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Cream of Cauliflower

Pick off the green leaves of a large head of sound white cauliflower. Drop it into three quarts boiling water for ten minutes; remove and drain; cut in small pieces and place in a saucepan with one ounce of butter, cook for five minutes, stirring once in a while, then moisten with one quart broth and three pints of water, add two branches parsley, one branch chervil, one onion with two cloves stuck in it and one bay leaf. Season with a level tablespoon salt, two saltspoons cayenne pepper and one saltspoon grated nutmeg, then let boil very slowly for one hour.

Mix in another saucepan one ounce butter with two and a half ounces flour; heat while stirring for two minutes, then strain the cauliflower broth over this roux and mix well. Pound the cauliflower very finely in the mortar and return to the soup, lightly mix and let boil for fifteen minutes, pour in half pint each milk and cream, mix well and boil for five minutes more. Dilute two egg yolks with three tablespoons cream, add to the soup with a half ounce butter and continually mix while heating for two minutes. Remove, strain through a sieve into a basin, then through a cheesecloth into a tureen, and serve with a plate of bread croutons separately.