Category Archives: veloute

Cauliflower Cream

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Filed under appetizers, soup, veloute

photo

The day before valentine’s I needed to fix dinner and since I had some cauliflower in the fridge I decided to make a cauliflower gratin with bechamel as it is one of my children’s favorite. I had a million of things to do that day so I asked my sweet child to go grocery shopping for me.

To my liking she had bought all I needed ( not like someone else in the house;-), but she had also bought another cauliflower… Two to fix…. That was a bit much…
I guess I could have roasted the cauliflower florets in the oven later on this week but with Valentin’s coming, I decided that a cauliflower cream would be good:-)
And it is easy to make too:-)
Ingredients for about 6-8 servings: 

  • 1 cauliflower head
  • 1 medium white onion , sweet preferably
  • 4 cups of vegetable broth
  • 1-2 cups of heavy cream
  • 1/2 tsp of salt
  • 1/8 tsp of pepper

 

  1. Cut the cauliflower in small florets.
  2. Place them in the large round mold and place the octogonal silpat.
  3. Cook for 6/8 minutes. It needs to be tender.
  4. Meanwhile warm up 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot and when the oil  is warm add the chopped onion.
  5. Stir and cook until it sweats. Then add the cooked cauliflower and cook it also for a few minutes. photo
  6. Add the warm broth, salt, pepper and stir.
  7. Bring the mixture to boil, then lower to low and cook for 15 minutes.
  8. Purée the soup, add the cream and warm it up. Add salt if needed.
  9. Fill up individual bowls and sprinkle celeri seed, or salt on top for added flavor. photo

Bon appetit and happy cooking!!!

Butternut Squash, Coconut Milk and Wasabi Soup

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Filed under appetizers, Large round mold, octogonal silpat, Recipe with Demarle Cookware, soup, stainless steel cookware, veloute, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

What did you guys eat this evening? left-over turkey, and left-over food from Thanksgiving? I was not that lucky to have left-overs as I did not host Thanksgiving, and all I brought was eaten.

Then on the other hand, I am glad that I did not have any as I was wanting something more light for my fare. Soup was going to be it for me. The rest of my crowd, was on their own ( do not feel sorry for them-they had plenty of wonderful cold cuts and French cheese to make great sandwiched with…)

I had a small butternut squash in my fridge, and a few other things and since butternut squash soup is definitly one of my favorite soups, there was no hesitation as what my dinner was going to be. So while everyone was busy fixing their sandwiches, I came up with this recipe:

Ingredients for 4-6 people:

  • 1 small butternut squash peeled, and cut in cubes
  • 1 large sweet potato peeled and cut in cubes also
  • 1 red onion thinly chopped
  • 3 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 can of light coconut milk
  • 1-2 tbsp of wasabi paste

Place the cubed butternut squash, and sweet potato in the large round mold. Cover the round mold with the octogonal silpat and cook for 5 minutes. Meanwhile in a medium-sized pot, warm up 2 tbsp of olive oil. When the olive oil is warm, add the chopped red onion and saute it. Stir and cook the onion on medium-high for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is a golden brown and is soft. Add the steamed vegetables and saute them as well. Warm up the broth and pour it over the vegetables. Bring this mixture to boil and when it has come to boil, lower the temperature to medium. Cook the soup for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. With an immersion blender, puree the soup. Add the coconut milk and the wasabi and stir well. I added 2 tbsp of wasabi paste, but you may want to use less.

This soup was such a treat. I loved it, i hope that you will like it as well.

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

2. I

Cream of Asparagus or Veloute d’Asperges Vertes

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Filed under soup, vegetables, veloute, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

When you eat asparagus, you need to use both of your hands to break off the end of the asparagus. The asparagus will break where it is becoming hard and stringy, leaving you with the tender part of the vegetable. After fixing some prosciutto asparagus for dinner this evening, I was left with half a dozen of asparagus, and the tails of the ones I used. You can still use those ends to make a soup or a cream. All you have to do is break off the hardest part of the end ( it is generally white) again and keep the rest for a soup.

For this recipe you will need:1/2 sweet white onion diced and cut thinly, 3 cups of asparagus ends or full ones ( try to cut off the tips and keep them aside for decoration), 3-4 cups of broth, butter.

In a large pot, melt 2 tbsp of butter. When the butter is melting, add the diced onion. Cook at a low-medium heat until the onion is becoming soft and translucent but is not changing color. Add the asparagus tip and cook for 5 minutes. Add 3 cups of broth and bring the mixture to boil. Then lower the temperature and cook for 15-20 minutes. With a mixer, puree the soup. You may sieve out the soup to make sure that there are no asparagus “strings” left. You may add another cup of broth if you seem it is too thick ( i did not). Cook the soup for another 10 minutes. 5 minutes before serving the soup, place the tips into the soup to cook them.

To serve, spoon the soup into a bowl, and place a few tips on the top for decoration. Et voila!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Cream of Chanterelles

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Filed under appetizers, veloute, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

When my family moved to the Bordeaux region, our life changed drastically. It was no longer an urban life that we experienced, but a rural one. We would go to the local farms to get our milk and eggs, go to the local farmers and producers for the vegetables and fruits of the season and enjoy all the that a life in the country has to offer. We would for example go for long bike rides in the country, stop at near-by orchards and get a bushel of apples or plums. We would go to the Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning. We would join in the fun and help out during the harvest of the grapes. Those are such wonderful memories. One of the thing, that I dearly loved, was to go for walks in the early morning, in the near-by forests after a thunderstorm. We would go hunt for fresh mushrooms. Some of the mushrooms we would search for were “Cepes” , and “Chanterelles“, as they are best when they are fresh and have just rose from the ground. I remembered my mom cleaning them up and saute them in butter, fresh garlic and parsley. They were so so good and such a great addition to any meat. I missed those days.. Well, what a surprise it was yesterday to see Chanterelle at Costco. They were perfect, almost as fresh as if I had picked them myself from the ground… I had to have them… And this is what I did with them: Oven Roasted Chicken with a side of saute Chanterelle, and a cream of Chanterelle.

Ingredients: 1 purple onion cut thinly, 1 lb of fresh Chanterelles, 2 tbsp of butter, 1 1/2 cup of broth, 1/2 cup of white wine, 1 cup of cream. 1 tbsp of fresh parsley chopped.

In a pot, melt the butter and when the butter is sizzling saute the onion until they become soft and  golden. Add the chopped Chanterelles and cook for 5 minutes. Add the fresh parsley, the white wine, 1/8 tsp of salt, 1/16 of pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the broth and bring to boil. When the “mixture” has come to a boil, lower the temperature and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the soup from the stove and with a mixer, puree the soup to a very fine “veloute” ( cream). Add salt and pepper if needed. Add 1 cup of cream, mix well and serve. Et Voila!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

Cream of Potato with Truffle Oil and Black Truffle Shavings

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Filed under appetizers, soup, veloute, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

This afternoon, my husband and I went to pick our Christmas trees. Thanksgiving has now passed and it is time to get ready for Christmas. Though everything is already set for Christmas ( aisles are filled with Christmas items, and Christmas music is playing everywhere), I am not quite ready for it. It is too warm. 70 degrees outside… And I am not ready for another year to end;-( time passes too fast.

Well since it was getting close to dinner time, the recurrent question was asked once more: What’s for dinner… This time a soup was suggested. Except that the soup is not one that I eat and certainly not that my children would have eaten. So instead of cooking an onion soup, I opted for a Cream of potato. It is easy to do, and you can dress it as you like.  You can make it homey with bacon and Cheddar cheese, or more refine with truffle oil. I had purchased some great olive oils at the Santa Shops a few weeks ago and thought it would be a great occasion to use them. This olive oil company is called Palmetto Olive oil. Co. It is located in Greenville, Sc on 2247 Augusta Street. If you have a chance to go there, please check it out. It is very reasonable and their oils have the best flavors. www.palmettooliveoilco.com

Ingredients: 1 yellow onion, 2 leeks chopped very thinly ( rinse well, and only use the white and light green part of the leeks), 2 lbs or 10 small gold potatoes, 4-5 cups of broth, 2 tbsp of butter, 4 tbsp of truffle oil.

In a large pot, add 2 tbsp of truffle oil and 2 tbsp of butter and cook until it starts sizzling. Add the chopped onion and cook for a minute or 2 on low/ medium temperature. Add the  chopped leeks and cook again for 1-2 minutes. The onion and leeks should not burn or become golden. Add the diced potatoes and sweat them also. Throw in the 4 cups of broth and bring to boil. Lower the temperature and cook for 30 minutes. With a mixer, mix the soup and add 1 more cup of broth if you deem necessary ( I did not..) The soup should be thick but still liquid. Add 2 tbsp of truffle oil and stir well.

To serve, spoon the soup in fancy glasses. I used martini glasses. Drizzle 1 tsp of truffle oil in each glass and shave some of the truffle above the soup ( if you have some.. It can be very expensive.. so it is optional). Et voila!!!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!

An Asian Twist on the Pumpkin Soup

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Filed under appetizers, broth, chowder, soup, veloute, What's Up in Cecile's Kitchen

With this cool weather, there is nothing better than eating soups. I tried to fix soup as often as I can. Since at my house, I am the only one eating it, I have soup for several days in a row;-) at least that’s an easy lunch!!! I love butternut squash soup and pumpkin soup. But being lactose intolerant, I cannot add any dairy product to make them creamier so i thought maybe I should add coconut milk. Different but good. You ought to try.

Ingredients: 2 1/2 lbs of pumpkin peeled and diced, 5 cup of water, 1/3 cup of soy sauce, 1 sweet yellow onion sliced and diced thinly, 1-2 inches of fresh ginger grated, 5 tbsp  of brown sugar, 1  1/2 cup of coconut milk, 1 tsp of powder ginger, salt and pepper to taste, dry coconut flakes for decoration, toasted sesame seed oil.

In a large pot, add 2 tbsp of toasted sesame seed oil. When the oil is getting hot, add the onions and saute. Then add the pumpkin and saute it. Lastly add the grated ginger and saute as well. Add the water and the soy sauce to the pot and bring to boil. When the soup has come to boil, reduce the temperature and add the ginger, and the salt and pepper. Stir well and cook for 30 minutes. With a mixer, puree the soup, then add sugar and cook for another 30 minutes at medium-low temperature. You may need to add salt and pepper if necessary. Before you serve the soup, add the coconut milk and stir. Serve in small bowls and sprinkle with dry coconut flake. You may also add chopped basil. Et voila!

Bon Appetit and Happy Cooking!!!