Jeremy Sewall’s Roasted Cauliflower Soup

We love this flavorful recipe for warming roasted cauliflower soup from Chef Jeremy Sewall. I don’t know of any chefs with deeper New England roots than Jeremy Sewall. His former restaurant, Lineage, was located just off the corner of Sewall Avenue (named after his ancestor Samuel Sewall) in Brookline, Massachusetts. Up in York, Maine, where his cousins live, there’s Sewall’s Bridge. In fact, his cousin, Mark, sails out of York harbor each day to harvest lobster’s for all of Jeremy’s restaurants, including Island Creek Oyster Bar and Row 34, both in Boston. So when he announced that he had a cookbook coming out called The New England Kitchen(Rizzoli, 2014), we paid attention. Written with Erin Byers-Murray, the book takes readers through the seasons, highlighting the bounty of New England and offering fresh, sophisticated takes on classics like steamers, oyster stew, chowder, pot roast, and sausage and beans. “There’s no question that my heart belongs in the Northeast,” he writes. “It’s the region that has defined my cooking since I first learned to crack a lobster. ” Jeremy kindly shared his recipe for roasted cauliflower soup. Enjoy it as the weather turns cooler…

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER SOUP

Makes: 2 quarts Ingredients: 8 large fresh sage leaves 1 head cauliflower, green leaves removed, head intact, stem trimmed Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste 3 tablespoons canola oil 1 leek, white part only, split lengthwise and washed 1 small Spanish onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 1 Yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 5 cups vegetable stock 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1 fresh bay leaf 2 cups heavy cream 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice Directions: Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a small sauté pan, melt 1⁄4 cup of the butter with 2 of the sage leaves over medium heat; be careful not to brown the butter. Place the head of cauliflower on a baking sheet and brush the outside with the melted sage butter. Put the additional sage leaves on top of the cauliflower head; season with salt and white pepper and roast for 30 minutes. The cauliflower should have some color on the outside but will not be completely cooked through. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle; reserve the sage leaves. Cut the cauliflower into 1-inch pieces. In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the leek, onion, and potato; sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently so that the vegetables don’t color. Stir in the chopped cauliflower and roasted sage leaves, then add the stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer; add the thyme and bay leaf. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are almost tender. Add the cream and simmer for 10 more minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Puree the soup in a blender (this may take a few batches) until smooth. Strain the soup through a fine-mesh sieve; season with salt and white pepper. Return the soup to the pot. Slowly warm the soup over low heat, stirring frequently so that it doesn’t burn. In a small sauté pan, heat the remaining 1/4 cup butter over medium heat until it begins to brown lightly, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining 6 sage leaves and cook for 10 seconds, until just crisp; remove from the heat. Just before serving, season cauliflower soup with the lemon juice. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and pour the brown butter and sage leaves over the top of each serving. This post was first published in 2014 and has been updated.