Our Uncle Graham writes a beautiful grace. He’s so good at it he regularly gets the gig at family nuptials. He said grace at our wedding. It was thoughtful and considered as always. Years later I commended him on the grace he’d said at a cousin’s wedding. Turns out it was the same one. Whoops!
I take a leaf out of Uncle Graham’s book before special occasions now. I try to have at least written a few notes, so that when we all finally sit down, I don’t miss the point by getting lost in food preparation or worse(!) sentiment.
I found a great every-day grace last year, by none other than Lady Flo Bjelke-Petersen. By saying this I am not inferring that we say grace every day in Casa de Cooker – I just mean it’s a better go-to option than “Ta Pa, God bless the cook”. It’s from the front of her Classic Country Collection cookbook that I bought in Kingaroy after meeting her and feasting on her famous pumpkin scones.
Lady Flo’s favourite grace is simple and lovely.
I’ll be drawing on Lady Flo’s expertise (cooking and other) more often now I’ve embarked on the time-worn tucker adventure. This week’s recipe is a cracker.
Lady Flo’s Cream of Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients:
4 cups water
1 small cauliflower, broken into small florets
60g butter
3 tbsp flour
2 cups chicken stock
¼ tsp nutmeg
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup cream
chopped parsley to garnish
salt and pepper to season
Method:
Bring water to the boil in a saucepan. Drop in cauliflower florets and cook for ten minutes. Drain, reserving cooking liquid. Reserve two cups cooked florets and puree the remainder with one cup of the reserved liquid. Melt butter in a saucepan, blend in flour and cook, stirring, until a pale straw colour. Remove from heat and add remaining reserved cooking liquid and stock, stirring until mixture is smooth.
Add cauliflower puree, return to heat and stir until boiling. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add reserved cauliflower florets , nutmeg, salt and pepper, and simmer for a further five minutes.
Beat the egg yolks with the cream. Stir a ladle of hot soup into the cream mixture, then add this to the remaining soup , stirring. Heat gently without boiling, then pour into bowls and sprinkle with parsley.
Verdict:
Lady Flo’s soup was wholesome, practical and lovely – just like the lady herself. All the ingredients are standards in my fridge and pantry. This one will be on high-repeat in the coming cooler season. I’m often stuck with a few spare egg yolks – so I’ll be pleased to use them in something that isn’t as indulgent as home-made custard or mayonnaise.
I often make Carbonara when I have egg yolks to use.But that isn’t so healthy with all the cream and bacon!
One of my most used and favourite cookbooks that one of Flo’s. My Nanna used to say:
“Be present at our table Lord
be here and everywhere adored;
these mercies bless, and grant that we
may strengthened for thy service be. Amen”
But she used to say it so quickly I never knew what she was saying until I was 25!”
And I normally put the spare egg yolks in the dog’s food bowl.
xx
That sounds and looks fantastic! Thankfully, all staples in my house too. I was just looking at our head of cauliflour and wondering desperately how to get the kids to eat it covertly (they’re apparently allergic in its natural form – but have been eating it mixed in with their mashed potato since the dawn on time). Cauliflour soup for us tomorrow night!
I just don’t know about cauliflower soup. Cauliflower is a vegetable I just can’t stand and the idea of it in a creamy soup is a little suspicious sounding to me. This recipe sounds rich with the yolks and cream- is it? I’m kind of picturing a potato soup….
There’s over 1.5L of cooking water and stock in the soup, so the addition of 80mls of cream and 2 egg yolks doesn’t really touch the sides. That said, if you don’t like cauliflower then I don’t think this is the recipe for you sparkling74!
As for suspicion, there’s been suspicion surrounding Lady Flo’s family for years, but none directed at her Cream of Cauliflower soup! 🙂
I made cauli soup recently and it was beautiful. I would use the egg yolks in carbonara sauce too. Or you could make custard or pasta. We usually all sit at the kitchen table, but we can see the telly from there anyway! Something hearty like pea and ham or pumpkin and yellow split pea soup are a couple of my favourite soups.