Hélène de Marseille offers Broccoli Cauliflower Cream Soup

Hélène de Marseille surprised Marash Girl last night with a bowl of the most delicious soup, soup made of necessity when Hélène's  brother arrived home from the farmer's market with a gigantic head of broccoli and an equally gigantic head of cauliflower . . . What to do?  Hélène de Marseille decided to create a soup that could be eaten cold in the heat of the summer or hot during a summer's thunder storm . . . Marash Girl just had some for supper and, she must write here that it was superb, or as they say in Marseille, supèrbe!

Marash Girl was so pleased with the soup, that she asked Hélène de Marseille to share the recipe, and here it is.

Broccoli Cauliflower Cream Soup a la Hélène de Marseille

1 head of broccoli
1 head of cauliflower
1 onion, peeled
1/4 tsp of nutmeg
1/2 stick of butter
3 cubes of chicken bouillon in water or 1 can of chicken consommé or 2 cups of homemade chicken broth (or, if you're a vegetarian, the equivalent in vegetable consommé

Bring chicken broth/consommé to a boil.  Rinse the broccoli and cauliflower and cut into small pieces, along with the peeled onion.  Add the cut up broccoli, cauliflower and onion to the chicken broth.  Simmer until mushy (about 45 minutes).  When almost cooked, add butter & nutmeg and salt if needed and a little white pepper.  Let cool; blend well in a blender or cuisinart.  The bouillon cubes are salty, but if you use consommé or homemade chicken broth, add salt to taste.

Marash Girl didn't have to do any of that.  All she did was heat up the soup Hélène de Marseille had brought her, but because it was too hot, and Marash Girl was hungry, Marash Girl added a tad of cream to the soup to cool it down, and that, as they say in Marseille, was the coup d'état!