Roasted Cauliflower and Aged White Cheddar Soup

sorry, team, i didn't realize that i haven't posted in nearly a month.  i mean, i realized that it has been awhile, but didn't think it had been that long!  so by special request, the first post after my leave of absence will be the delicious soup i made for lunch in celebration of presidents' day.  nothing says "honoring our forefathers" quite like roasted cauliflower and aged white cheddar soup.  well, not really, but i had the day off, and it seemed like a good lunch project.  i got the recipe from http://www.closetcooking.com/2012/02/roasted-cauliflower-and-aged-white.html after linking over when i saw the post for the cauliflower and cheddar dip.  we don't have much use for dips at our house, but i was definitely inspired by this soup.  the soup was really good, the flavor was awesome, but as you can see from my picture, i totally over pureed it.  to the point that mr. d asked if we were having sauce for lunch.  he agreed that the flavor was really good, and if it had some substance to it, it would be perfect.  this is definitely worth making again, maybe taking it a little easier on the hand blender the second time around.

Roasted Cauliflower and Aged White Cheddar Soup

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

3 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp thyme, chopped

3 c chicken broth

2 c aged white cheddar, shredded

1 c milk or cream

Toss the cauliflower florets with 2 Tbsp oil and salt and pepper and spread in single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake at 400 for 20-30 mins, until lightly browned.  Heat remaining oil in a pot, sautee the onion until tender, 5-7 mins.  Add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 min.  Add the broth and deglaze the pot.  Add the cauliflower, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 mins.  Puree the soup with a stick blender until your desired consistency.  Mix in cheese, letting it melt without bringing it to a boil.  Add in milk, remove from heat and serve!  Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.

i used skim milk because that's what we had at home, and i didn't need to make another trip to the grocery store (even though i certainly wouldn't have minded, wink, wink, k) but i think using cream would have made it very good, if nothing else, it would have added some substance.  and a special shout out to my new friends at my new harmons who loving cut the perfect amount of aged white cheddar for me.  although this harmons is not nearly as nice as the district harmons or city creek harmons, it was still harmons in the great products they carried and excellent service at the deli counter!