Mystery Soup

Recipe submitted by Nell Anderson, staff member at Empowerment 
​Original recipe was posted by Nell's mother:  https://food52.com/recipes/7059-mystery-soup

Ingredients

• 4 - 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cauliflower, cut into florets
• salt (kosher salt preferred)and white pepper to taste
• 4 - 6 cups best chicken broth or stock
• 2 - 3 tablespoons creme fraiche
• tiny squeeze fresh lemon juice

1. Melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or dutch oven over low to medium heat and add the onions, cooking and stirring until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the cauliflower and stir everything around for 4 or 5 minutes. You want the veggies to soften and take on a bit of color, but not brown. If you need to add another bit of butter that's fine, it all depends on how much cauliflower you have. Season with salt and pepper (you will correct the seasoning before serving), and stir for a minute or two more.
3. When you can gently pierce a cauliflower piece with the tip of a sharp knife, add about a cup of the broth or stock, a bit at a time, still stirring, and continue to cook until most of the liquid is gone.
4. Set aside to cool slightly for about 10-15 minutes.
5. Place contents of your soup pot into the bowl of a food processor and process until quite smooth, adding another couple of cups of the stock a little at a time, and scraping the bowl as necessary. This may take a good five minutes.
6. Return the pureed cauliflower to the soup pot and place on medium low heat. Stir in the rest of the stock and cook for an additional ten minutes or so.
7. When you like the consistency, check the seasoning: tasting and adding salt and pepper as necessary. Just before serving, remove from the heat and stir in the creme fraiche and a squeeze of lemon juice, also to taste.

AUTHOR NOTES:  When my younger daughter was in kindergarten she liked all vegetables except for cauliflower. She knew this for a certainty, without ever having tasted it. Once when we were visiting my parents in Maine, my mother presented her with a bowl of thick, creamy pale ivory soup, which she dubbed "Mystery Soup." It was lapped up speedily, along with a request for more. It was some years before we confessed just what made Mystery Soup so good, but now it is a family staple. I have played with this over the years, but it remains unapologetically The Essence of Cauliflower. Just before serving, add small amounts of creme fraiche and lemon juice to accentuate the flavor. You can substitute a shot of cream for the creme fraiche, but only a couple of tablespoons are necessary. --calendargirl

Recipe Submitted by Nell Anderson, staff (the little girl mentioned in the recipe!)
Original recipe was posted by Nell's mother:  https://food52.com/recipes/7059-mystery-soup