Cauliflower Purée

Yield: 4 servings
Active preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: about 13 minutes

1 medium head cauliflower
¼ cup cream
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Cut the cauliflower into florets, reserving stems. Set aside 16 florets.
• Put remaining florets and trimmings into a medium pot. Chop the larger stems into 1-inch pieces, add to pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until very tender, about 10 minutes.
• Drain the cauliflower, reserving the cooking liquid. Purée the cauliflower, cream and butter in a food processor until very smooth, about 1 minute, adding some blanching water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper and reserve.
• Blanch the reserved florets in the pot of water reserved from the haricots verts until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain. (Submerge in an ice bath if not serving immediately, then rewarm and serve.)