Roasted Vegetable and Cheese Soup is soo Gouda!

I was attending a wine tasting event and needed to make something to pair with a red table wine. Not knowing the particulars of the wine, I decided to pair it with the earthiness of roasted vegetables and a mild, nutty 2 year aged Gouda cheese. Having received a beautiful head of cauliflower and yukon gold potatoes in my recent Talley Farms Fresh Harvest CSA box, I combined them as the base for my soup. My creation was a Roasted Cauliflower & Yukon Gold Potato – Cheese Soup with Gouda Croutons.

Cauliflower and Yukon potatoes are both very mild flavored vegetables, so I knew I would need to enhance the soup with herbs and spices. I absolutely love Mediterranean spices and I had some curry powder in my pantry that a friend brought me from Morocco which would be a perfect place to start. I paired it with coriander, fennel seed and saffron to complete my spice mixture for the soup. 

Roasting the vegetables would bring out the sweet earthiness to pair with the red wine. I also wanted to have a nice plating so I decided to garnish the soup with a savory dill whipped cream and served it with a side of Gouda croutons that I made to look like little grilled cheese bites. The finished product looked great and tasted delish!

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER & YUKON GOLD POTATO – CHEESE SOUP WITH GOUDA CROUTONS 

Serves 8 (20 tapas sized portions)

Ingredients

For the Soup

• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, separated
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil, separated
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 leek, sliced lengthwise and cut into half moon slices
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 large head cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 2 medium-large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 tsp mild curry powder
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp ground fennel seed
• pinch saffron threads
• 1 quart low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 cup light cream
• 1/2 cup grated Gouda
• Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

For the Whipped Cream

• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• Kosher salt to taste

For the Gouda croutons

• 1 French baguette, sliced into thin slices about 1/4″ thick 
• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
• 1 cup shredded Gouda 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°.
2. Toss the potatoes with 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes. Toss the cauliflower with 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add to the pan with the potatoes and continue to roast an additional 20 minutes or until vegetables are barely fork tender.
3. In Dutch oven, melt 1 tablespoon butter and remaining tablespoon oil over medium heat. Sauté onions and leeks for a few minutes until translucent. Add the additional tablespoon butter, garlic, curry powder, coriander, fennel and saffron and stir to combine cooking for about 1 minute. Add the roasted vegetables and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cover, simmering for about 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Stir in the cream and simmer a few minutes more.
4. Puree the soup in batches in a stand blender until completely pulverized. (You can alternately use a stick blender in the pot) Return the soup to a clean pot and add the cheese to melt. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. To serve the soup, top each serving with a dollop of dill whipped cream and a sprig of fresh dill with a couple Gouda croutons alongside.
6. Dill Whipped Cream: With a hand held mixer, blend the whipped cream in a metal bowl until soft peaks form. Mix in the chopped dill and season with salt.
7. Gouda Croutons:  Butter the slices of baguette on one side. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a large skillet. In batches, cook slices of bread in one layer. When nicely toasted, top with Gouda cheese and another slice of bread, buttered side up. Turn the sandwich and toast the other side while the cheese melts inside. Remove to a paper towel lined baking sheet. Keep warm in the oven.

Note 

• Whipped Cream should be made at least one hour ahead so the flavors can  meld. (Can be made early in the day, keep refrigerated)
• Croutons can be made ahead and kept at room temperature. Remove from saturated paper towels to fresh parchment lined baking sheet and cover with foil. Reheat in a 350° when ready to serve, removing foil the last few minutes to re-crispin on the outside.
• Soup can be made ahead up until the addition of the cheese. Reheat and add the cheese to melt just before serving.

(Printable recipe can be found in my recipe index under Soups)