2:31 amThis cream soup looks like a dream soup! I definitely will try it. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Juliana
May 3, 2017 at 6:25 amI have never made cream soup with cauliflower…I really don’t know why, I like that you have leek and yes Gruyere cheese! Thanks for the inspiration Fran…
Have a wonderful week 🙂
Maureen | OrgasmicChef
May 4, 2017 at 9:29 pmNow that it’s getting colder, I argue with myself over which soup I want to make next. Now that I’ve seen this, Mrs. Du Barry and I will have a quiet discussion together. It looks beautiful.
★★★★★
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
May 7, 2017 at 10:06 pmI love the bit of history behind this soup! It looks very elegant and delicious!
★★★★★
GiGi
May 8, 2017 at 1:10 pmMmm! I have never made cauliflower soup, but I have done pureed cauliflower… Cause I was trying the whole cauliflower mashed “potatoes”… I do love em so so so much!
Amira
May 10, 2017 at 7:20 amWhat a sad story :(. I like creamy soups but I’ve never tried a cauliflower one before. Looks delicious.