Skye Gyngell's Cauliflower Gorgonzola Soup with Pickled Pear Relish

One of my regular blog reads is  ~JCB~ , a blog authored by Janet whom I have had the good fortune to meet (hi, Janet!), which features short elegant posts about art, vintage photography, English country houses, books, or whatever appeals to Janet at the moment. 

In early October she mentioned a cookbook of "fabulous recipes" she'd purchased in London, A Year in My Kitchen by Skye Gyngell, the chef at Petersham Nurseries. I'd never heard of Skye Gyngell or her book before but looked her up on Amazon and saw that her book was being released in the U.S. in paperback in January.

I didn't think another thing of it until earlier this month when I saw my friend Meg's post about her plans to visit Petersham Nurseries while she was in London. My chance to get the book in November! In hardback! I asked Meg if she'd pick up a copy of the book for me which she kindly agreed to do.

The book itself is beautiful; it's printed on heavy, matte-finished paper, with gorgeous photographs and has ribbons to mark pages. The recipes are arranged by season and feature the fresh produce that's grown at Petersham Nurseries.

Last night Meg came over for dinner and I made the Cauliflower and Gorgonzola Soup. It was the same soup that Janet had made. It seems to be a soup that just leaps off the page because after reading Eggbeater's post about Petersham Nurseries, I see it's the same recipe that Heidi of 101 Cookbooks featured last year.

The soup was delicious although the next time I make this soup I'll cut back on the amount of gorgonzola which seemed to me to overpower the cauliflower. In fact, because the original recipe is given in metric measurements and  I've managed not to learn the first thing about the metric system, making this soup was fraught with runs to the computer to look up various conversions and I initially thought that I'd miscalculated the amount of gorgonzola and added too much. I hadn't but next time I'll add about half of the 8 ounces the recipe calls for. (It wasn't until after I made this that I realized that Janet had already posted the conversions when she posted the recipe which would have made my life a lot simpler.)

This would be a lovely Thanksgivng soup. It's elegant, and the topping of pickled pears and dried cranberries which adds a lively counterpoint to the richness of the soup, seems perfect for the Thanksgiving table.

Cauliflower Gorgonzola Soup

serves 6

1 tablespoon butter
2 small onions, diced
1 medium head of cauliflower broken into florets
4 sprigs of lemon thyme (or regular thyme)
2 bay leaves
1 quart chicken stock
8 ounces of gorgonzola (I'll use about half of that next time)
1/2 cup creme fraiche
parsley

1. Cook the onions in the butter over medium heat until the onions are softened and translucent.

2. Add the cauliflower, thyme, and bay leaf and continue to cook for a few minutes while the ingredients "find their feet." I'll be damned if I know what this means. I suppose it's just an instruction to allow the flavors to mingle.

3. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes until the cauliflower is soft.

4. Remove the bay leaves and the thyme. Crumble the gorgonzola and add it to the soup. Stir in the creme fraiche.

5. Blend the soup until smooth, either with a stick blender, or by pouring the soup into the container of a regular blender. If you use a regular blender, allow the soup to first cool a little, then be sure to hold down the top of the blender using a folded dish towel while you blend. 

6. Taste for seasoning. Reheat if necessary. Garnish with parsley and pickled pears, if using. Serve.

Pickled Pears (optional garnish)

1 tablespoon currants
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
2 comice pears, unpeeled and finely diced
1 golden delicious apple, unpeeled and finely diced
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar or cider vinegar (I think the sharper cider vinegar works better here)
2 tablespoons castor (superfine) sugar  (I used regular sugar)
1 cinnamon stick
4 sprigs of thyme
Salt and pepper, if desired

1. Soak the currants and dried cranberries in a small amount of warm water to plump them up and soften them.

2. Saute the fruit in the butter until it is soft which will be about five minutes.

3. Add the vinegar, sugar, dried cranberries, currants, cinnamon, and thyme to the fruit and continue to cook for another 10 minutes.

4. Taste for seasoning and add the optional salt and pepper if desired. (I would definitely add a fine grating of pepper. You're looking for a little sharpness.)

Comments

[ann]

Oooooh! Soup topped with pickles! That's my favorite kind of soup. Thanks for the multiple tips: JCB's blog, the Nurseries and the wonderful cookbook. So much goodness... Happy Thanksgiving Julie! I hope it's delicious.

[Elizabeth]

What gorgeous deliciousness!

[adele]

I don't eat enough cauliflower. Maybe I should start with this soup.

[Andrea]

Lucky! I've been hearing about Skye Gyngell for a while now and could never find her book (story of my life, it seems) but I'm so glad to know it will be coming out here in January. She also has another one called something like "My favorite Ingredients." This soup looks just great and those pickled pears are so creative! Love it!

[pigtown*design]

1) Thank you for dinner. It was a great way to finish off the weekend!
2) It was fabulous and beautifully presented.
3) From an e-mail from JCB: "I was conservative on the cheese because I wasn't sure how it would taste. I also added the cauliflower in with the onions to brown for a bit ~ I think that helped bring out the taste of the vegetable. It is a good, easy soup!"

[Maris]

This soup looks so good! I love making soup, but I've never made a cauliflower soup before. i definitely want to try this1 I just got an immersion blender and it's one of the best things I ever bought myself.

[Sig]

oh wow, I love how creamy that soup looks! What a great space you have here, I loved your honey yogurt panna cotta as well...

[Peter]

This soup is an eye catcher and the ingredient combo has me in awe (must make this)!

[justaplanerideaway]

Isn't it a beautiful cookbook? I bought it for a Texan friend of mine last year and should get a copy for myself as well before I move from England. I actually have Gyngell's new book "My Favourite Ingredients" on order.

Lovely looking soup!

[Erik]

I love really strong-flavored cheese; it makes such a great addition to soups and sauces as it it only takes a little to really change the taste of the dish. I can totally understand cutting back on the amount of Gorgonzola, as it can easily overpower something as mild as cauliflower.

[Janet]

Hi Julie! It is indeed a soup that jumps off the page. Very unusual and very tasty. Your presentation was beautiful. I didn't get to the pears, but am dying to try them next time. I just received "My Favourite Ingredients" in the mail...and it is just as fabulous. Am looking forward to cooking some things out of it. I'll keep you posted. HAPPY THANKSGIVING...and happy cooking. Cheers!

[michelle]

It looks lovely, Julie, and truly pops off the "page" here too! I could certainly see this on a Thanksgiving table ~ though it would be wonderful all winter long, I'm sure. I love finding new cauliflower recipes too - one of my favorite veggies! I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving!

[White On Rice Couple]

I love the layers pickled flavors in the soup. What a delicious and dynamic dish!

Thanks for Janet's link...will have to go visit...

[heather]

wow! what a cool flavor combo! i love the pickled pear relish :)

[Anne]

I'm definitely going to give this one a try. it looks absolutely beautiful.

[Susan from Food Blogga]

This soup sounds so decadent. And that pickled pear relish would be excellent as an appetizer on crostini or served alongside blue cheese.

[Elizabeth]

Salt is King!! And those babies look great! Yeah I am totally in the mindset that my eating habits desperately need to get into a healthy state, but how do you do that with dozens of cookies coming out of the oven??

[Sujan Patricia]

This is a fabulous Cauliflower soup. It makes a terrific lunch or, in small bowls, an amazing first course.