Curried Cream of Cauliflower and Apple Soup
From Daniel Boulud adapted by StarChefs

Yield: 4-6 servings

Smooth and creamy, with a sweet and spicy taste, this soup can be made a more complete meal by adding slices of cooked lobster or shrimp. You can prepare this recipe in advance and reheat it just before serving. You can also serve this soup with dried apple chips. Slice 1 whole apple very thin. Place the slices in a non stick pan, and let dry in a in a 250 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until done.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 Tbs. sweet butter
• 1 cup onions, chopped
• 2 tsp. Madras curry powder
• 1/2 tsp. saffron threads or 2 pinches saffron powder
• 1 cup Golden Delicious (or other apple), peeled, split, cored and sliced
• 4 cups cauliflower (about 1 medium head), greens and stem discarded, head broken up into small florets
• 1 cup heavy cream
• salt, freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs. chives, minced

Curried Apple Dice

• 1 cup Golden Delicious apple, peeled ,split, cored, in 1/4 inch dice
• 1 tsp. Madras curry powder
• 1/4 tsp. saffron threads or 1 pinch saffron powder
• salt, freshly ground black pepper

  Curried Cream of Cauliflower:
  Warm the chicken stock over medium heat. Melt the butter in a cast-iron pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions, curry powder, and saffron and sweat for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the sliced apple and sweat for another 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the cauliflower and warm chicken stock and bring to a boil. Boil until the cauliflower is tender when pierced with a knife, approximately 20 minutes. Add the cream and cook for 3 more minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the soup in batches to a blender or food processor and puree at high speed until very smooth. Keep warm until ready to serve or refrigerate when cool and reheat just before serving.

  Curried Apple Dice:
  Place the apple dice with 1 tablespoon of water in a pan over medium heat. Add the curry powder, saffron, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well, cover with a lid, and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat. Strain and keep warm on the side.