Roasted Cauliflower Cream Soup

A velvety cream soup of oven-roasted cauliflower with sweated leeks, mushrooms and melted cheddar.

⏱️ Prep: 60 min

Ingredients

1 глава/head	cauliflower
2 с.л./tbsp	olive oil (for roasting)
2 ч.л./tsp	salt (for roasting)
—	freshly ground black pepper (for roasting)
2	leek, white part only
5	mushrooms
2 с.л./tbsp	butter
2 скилидки/cloves	garlic
1	bay leaf
щипка pinch	salt (for sweating the leeks)
1 ч.л./tsp	fresh thyme
3 с.л./tbsp	flour
473 мл/ml	milk
710 мл/ml	vegetable broth
—	salt
—	freshly ground black pepper
1/2-1 чаша/cup	grated cheddar

Gather all the ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Break the cauliflower into florets and spread them on a parchment-lined baking tray.
Sprinkle with the olive oil, salt and pepper set aside for roasting.
Toss to coat well with oil and roast for 20-30 minutes, or until golden.
When done, set aside.
While the cauliflower is in the oven, cut the leeks down the middle.
Wash them well and slice into 1.3 cm pieces.
Clean the mushrooms and slice them.
In a large pot, heat 2 tbsp butter over medium heat, crush in 2 garlic cloves, add the bay leaf and sauté.
Once softened, add the leeks and a little salt. Sweat until softened.
When they soften a bit more, add the mushrooms and the thyme.
When the mushrooms are soft, add the flour and stir constantly until it is absorbed by the ingredients.
When no flour is visible anymore, add the milk and broth, stirring constantly.
Add the cauliflower and wait for it to start steaming. Do NOT let it come to a full boil. Once it starts to steam, cover with the lid and let it simmer gently for about 20 minutes (do not let it boil, so the milk does not curdle).
When done, turn off the heat, remove the bay leaf and blend.
Add half a cup of grated cheddar and stir until the cheese melts. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.