Gratinée - Cream of Roasted Cauliflower and Leek Soup

I've been looking for a soup recipe that has roasted cauliflower and leek for some time now. Earlier this year Sam and I went out for dinner, and we begun our meal with this most delicious soup. And so I was left with the desire to cook it for myself. I trawled all my usual recipe sites, but found nothing to satisfy the craving. Nobody was making a cauliflower soup with leek!

On a whim, I turned to Flickr and done a search for cauliflower leek soup. Imagine my surprise to find that there were two whole pages of photos people have uploaded of their own attempts at this recipe. The one I found at Gratinée seems to be the best one, so I'm going to give it a shot tomorrow night! If it turns out well, I've got my first course for my planned dinner party.

The following recipe is the property of Darina Kopcok, I post it here out of appreciation for the deliciousness of her work; and gain no financial benefits from doing so. You can read her post in its entirety here, and I heartily recommend checking Gratinée out!

Cream of Roasted Cauliflower and Leek Soup

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower
1 large leek, white part only
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons water
olive oil
1 carton vegetable or chicken broth  (946 ml)
1 tomato, blanched in hot water and peeled
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sachet bouquet garni *
1/4  cup creme fraiche
sea salt
fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400F. Wash the cauliflower and leek thoroughly. Cut the leek into chunks and cook slowly in butter and water until water evaporates and the leeks are tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the cauliflower into chunks and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in oven until golden and caramelized.

2) Bring the stock to a simmer. Add bouquet garni, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the cooked leeks and tomato. When the cauliflower is roasted, add to the broth and cover. Cook on medium low heat until the cauliflower is soft and tender and the flavors are incorporated.

3) Remove the bouquet garni. Puree the soup with an immersion blender. Season to taste with more salt and pepper. Thoroughly blend in creme fraiche.

* Bouquet garni is a mixture of dried celery, bay leaves, thyme and parsley. I buy Cote D’Azur brand, which is a local company. You can make your own bouquet by choosing a mixture of herbs and tying them into a small piece of cheesecloth. This will immerse the soup with the flavors of the herbs.