Potage Crème Dubarry

Last week I declared that in the month of March, Tom Cooks! would be a meat free column. I noticed that we are still in February, so I'm meeting you halfway, reproducing one of the dishes which Binkie Johnston enjoyed at the Tsar's table in 1914. Those of you with decent French will have noticed the error in the Tsar's menu, a circumflex accent in place of a grave. Standards!

For those of you confused by the title, we're talking cauliflower soup. For those of you confused by the halfway reference, all good versions of cauliflower soup are made with chicken stock. Obviously you can use veg stock if you like, but it won't be as good. I make the simplest soups in the world. At the risk of insulting you, I'll start with my basic recipe (your 10 year old may not know how to make soup), add a twist or two, then finish with an allegedly posh version which I found online.

So, why Dubarry? It's a tedious tale of a French "lady" who was mistress of Louis XV of France after the death of Madame Pompadour. Her real name was Jeanne Bécu. It would have been absolutely scandalous if the King's bit on the side was a commoner, so a marriage was arranged to a Comte du Barry. That, obviously, sorted out the moral bit. Cauliflower was her favourite veg, apparently. Despite having left the Court before the Revolution, she got the chop in 1793. Sorry. Really boring, I know.

 

Tom's Basic Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

1 small cauliflower; 1 onion, chopped; 1 smallish potato, very finely diced; about 600 - 700 ml chicken or veg stock; olive oil; butter; s & p.

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Remove the leaves from the cauli and trim off the florets. If you're being really economical you can chop the stalk finely and use that too. I generally can't be bothered, and you might need more liquid.

Soften the onion in some oil and butter, then add the potato. After a few minutes, chuck in the cauliflower. Let the ingredients get to know each other for a few minutes. Season lightly. Add the stock and simmer gently until the veg are completely cooked. Blitz the soup. Check the seasoning and serve.

Variations

Just as cauliflower with cheese sauce is a classic, so too does cheese go well with this soup. Grate a small handful of your choice of cheese - a decent Cheddar is ideal - and allow it to melt into the finished soup. Mix well. If using cheese, remember it is quite salty so do your final seasoning once the cheese is in.

Garnish

Once upon a time, a swirl of cream was the height of sophistication. These days it looks a bit naff. See below for the posh version.

Potage Crème Dubarry

Ingredients

700g cauliflower florets; 2 leeks (white part only), thinly sliced; 60g butter; 2 tbsp flour; 1 litre chicken stock; 2 egg yolks; 100g double cream; s & p; herbs to garnish (optional) - parsley and/or chervil if you can find it.

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Reserve a floret or two to chop into tiny pieces for the garnish. The recipe I found suggests you wash your cauliflower in a mixture of water and vinegar. I have no idea why.

Sweat the leeks in butter until translucent. Gradually stir in the flour to make a roux. The incompetent who wrote this recipe says you should immediately start to stir in the stock. Obviously you need to let the flour cook out for a few minutes otherwise the end product will be disgusting. OK, so you've done that and put the stock in. Then add the cauliflower. (Do you get the impression I'm not too keen on this?)

Simmer gently until the cauliflower is tender. (This recipe says 25 minutes. I can only assume that a small primus stove was being used.) Blitz the soup. Allow it to cool a little.

In a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks and cream together, then add a ladleful of the soup and mix well. Gradually whisk the egg and cream mixture into the soup.

Seasoning? As ever, a little s & p at the start and adjust at the end.

Garnish with cauliflower florets, herbs, or whatever the hell. I don't much care for soups thickened with egg yolks, so don't serve it to me.