Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Horseradish Cheddar

Spring has sprung in Wisconsin, but as we were contemplating meals, winter's shadow still cast itself on us. With that pall hanging over us, soup was on.

In addition, we knew that we still had some Cabot cheese lingering in our fridge, and we wanted to use that up soon. The cheese we had the most of at that time was the Horseradish cheddar.

The result was a largely improvised recipe, stemming from the use of a head of cauliflower and the cheese. But flavor-wise it was quite an achievement. The horseradish cheddar, which alone had an overpowering taste, was nicely subdued in the soup. Yet it still packed a sharp punch. The red pepper flakes and the roasted cauliflower brought a bit of a heat and smokiness to the mix.

We served our soup with Cybros 7-grain baguette.

Cauliflower about to be roasted. Specks of red pepper flakes and olive oil coat the pan.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Horseradish Cheddar
serves 6 to 8

1 head cauliflower, cut into small chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
red pepper flakes
kosher salt
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
14.5 ounce can plus 3 tablespoons chicken broth
4 cups 2% milk
1/3 cup flour
5 ounces horseradish cheddar, grated
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a baking pan, spread out the cauliflower evenly and sprinkle with olive oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and kosher salt. Roast until cauliflower is starting to brown, about 10 minutes.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk milk and flour together.

3. In a large stockpot, brown onion and garlic in olive oil. Add chicken broth and milk and flour mixture. Bring the mixture to a simmer.

4. Then, after it has thickened, blend a little bit of the soup to thicken it, but not enough to lose all of the chunks of cauliflower.

5. Add the grated horseradish cheddar and salt and pepper.