The intriguing bowlful: Cauliflower and yoghurt soup with sunflower seeds, dill and brown butter

Serves 4
80g butter
1 small onion, finely diced
1 whole cauliflower
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp each of freshly toasted, ground cumin and coriander seeds
1 level tbsp cornflour
2 egg yolks
500ml plain whole yoghurt
450ml of the boiling water used to blanch the cauliflower
Juice from ½ lemon
1 small bunch of dill, chopped
50g sunflower seeds, toasted in a dry pan
Chilli flakes, to taste
Salt and black pepper

1 Put 30g butter into a moderately hot pan and heat until it foams. Add the onion, season with a little salt and cook over a moderate heat until soft and sweet – about 10 minutes.

2 Break or cut the cauliflower into small florets and blanch in plenty of boiling water for 3-5 minutes until tender.

3 Add the garlic, spices and blanched cauliflower to the fried onion and continue to cook until soft and nearly all broken down – about 15–20 minutes.

4 Meanwhile, in a bowl, beat the cornflour into the egg yolks, followed by the yoghurt. Set the mixture aside.

5 Turn down the heat under the pan to low and pour in the yoghurt mix, stirring well. You do not want the soup mixture to boil or the yoghurt will curdle.

6 Warm the soup gently for 2–3 minutes. Add some still-hot cauliflower water to thin the soup if necessary. I like to serve this soup fairly thick, almost porridge-like in consistency. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.

7 To make the brown butter, melt the remaining 50g butter in a frying pan. Continue to cook the butter until brown sediments begin to form on the bottom of the pan. Scrape at these with a metal spoon and continue until the sediments (curds) are nut brown and the butter is bubbling. Squeeze half a lemon into the hot butter.

8 To serve, pour the soup into bowls and top with the chopped dill, sunflower seeds, chilli flakes to taste and a spoonful of brown butter per bowlful.