The rich flavours of this creamy cauliflower soup and deep-fried Stilton beignets make a wonderful lunchtime treat on a chilly day.
Ingredients
- For the cauliflower soup
-
- 50g/1¾oz
butter - 1
onion, finely chopped - 1
garlic clove, finely chopped - 800g/1lb 12oz
cauliflower florets, roughly chopped - 1 litre/1¾ pint
vegetable stock - 250ml/9fl oz
double cream - 2 tbsp reduced
balsamic vinegar (or regular balsamic vinegar) - 2 tbsp extra virgin
olive oil - 2 tbsp
coriander cress
- 50g/1¾oz
- For the Stilton choux
-
- 125ml/4fl oz water
- 50g/1¾oz
butter, diced - 75g/2¾oz
plain flour - 2 free-range
eggs - 75g/2¾oz
Stilton, crumbled
Preparation method
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For the soup, heat a large pan until hot. Add the butter, onion and garlic and sauté for two minutes, or until just softened.
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Add the cauliflower and vegetable stock and bring to the boil.
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Reduce the heat and simmer for 4-6 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender.
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Cool slightly, then place the mixture in a food blender and blitz to a purée.
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Return to the saucepan and add 200ml/7fl oz of the cream. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and return to the boil.
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Simmer for a minute, then keep warm until ready to serve.
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For the stilton cheese choux, heat a deep fat fryer to 190C/375F.
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Place the water and butter in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil for a minute.
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Remove from the heat and add the flour in one go – beating well until the mixture is smooth and comes away from the sides of the pan.
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Return to the heat for a minute or two to cook through.
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Remove from the heat again and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between the addition of each egg.
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Add the blue cheese and mix well. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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Drop teaspoonfuls of the batter into the fryer and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp (you may need to do this in batches).
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Drain onto kitchen paper and season with a little salt.
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To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and place a few of the Stilton cheese choux on top. Drizzle over the balsamic vinegar, the remaining double cream and olive oil. Finish with a scattering of coriander cress.