I’ve been in love with Fine Cooking’s Cauliflower Soup with Marcona Almond and Piquillo Pepper Relish since finding it in the December issue last year and whipping up a batch for the holidays. Who wouldn’t love a recipe that’s super easy to whip up but tastes elegant and exquisite? With the added bonus of being “customizable” to taste with your personal amount of relish?
The recipe suggests orange cauliflower, but when I saw this beautiful head of purple cauliflower at the store, I couldn’t resist the thought of a bowl of lavender soup. The only question was, would the color actually carry through?
And the answer is… the cooking water turned a marvelously glowingly intense shade of violet, and the cauliflower still a beautiful pale lilac. And when blended all up, the soup was a gorgeous pale purple. And seriously, when I brought it to the table, the first reaction of guests was “OMG what’s that?” Followed by “Yum.”
As for the relish — I decided to replace the almonds with hazelnuts because, well, because I just love hazelnuts. And while you can eat the soup without the relish (it’s deliciously creamy without a touch of cream), the relish transforms the soup as it is stirred in… it changes and sharpens the flavors and gives the tastebuds a little “Aha!”
The picture doesn’t do it justice. I just couldn’t take a good picture of a bowl of soup.
Purple Cauliflower Soup with Hazelnut Relish
For the soup
- Salt and pepper
- 1 medium head of cauliflower — purple obviously if you want this color, otherwise any type — cut into florets
- 4 tbs of unsalted butter
For the relish
- 1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted lightly and finely chopped
- 1/4 cup jarred roasted red/yellow peppers, rinsed, seeded, and finely diced
- 2 Tbs. hazelnut oil (or EVOO if preferred)
- 1 Tbs. thinly sliced fresh mint
- 1 medium clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Boil 6 cups water with one teaspoon of salt. Boil the cauliflower until very
tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the cauliflower in a colander set over a
large bowl to catch the cooking liquid and let the cauliflower cool
slightly. Working in 2 batches, purée each batch of cauliflower with 2 cups of the
cooking liquid and 2 Tbs. of the butter in a blender until very smooth.
Season to taste with salt. (The soup can be made up to 4 hours ahead.)
In a small bowl, combine the hazelnuts, peppers, oil, mint, garlic, and
pepper flakes Season to taste with salt and pepper. (The relish can be
made up to 1 hour ahead.)
When ready to serve, gently reheat the soup over medium-low heat.
Garnish each serving with a spoonful of the hazelnut relish.
(adapted from fine cooking magazine)
