Cauliflower Soup Recipe | Gavin McDonagh | TheTaste.ie (2024)

This is a lovely silky soup / velouté using Irish cauliflower. The seared scallop is the perfect complement to the creamy soup and the crush really helps to add texture and a different dimension. It’s a lovely winter warmer dish but when assembled, it’s extra impressive if you pour the soup into the bowl in front of your guests!

Makes 6 portions

Ingredients:

– 6 large king scallops
– 1 lemon, juice only
– salt
– 1 tbsp of chopped peeled hazelnuts

Cauliflower Crush:

– 1 large cauliflower (cut into florets, keeping all the trimmings for the soup)
– 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
– 1 tbsp mild curry powder
– 1 shallot finely diced
– 1 clove garlic, crushed
– salt and pepper to taste

Cauliflower Soup:

– trimmings from the cauliflower from above (not the leaves)
– 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
– 4 shallots, finely diced
– 2 cloves garlic, crushed
– 200 ml good quality chicken stock
– 200 ml full fat milk
– 100 ml cream
– 1 medium potato, peeled and diced
– salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Cauliflower Soup:
1. Heat a saucepan, add the oil, shallots and garlic and cook without colouring for 2 minutes, then add the cauliflower trimmings and cook for a further 3 minutes.
2. Add in the diced potato, chicken stock, cream and milk and bring to the boil. Once the liquid has come to the boil reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
3. After 20 minutes the potato and cauliflower should be soft so the soup is now ready. Blend in a food processor or with a stick blender, then season with salt and pepper to your taste.

Cauliflower Crush:
1. Place the cauliflower in a saucepan and cover with water, seasoning with salt then bring to boil and cook until the cauliflower is soft. Once cooked strain off the liquid and set aside.
2. In another saucepan heat the oil and cook the shallot, garlic and curry powder for about 3 minutes, then add the cooked cauliflower and lightly crush with a fork, making sure to mix in the curry mix.

Assembly:
1. Toast the chopped peeled hazelnuts in a dry pan to enhance their nutty flavour.
2. Place a pan on a high heat, adding splash of oil. Season the scallops and place in the hot pan, cooking for about 60 seconds or until golden brown on one side, then turning the scallop and cooking for 30 seconds on the other.
3. Squeeze in the lemon juice, which will create steam that will finish cooking the scallop, so remove the pan from the heat.
4. Now place 1 tablespoon of cauliflower crush in each soup bowl, place the scallop on top, sprinkled with toasted hazelnuts, and pour the warm soup around the bowl – this can be done at the table if you want to impress your guests!

Chef/Patron Gavin McDonagh’s food philosophy has been wrought over the hot plates of some of Ireland’s finest establishments. An impressive career path that has included senior posts in Michelin Starred restaurants like L’Ecrivan and Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud in Ireland. A well-travelled journey too with time spent in France, Germany & The UK.

His passion for fine French cuisine reveals itself in the care and attention to detail that each dish shows bringing a real flair to the table. The focus of his cooking is on fresh, in season Irish produce and refined cooking using French culinary skills to deliver a modern French tasting plate experience.

www.brioche.ie

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