Cream of Cauliflowers

Ingredients

• a fresh cauliflower
• two tablespoonfuls of butter
• two tablespoonfuls of flour
• a quart of boiling water
• a quart of hot milk
• two level teaspoonfuls of salt
• half a saltspoonful of white pepper
• a very little grated nutmeg
• about a cupful of this cauliflower puree

Method

1. 1

   Wash cauliflower, boil in salted water until tender.

2. 2

   Drain and puree.

3. 3

   In a saucepan, melt butter and flour until bubbling, then gradually stir in boiling water and hot milk.

4. 4

   Season with salt, white pepper, and nutmeg.

5. 5

   Mix in cauliflower puree, let boil, and serve.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Miss Corson's practical American cookery and household management (1885) by Juliet Corson, page 104. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

CREAM OF CAULIFLOWERS. Trim the outer leaves from a fresh cauliflower, thoroughly wash it in plenty of cold water, and lay it with the flowerets down in a large pan of cold water containing a handful of salt ; occasionally shake the- cauliflower about in the water, to free it from the little insects which are lodged among the flowerets. After it is quite clean, put it over the fire in a large saucepan half full of salted boiling water, and boil it steadily for twenty minutes, or until the stalk is tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork, but do not boil it long enough to cause the flowerets to break off. When the cauliflower is tender, drain it, cut it apart in even-size branches, and lay the finest ones in cold salted water ; put the small ones and the stalk into a colander, and rub them through it with a potato-masher j about a cupful of this cauhflower puree will be required for two quarts of soup. Next put two tablespoonfuls each of J)utter and flour over the fire in a thick saucepan, and stir them until they bubble ; next gradually stir in a quart of boiling water, and then a quart of hot milk, adding them by degrees, and stirring the soup constantly to insure its smoothness ; when all the water and milk are used, season the soup with two level teaspoonfuls of salt, half a saltspoonful of white pepper, and a very little grated nutmeg ; mix the mashed cauliflower into the soup, let it boil once, and serve it. If the soup is not used as soon as it is done, place the saucepan contain- ing it in a bain-marie, or a dripping-pan half full of boiling water, and set the pan on the back of the fire, where the soup will keep hot without burning ; if by standing, it grows thicker than thick cream, thin it before using it with a little hot milk, and add a very little more seasoning. SOUPS (POTAGE). I8l Directions for using the rest of the boiled cauliflower will be found among the recipes for cooking vegetables. BAIN-MARIE. The bain-marie, or salt-water bath, is one of the greatest of kitchen conveniences : it is a deep iron or copper pan, partly filled with salted water, the temperature of which can be raised higher than that of fresh water, and placed upon the back of the fire, to contain saucepans whose contents Bain-marie, or Salt-water Bath. require heating without boiling; by increasing the heat, cooking can be done in a bain-marie. Small saucepans or tin pails are set in the wafer-bath to keep their contents hot after they are ready for the table. A card placed upon the handle of a saucepan indicates its contents without the trouble of removing the cover. A primitive bain-marie can be made with a dripping-pan and several small tin pails, or even empty tin cans. Soups, sauces, vegetables, and ragouts can be kept hot in this way without deteriorating. TOMATO CREAM SOUP. Peel and slice one quart of fresh tomatoes, or use a can of tomatoes j pick over half a cupful of rice, and wash it 1 82 PRACTICAL AMERICAN COOKERY. well in cold water ; rub two tablespoonfuls of butter to a smooth paste with one tablespoonful of flour

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.