Cauliflower cheese soup recipe

Ingredients

1. 50g butter
2. 1 onion, chopped
3. 1 garlic clove, chopped
4. 2 medium cauliflowers, broken into florets
5. 1 large baking potato, cut into chunks
6. 900ml chicken stock, hot
7. 142ml carton single cream
8. 100g mature Cheddar, grated
9. 125g Gruyère, grated
10. Handful roughly chopped fresh flatleaf parsley, to garnish

Method

1. 1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until softened. Add half the cauliflower florets and all the potato and the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 20 minutes, until very soft. Cool slightly.
2. 2. Meanwhile, blanch the remaining cauliflower in boiling salted water for about 6 minutes or until just tender. Drain, refresh under cold running water and drain again very well.
3. 3. Whizz the soup, in batches, in a food processor or blender until smooth. Return to the rinsed-out saucepan. Add the cream and season to taste, then gently reheat, until hot but not boiling. Add the blanched cauliflower and heat through.
4. 4. Preheat the grill to high. Ladle the soup into 4 flameproof bowls. Mix the cheeses together and scatter over the soup. Stand the bowls on a baking tray and grill for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese has melted and is turning golden. Scatter with the parsley to serve. Take care when handling the hot bowls.