Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Steps

• 1
  Remove the outer leaves from the cauliflower, and break the head into small florets. Cut the core and smaller stems into approximately 1 cm cubes. Thoroughly wash the prepared vegetables in cold water. Finely chop the red onion.
• 2
  In a pot, bring 1.1 liters of water to a boil and add one teaspoon of salt. Add the chopped cauliflower to the boiling water and cook until almost tender (al dente). Then, remove it with a slotted spoon into a bowl and set aside. Strain the water in which the cauliflower was cooked into a clean pot.
• 3
  In a saucepan, melt 60 g of butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to one-third, sprinkle in the flour, and stir for 3 minutes. Pour in the cauliflower cooking water, increase the heat, and whisk thoroughly with a hand whisk until the roux is completely dissolved.
• 4
  Set aside one-third of the cooked cauliflower florets, and add the rest to the soup. Once the soup boils, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered over moderate heat for 20 minutes. Add the cream, a pinch of white pepper, and nutmeg. Stir, then thoroughly purée with an immersion blender. Strain the finished soup into a clean pot, add the reserved cauliflower florets, and heat through. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining cold butter in small pieces. Season with more salt if necessary.
• 5
  Finely chop a few sprigs of chives into the finished soup.
• 6
  Tip: The cauliflower florets intended for the soup garnish should remain crunchy; do not overcook them. Make sure the roux does not brown; the soup should remain white. The cold butter at the end makes the texture silkier, but do not boil the soup at this point.