Thanksgiving: Cauliflower Soup & Cranberry-Almond Crumble

Happy belated Thanksgiving!  I hosted my very first Thanksgiving this year, and thankfully everything turned out perfectly!  I have decided not to post about the turkey and all the trimmings as everybody already knows how to cook their favorite delights, so I am going to share my appetizer and dessert recipes.  These are both incredible easy and of course delicious, and are sure to add a little variety to your next Thanksgiving, or even a casual family dinner.

Ingredients for cauliflower soup

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

1 clove garlic, pressed

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 head cauliflower, cut into 1/2-1 inch florets

3 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup chopped almonds

Pinch of oregano

Directions

1. Heat EVOO in a large pot over medium heat.

2. Add onion and garlic and heat for 5 minutes, or until soft.

3. Add cauliflower, apple, and almonds, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.

4. Add broth and oregano, bringing mixture to a boil.

5. Cover pot and allow to simmer over low heat for 45 minutes.

6. Puree soup and serve with freshly ground pepper and a piece of artisan bread.
(Recipe adapted from foodandwine.com)

Serves 4 people

TIPS

- I was a little skeptical about the cauliflower soup, but it is far tastier than one may think!
- The original recipe calls for leeks, however the grocery store did not have any at the time, so I substituted with an onion.

Ingredients for cranberry-almond crumble

6 oz flour

3 oz butter, room temperature

2 oz sugar, plus 1 tbsp extra

Pinch salt

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and sliced

1 Honeycrisp apple, peeled and sliced

1 pear, peeled and sliced

6 oz fresh cranberries

1/4 cup chopped almonds
1-1 1/2 cups water

Directions

1. Place cranberries and water in small saucepan.  Cover saucepan and cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes until soft and most of the water has evaporated.

2. Place flour in large bowl.  Cut butter into small pieces and add to flour.
3. Use the rubbing method: Rub mixture between fingertips until the mixture is crumbly with no large clumps.  Add sugar and salt, mix well.
4. Wash, peel, and slice apples and pear.  Lightly grease a 8x8 Pyrex dish, and evenly layer the fruit in the bottom.
5. Evenly place almonds and cranberries on top of the fruit.  Sprinkle 1 tbsp sugar on cranberries.
6. Top with crumble mixture and place in oven at 375F for 20 minutes, or until crumble is a light brown color.

7. Remove from oven and enjoy warm or cold with vanilla ice cream or plain yogurt.

Serves approx. 10 people

TIPS

- In the first step, cranberries should only just be covered, they should not be swimming in the water.
- Additional sugar is sprinkled on the cranberries to offset their tartness.
- Leftovers store well in the fridge in a covered container.

Bon appétit!