Crème Madame du Barry - Cauliflower Soup with Sauté Scampi

Madame du Barry was a courtesan, a high class prostitute who later became the last mistress of Louis XV, King of France. If served anything other than cauliflower soup as a starter, she would send it away and demand cauliflower soup. Later she lost her head in the Guillotine in 1793. Cauliflower soup became known as Crème Madame du Barry, a high class soup indeed.

My soup is creamy cauliflower broth with sauté plump Langoustine (baby deep sea lobster) nestled within.

Ingredients

• 5 cups cauliflower coarsely chopped
• ½ cup white of leek finely chopped
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 sprigs thyme
• ½ bay leaf
• 1 cup white chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 4 cups milk full fat
• Salt
• Freshly milled pepper
• 18 peeled ‘langoustine’ (scampi, baby deep sea lobster), reserve the shells
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• pinch five spice

Method

Melt the butter in a heavy base saucepan add leek and sweat without colour for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the cauliflower and sauté for 1 minute.

Add the thyme, bay leaf, chicken stock and milk bring to the simmer for 5 to 7 minutes till cauliflower is cooked. Strain cauliflower and reserve the liquid.

Puree the cauliflower with a little of the liquid to a smooth puree. Season the puree with salt and freshly milled pepper.

Place the liquid in a saucepan, add the reserved shells from the scampi and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes.

Strain the liquid and set aside the scampi shells.

Place soup in a saucepan and keep hot.

Heat olive oil in a frypan, season scampi with five spice, salt and freshly milled pepper and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.

To Serve

Spoon the warm cauliflower puree into the bottom of a bowl. Arrange 3 langoustine in the middle of the puree. Using wiz stick or kitchen blender froth the soup and spoon over the scampi.

Suggested Wines to Go With Today's Recipe

Sauvignon Blanc

Lawsons Dry Hills 2005

Kennedy Point 2005

Fairhall Downs 2005