Creamy Cauliflower, Stilton and Cider Soup with Three Cheese Scones

Starter: Creamy Cauliflower, Stilton And Cider Soup With Three Cheeses Scones (Ellaine Molloy)

Published: Thursday, 16 August 2007, 2:20PM

INGREDIENTS
STOCK:
• 1 Onion
• 5  Celery
• 1  Leek
• 3  Carrots
• 1200 ml water


SOUP:
• 1 onion
• 50g  Butter
• 600 ml  Scrumpy Cider
• 1 Leek
• 3  Sticks Of Celery
• 600 ml Vegetable Stock
• 1  Cauliflower
• 225 g Blue Stilton Cheese
• 300 ml Single Cream
• Salt And Pepper

SCONES:
• 5  New Potatoes
• Baking Powder
• 150 g Self Raising Flour
• Salt And Pepper
• 50 g  Butter
• 1  Free Range Egg
• 300 ml Organic Milk
• 2 Tspn Coarse Grain Mustard
• 50 g Red Leicester
• 50 g Double Gloucester
• 50 g Mature Cheddar
• Fresh Sage
• Fresh Basil
• 300 ml Vegetable Oil


METHOD

1. To make the stock for the soup, roughly chop the leek, celery, carrot and onion and add to a large pan. Add 2 pints of water to the pan and simmer for 2 hours (minimum 45 minutes).
2. For the soup, finely dice the onion and add to a saucepan to sweat in butter. Once they’ve sweated off, add the cider.
3. Chop the leek and the celery.
4. Cook the leek and celery with the vegetable stock and reduce. Add the cauliflower and cook until soft.
5. Grate the stilton.
6. Add the stilton to the reduced cauliflower and vegetable stock and then add the onions and cider mix.
7. Puree the mixture with a hand blender, season to taste and add cream.
8. To make the scones, peel and chop the potatoes in half. Add the potatoes to a pan of boiling water and boil the potatoes until just cooked.
9. Drain then dice the potatoes and put to one side. Sift the flour with seasoning and baking powder.
10. Add the butter and rub together to make breadcrumbs.
11. Beat together the milk, egg and mustard.
12. Grate all three cheeses.
13. Mix the cheeses and cooked, diced potato to the flour mix (reserve some cheese for the topping)
14. Chop some basil and sage, again reserving some for garnish.
15. Add the basil and sage to the flour mix.
16. Add the milk mixture, reserving some for glazing.
17. Roll out the dough, cut the scones into triangles.
18. Coat the scones with the reserved milk mix and top with the reserved cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes at 190 degrees Celsius.
19. Flash-fry the basil in vegetable oil.
20. Serve the soup, garnished with the fried herbs, in a bowl with the scones and butter curls.