Cauliflower and cheddar soup with roasted grape compote and toasted pinenuts

soup

1 white onion, rough chopped

2 Tbsp butter

1 glass of white wine

1 L chicken stock

1 head of cauliflower, rough chopped

enough water to cover

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

pinch of nutmeg

salt to taste

grape compote

20 red grapes

10 red grape tomatoes

olive oil

1 heaping Tbsp brown sugar

1 glass red wine

garnish

toasted pinenuts

PROCEDURE

Preheat your oven to 425˚F.

Place the tomatoes and grapes in a baking dish and toss with olive oil to coat. Blap it in the oven and roast until the tops of the tomatoes just become slightly burnt, about 25-30 minutes.

In a small pot combine the brown sugar and red wine, bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer until the sauce becomes thicker and sticky.

When the grapes are roasted, pour them directly into the thick syrup and toss to coat. Set aside to cool.

To toast pinenuts, you must be careful. You can either watch them for the 4-7 minutes it takes to toast them or you will risk burning these very expensive little nuts. Place the pinenuts on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast them keeping a close eye so they don’t burn. When toasted, transfer to a bowl and set aside for serving.

Get a large pot over medium low heat and toss in the chopped onion and butter. Sweat the onions gently over medium low heat until they become soft and translucent.

Pour in the white wine and turn up the heat to full blast. Now add the chicken stock and bring it all to a boil. Pile in the cauliflower and enough water so the cauliflower is completely submerged. Get it to a rip-roarin boil and bubble away until the cauliflower is cooked and very tender, about 30 minutes.

Using a hand blender (immersion blender) puree the soup until it is extremely smooth and velvety. Add the cream and while it is hot use a whisk to gently stir in the cheese so it melts evenly. Add the pinch of nutmeg and adjust the seasoning with salt if needed.

Reduce the heat now to very low and don’t allow the soup to boil again or it might break the smooth texture. Serve warm in a large shallow bowl with a lovely scoop of compote in the center and a sprinkling of pinenuts.

Serves 4-6 depending on the people.