Sage & Gorgonzola Cauliflower Soup Recipe

I have decided that sage and Gorgonzola cheese can make anything taste phenomenal. I first became enraptured with this combination when I made Sage & Gorgonzola Gougères (Cheese Puffs) a couple of weeks ago. They go together like Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Julia Roberts and Lyle Lovett (sorry about that).

While cauliflower is often consider a bland vegetable, its mellow flavor acts as a blank slate for a variety of flavors. When paired with sage and Gorgonzola in this recipe, cauliflower turns into a creamy, smooth, flavorful soup that is perfect for a cool Autumn evening. What's up next? Sage and Gorgonzola ice cream? Sage and Gorgonzola chocolate pudding? I think I'll leave those combinations to the chefs on Iron Chef America, where the ice cream maker is always used in the most unfortunate ways (trout ice cream, anyone?)

Cut one 1-pound cauliflower into small florets. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add one cup of the florets to the water.

Blanch until the florets are just tender, 2-4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add ¼ cup (½ stick) of butter. Once the butter melts, add 1 large, chopped yellow or white onion, 1 ¼ cup chopped celery, the rest of the cauliflower florets and 2 minced garlic cloves.

Cover the saucepan and cook until the onion is tender, but not brown, stirring frequently, 7 to 8 minutes. Add ¼ cup all-purpose flour and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. This will get rid of that raw flour taste, but the flour will thicken up the soup nicely.

Add 3 ½ cups vegetable broth and 1 cup milk. I used 2% milk and was very happy with the results (and, somehow, I had to justify the ½ stick of butter), but whole milk will make for a richer soup. It's up to you.

Bring the mixture to a boil. Partially cover the saucepan, reduce the heat, and simmer the mixture until the vegetables are very tender, stirring occasionally, 20 to 30 minutes.

Now, you can do the next step one of two ways. You can either puree the soup, in a couple of batches, in a blender or you can use an immersion blender. Since I didn't feel like washing my blender (really, why wash extra dishes if you don't have to?), I went the immersion blender route. Either way, puree the soup until very smooth.

Learn from my mistakes. Be sure that the immersion blender is fully immersed before turning it on, unless you enjoy being scalded by hot soup and finding specks of cauliflower on your cupboards for the next week. Consider yourself warned.

Bring the soup back to a simmer and stir in 3 ounces of Gorgonzola cheese, until the cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide the blanched cauliflower amongst 4 bowls, top each serving with 2 chopped leaves of fresh sage (8 leaves total), and ladle the soup over top. Serve immediately.

Sage & Gorgonzola Cauliflower Soup

Adapted from a Bon Appetit magazine recipe

1 1-pound head cauliflower, cut into small florets

¼ cup (½ stick) butter

1 large onion, chopped

1 ¼ cup chopped celery

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup all-purpose flour

3 ½ cups vegetable broth

1 cup 2% milk

3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Salt & pepper

8 fresh sage leave, sliced

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add one cup of the florets to the water. Blanch until the florets are just tender, 2-4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add butter. Once the butter melts, add onion, celery, the rest of the cauliflower florets, and minced garlic cloves. Cover the saucepan and cook until the onion is tender, but not brown, stirring frequently, 7 to 8 minutes. Add all-purpose flour and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. This will get rid of that raw flour taste, but the flour will thicken up the soup nicely.

Add vegetable broth and milk. Bring the mixture to a boil. Partially cover the saucepan, reduce the heat, and simmer the mixture until the vegetables are very tender, stirring occasionally, 20 to 30 minutes.

You can either puree the soup, in a couple of batches, in a blender or you can use an immersion blender. Puree the soup until very smooth. Bring the soup back to a simmer and stir in 3 ounces of Gorgonzola cheese, until the cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide the blanched cauliflower amongst 4 bowls, top each serving with 2 chopped leaves of fresh sage (8 leaves total), and ladle the soup over top. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 (appetizer size) or 2 (entree size).

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