Cheddar Cauliflower Soup

This recipe is truly Homemade on Long Island, almost all of the ingredients are from Long Island.  The Cheddar in this recipe has two meanings.  The first meaning is Cheddar Cauliflower is the type of Cauliflower used here.  It is the orange variety you find at the store and farm stands.  The second meaning is Cheddar Cheese.  I use local cauliflower from Lewins Farm in Wading River and the Cheddar is from Mecox Dairy in Bridgehampton.  The bacon used here is from the meat CSA from the Garden of Eve in Aquebogue.  The onions and garlic are also from there.  I use homemade chicken stock but you can use store bought.  The cream and milk are from Ronnybrook in Upstate NY.  Overall, this recipe is local.  The best part of the recipe is the soup itself.  It is creamy and topped with bacon and cheddar.  If you want a soup that has fall flavors and is unique, make this soup!  Use an immersion blender or food mill to make the soup creamy.

Ingredients:

2 slices bacon, finely diced
1 onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 head Cheddar Cauliflower (you can use plain white but the color will be different) cut into florets
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 Bay Leaves
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Here's how:

In a large pot, brown the bacon until crisp.

 Remove the bacon from pot and set aside.

Sweat the onion in the bacon fat for 3 minutes.  Do now brown, just softened them. 

Add the garlic and sweat it for 2 minutes.  Add the salt and pepper.
                                    
Add the cauliflower to the pot.

Add the Bay leaves and stock.

Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. 

Simmer until the cauliflower is soft. Total time should be about 30 minutes.

Remove the Bay leaves.

Puree the soup using an immersion blender or food mill.

Add cream and 1 cup cheese.

Heat the soup until the cheese is melted and everything is hot.

Serve the soup in a bowl topped with some of the bacon set aside earlier and a bit of the extra 1/2 cup cheddar.

Enjoy.