Yet Another Creamy Soup
Cauliflower seems to be everywhere these days. I've had it twice in three weeks. And now it seems it's the vegetable du jour, the new black, the ingredient everyone's using in all the fancy restaurants. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised: cauliflower just seems like a paler, blander version of broccoli. Now the green or bright purple cauliflower varieties, that would be something special. But I haven't seen that anywhere yet.

I'll settle for the ordinary white kind, though. Easy to cook, inoffensive to the taste, and full of helpful nutrients like vitamin C for people, shadows of their former selves, wasting away with bronchitis.

CURRIED CAULIFLOWER APPLE SOUP
[from epicurious]

1 small onion, chopped fine
1 small garlic clove, minced
1-2 teaspoons curry powder (mine is a mix of cardamon, cumin, cinnamon, fennel seed, and turmeric)
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
1 large Granny Smith apple
1 small head cauliflower
5-6 cups chicken stock (or mix of stock and water)
1/4 cup heavy cream

In a 3 1/2- to 4-quart saucepan cook onion, garlic, and salt and pepper 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 and stock and simmer, covered, until cauliflower is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Purée soup until very smooth. Stir in cream to taste.