Spiced roasted cauliflower and aromatic wild mushrooms are blended with stock and heavy cream to create a delicious and fragrant soup. What’s more, you can easily enhance it further with a selection of various toppings to improve both taste and texture.
The Flavour Affair:
Cauliflower + wild mushrooms + garam masala + bacon + gruyere + parsley + garlic
This combination creates a lot of layers. You can go all in for the maximum experience or customize the recipe to your taste. I spiced my cauliflower up with garam masala and fried the mushrooms in bacon fat which added depth and richness to the flavour. Make the most out of it by adding a mix of crunchy, salty and fragrant toppings. For example:
Bacon: adds saltiness and a crunch, the fat can be reserved for frying the mushrooms;
Grated gruyere: rich, creamy and earthy, it’s a wonderful companion to wild mushrooms;
Fresh parsley: clean and peppery, its natural aromas instantly enhance the dish with a burst of freshness;
Garlic croutons: add a different texture and more prominent garlicky notes.
Other Ingredients:
Wild mushrooms: I use dried mushrooms which need to be soaked before cooking. Dried mushrooms have a more concentrated flavour and as little as 30g go a long way. Plus, the soaking water is also quite flavour intense which makes it a perfect ingredient for sauces. You can freeze it to save for later use.
For the best results, fry the mushrooms in bacon fat (or butter if you are not using bacon) together with the aromatics of thyme and garlic for 15-20 minutes. The flavours will blend together creating a wonderfully fragrant base for your soup.
Garam masala: this Indian blend features a lot of warm spices such as cinnamon, cloves, allspice along with fresh peppercorns and bay leaf. It goes amazingly well with both wild mushrooms and cauliflower and adds a nice complexity to the soup. Make sure to check out my Homemade Garam Masala recipe!
I hope you give this delicious soup a try – let me know in comments what you think!
Wild Mushrooms and Cauliflower Cream Soup
Equipment
- 1 Pot
- Roasting tray
- Soup pot
- Hand blender
Ingredients
- 1 small cauliflower head
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 30 g dried wild mushrooms
- 4 garlic cloves
- A few sprigs of thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 300 ml chicken stock
- 100 ml cooking cream
- A couple of strips of bacon
- Grated gruyere
- Finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Season the cauliflower florets with garam masala, toss with a little olive oil and roast at 190C for 30-40 minutes or until tender.
- Soak the mushrooms for at least 30 minutes. Wash each piece thoroughly and strain the water through a fine mesh to get rid of the dirt.
- Fry bacon over medium heat until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel and reserve the fat.
- Saute the mushrooms in bacon fat together with garlic, shallots thyme and salt for 3-5 minutes. Lower the heat, add 1/2 cups soaking water and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- Transfer the mushrooms together with all aromatics to the soup pot. Add the cauliflower, chicken stock and 100ml cooking cream and blend until smooth.
- Serve warm topped with grated gruyere, crumbled bacon, chopped parsley and garlic croutons.
Notes
- You can simplify this recipe by skipping garam masala and bacon.
- Instead of croutons, try serving it with warm garlic bread.
