Cream of Cauliflower Soup with Homemade Croutons and Boiled Egg

Creamy in texture and buttery in flavor, cauliflower soup makes an elegant beginning to a holiday feast. If you wish, garnish the soup with homemade croutons, which are simple to prepare: Toss small cubes of day-old bread with a little extra-virgin olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper. Arrange them on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake in a 300°F oven until golden and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 cup chopped leeks, white portion only rinsed well
• 1 head cauliflower, outer leaves and stalks removed and florets separated into 1-inch pieces
• 3 cups unsalted chicken or vegetable stock, or canned broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp. finely ground toasted coriander seeds
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
• 1 hard boiled egg
• herbs for garnish

Directions:
In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the leeks and sauté, stirring constantly, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the stock, cream, bay leaf and coriander, bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is very tender, about 45 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.



Using a stick blender, puree the soup directly in the pot until it is very smooth and creamy. Alternatively, using a food processor, puree the soup in batches. Press the soup through a chinois or other fine-mesh sieve set over a clean saucepan or soup pot. Season with salt and white pepper. Keep the soup warm over low heat until ready to serve.
Ladle the soup into warmed individual bowls, put hard boiled egg and garnish with a herbs. Serve immediately.

Apple Bread with Almonds

Adapted from Carina Forum

Ingredients:

• 125 ml warm butter milk
• 250 ml apple puree
• 50 ml + 1tsp beet molasses (Cane molasses, maple syrup, honey)
• 20 g fresh yeast (7g dry yeast)
• 2 tsp salt
• 250 ml rye flour
• 400 ml bread flour (min 12% protein)
• 100 ml almond flour
• 2 tbsp water
• Sliced almonds

Direction:
In a bowl sieve together bread flour, and rye flour. On a hot dry pan toast the almond flour for 20-30 sec. Mix with the flour.
Add the fresh yeast to the flour, rub the yeast into the flour with your fingertips, for 3-4 minutes, ensure it's rubbed in completely.
In bowl whisk together buttermilk, apple puree and molasses, stir well. Make a dough gradually adding the flour mixture to the buttermilk and pear puree mixture (adding a little more flour if the dough feels sticky). Add salt at the end.



Knead the dough again, place it into the greased bowl, and cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 45-60 min until doubled in size.
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, and shape the dough into loose ball, and transfer onto a baking paper.Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.



Preheat the oven together with the baking tray to 440F. Whisk together 1 tsp molasses with 2 tbsp water, brush with mixture the bread and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Place the bread with baking paper onto the hot baking tray.
Bake for 5min, reduce the heat to 400F, and bake for 45 min. Switch off the oven, transfer the bread on a grid and keep it in the oven for 10-15 min, leaving the oven door ajar .
Take the bread out of the oven and cool down completely on a wire rack.

Baked Eggs for My Dearest Husband's Birthday-)

Baking eggs in individual ramekins along with a little butter and cream is a classic French dish. Sometimes vegetables, such as the tomatoes, cooked spinach, chard or kale, or sautéed mushrooms or leeks would make delicious a bed for the eggs.



Ingredients:

• 2 small eggs
• 2 tbsp cream
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp. unsalted butter, for ramekins

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325° F.
For each serving, lightly butter an individual oven-proof baking dish or ramekin.



Break one or two eggs into each dish. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon 2 tablespoon cream over eggs.
Bake in preheated oven approximately 12 to 14 minutes, depending on number of servings being baked. Check the eggs after about 10 minutes baking time. When done, the whites should be completely set and the yolks beginning to thicken but not hard.



Serve Immediately.

Coho Salmon and Autumn Vegetables Soup with Turmeric

The Coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, (from the Russian кижуч kizhuch) is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers".
Ocean caught coho is regarded as excellent table fare. It has a moderate to high amount of fat, which is considered essential when judging taste. Only Spring Chinook and Sockeye salmon have higher levels of fats in their meat.
From Wikipedia



Ingredients:

• 1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 small carrots, cut into flowers
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
• 1 lb. skinless boneless salmon filet, cut into 1" cubes
• 1/2  small pumpkin, peeled and cubed
• 1 leek (white parts only), thickly sliced crosswise and washed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1⁄2 tsp. turmeric
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black
• pepper, to taste
• tarragon and lemon mint for garnish

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a 6-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, leeks, cook until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes, pumpkin, bay leaves and 6 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat.



Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until potatoes and carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.



Add salmon to soup; simmer until just cooked through, about 5-10 minutes. Add turmeric and season generously with salt and pepper.

Divide soup between bowls; garnish with tarragon and lemon mint.