For years I assumed we would always live in Brooklyn. When Alex accepted a new job and we moved to the Lower Hudson Valley, everything changed quickly, and I went through a bit of culture shock. I had a surreal moment in the parking lot of my new gym when I couldn’t tell which Honda CR-V with a child seat was ours. At that moment I could almost hear David Byrne asking, “And you may ask yourself, well… how did I get here?”
How did I become a thirty-something suburban mom? Wasn’t I a twenty-something writer in Brooklyn not long ago? The transition felt sudden.
Nearly two years later, I still miss many parts of city life, but I don’t think I could move back. What has anchored me here is how close we are to nature. Our backyard produces wild raspberries and spring onions. A hawk nests somewhere on our property. There are turtles and ducks in the nearby pond and deer all around. Sometimes I’m driving or running and the lush landscape takes my breath away.
And the farms — I’ve grown to love them. Recently I attended a lunch at Amba Farms in Bedford Hills, catered by Love on the Run. It was a press event showcasing the farm as an events venue and celebrating Leslie Lampert’s farm-to-table cooking. The afternoon was one of the loveliest I’ve had (Champagne at noon on a Monday!), and a true tribute to the richness of Hudson Valley soil.
Every dish that day was outstanding. There was a local honeycomb goat cheese I can’t stop thinking about and crates of perfectly fresh baby lettuce that everyone heaped onto their plates. Dessert featured a towering chocolate mousse parfait with an indulgent crown of whipped cream that my fellow editors and I happily attacked. My favorite bite, though, was a chilled truffle cauliflower soup served in tiny shot glasses. The flavor was so alluring I knew I wanted to recreate a vegan version at home.
To make this soup feel rich and silky without cream, I borrowed a trick from Kenji’s Food Lab and used white sandwich bread as a secret thickener. The rest of the recipe is simple and straightforward. You can serve it warm or chilled; in summer we prefer it cold with a light sprinkle of minced chives. With truffle oil involved, you really don’t need much else.
PS: Try my Corn Soup with Coconut-Lime Cream or the Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Indian Spices if you’re in the mood for more seasonal soups.
PPS: The roasted red pepper soup was the first one I ever photographed. I’m amused by how amateur the photo looks now. Building this blog often feels like climbing a mountain. Although I still have a long way to go toward turning it into a successful business, it’s important to pause and appreciate how far I’ve come. xo
Chilled Cauliflower Soup with Truffle Oil
Ingredients
-
2
tablespoons
extra virgin olive oil -
1
onion
diced -
2
cloves
garlic
minced -
1
head cauliflower
cored and chopped -
4
cups
low-sodium vegetable broth -
1
teaspoon
kosher salt -
1/2
teaspoon
ground white pepper -
2
slices
white sandwich bread
crusts removed -
1/2
teaspoon
white truffle oil -
Chopped chives
for garnish
Instructions
-
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the cauliflower, vegetable broth, salt, and white pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the cauliflower is very tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the bread to help thicken the soup. Puree until smooth using an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender. Stir in the truffle oil, then transfer the soup to the refrigerator to chill. Serve cold, garnished with chopped chives.
Recipe Notes
If you don’t have white pepper, freshly ground black pepper works well as a substitute.