Cauliflower and Apple Soup at au Midi

Filed in archive People Who Cook , Recipes on February 10, 2008

Yesterday I went out to lunch with my sister and three of her friends at au Midi, an unassuming, little French restaurant in Aptos, California. The owners are a couple from Cassis, Muriel and Michel Loubiére. He smoothly and charmingly works the front of the house and she's the genius in the kitchen.




The food was spectacular!
I ordered the Blue Crab Cakes and have to say that they were some of the best I've ever eaten. They had a perfect texture, nice and light, and were cooked so they were crisp and caramelized on the outside and soft on the inside.
My sister ordered their soup of the day, which I happily tasted. It was a smooth, tantalizing Curried Cauliflower and Apple Soup with Cumin. We reminisced about it late last night so this morning I decided to try to find a similar recipe.

Now, I haven't made this soup yet but it looks like it would be pretty close to what we had at captivating, little au Midi.

Curried Cauliflower and Apple Soup
from epicurious
makes about 4 cups

1 small onion, chopped fine
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large Granny Smith apple
4 cups cauliflower flowerets (about 1 small head)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1/4 cup heavy cream

In a 3 1/2- to 4-quart saucepan cook onion, garlic, and curry powder in butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until onion is softened.
Peel and core apple. Chop apple coarse and add to curry mixture. Add cauliflower, broth, and water and simmer, covered, until cauliflower is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
In a blender or food processor purée soup in batches until very smooth, transferring as puréed to another saucepan. Stir in cream and salt and pepper to taste and heat over moderate heat until hot.