Pureed Cauliflower Soup with Croutons

I bought cauliflower and forgot to use it the day I bought it as a side dish, so, today I'm making a cauliflower soup, pureed with thyme, lemon, nutmeg and croutons.

You will need:

A head of cauliflower, washed, trimmed and cut up
1 T. olive oil
1 bay leaf
Water
1/2 t. thyme
1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
1 T. parsley
1 sweet onion, rough chopped
1 clove garlic
salt
pepper
1/4 t. nutmeg
2 c. croutons

In a small Dutch oven, heat the oil and then lightly sautee the onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper.  Add the cauliflower, bay leaf, thyme, parsley, zest and stir.  Just cover the cauliflower with water.  Salt slightly to flavor the veggies.  On med to high heat, bring to a boil and then drop to simmer until the cauliflower is fork tender, probably 10 minutes or so.  Remove the bay leaf and any sprigs you may have dropped in if you used fresh herbs.

Using an immersion blender (boat motor, as I like to call it), puree the ingredients until you reach a nice consistency.  This is really a preference thing.  I like mine creamy.  Taste and adjust with the lemon juice (which balances out the flavors and adds depth) and salt and pepper.

Ladle into bowls, dust with nutmeg and top with three or four croutons for garnish and texture.

Enjoy alone or with your favorite half sandwich on a cold day.