After a few years with no discernible winter period, it appears Mother Nature has finally relented. We are experiencing beautiful cold, crisp days with clear blue skies during the week, and buckets of rain every weekend; most of which seems to fall just as the The Princess's hockey game begins. However, what I really love about winter is being able to cook whatever I want, whenever I want. And that I can put soup back on our weekly menu.
Despite it's constant appearance at our dinner table, The Princess remains firmly opposed to soup as a meal. To be fair to her, she doesn't moan nearly as much as she used to. I have given up trying to appease her though as soup really is an ideal meal for busy days. Most soups can be made in advance, and reheat quite quickly. Individual family members can just warm a bowl for themselves, making it easy to stagger meal times.
When it comes to favourites, my family is very much divided. If pressed, The Princess will request minestrone. Mr Grumpy favours a hearty pea & ham. For me, I love this creamy cauliflower soup. Mr Grumpy doesn't mind it, and The Princess is absolutely not a fan, so I am always guaranteed leftovers for lunch the next day. It also freezes brilliantly, so I usually make a big batch and stash some in the freezer to enjoy on my own.
The only drawback to this creamy cauliflower soup is the smell. Cauliflower belongs to the same family as cabbage, so if you don't want the house to smell like wet socks you need to employ my favourite trick of adding a bay leaf to the soup pot. The bay leaf somehow banishes the boiled cauliflower smell and flavours the soup at the same time. I can't tell you how it works, I just know that it does. Don't forget to remove the bay leaf before blending the soup, or you will end up with tough green bits through your soup - a mistake you will only make once.
Whilst this soup is lovely as it is, I often kick it up a notch by stirring through some seeded mustard just before serving. Paired with a loaf of crusty homemade bread, a bowl of this creamy cauliflower cheese soup is perfect for a cold winter's night. Now who's for dessert?
Creamy Cauliflower Cheese Soup
