Cauliflower Cream Soup (Crème Dubarry)

Published: Jan 22, 2020 · Modified: Feb 2, 2024 by Jill Colonna30 Comments

Dubarry Cauliflower Cream Soup is a French classic, the crème de la crème of French soups. This soup also has a hot royal romance behind it, which simmered away between Versailles and Paris in the 18th century.

Discover what is Dubarry soup, its origin, who was Madame du Barry plus the authentic recipe.

A seemingly simple soup with so much richness. No wonder this was crafted for a favorite mistress. Love the history and the soup.
Jennifer

cauliflower soup topped with florets and parsley candlelit

Why is it Called Crème Dubarry?

Known as Crème Dubarry or Velouté du Barry, Dubarry Cauliflower Cream Soup is a French classic.

It was created for Madame du Barry, King Louis XV's last and favourite mistress, who adored cauliflower.

Turning to my French Larousse Gastronomique dictionary, anything called 'Du Barry' in French cuisine contains cauliflower (chou fleur in French) - from a simple salad to the most famous Crème Dubarry, often served on winter menus in chic Parisian restaurants.

Why Dubarry? This rich cream of cauliflower soup gets its name from the so-called Comtesse du Barry, who adored the humble chou-fleur. I say, so-called, as Madame Jeanne wasn't really a countess.

Who was the Madame du Barry?

Gourmet Madame, then made Comtesse du Barry, was the last mistress and favourite of King Louis XV. (Not to be confused with the chain of Parisian boutiques, Comtesse du Barry. Known for its gourmet tinned meals of foie gras or truffles.)

Madame was renowned for her beauty, her blond curls, her blue eyes, her love for luxury - and her way of wrapping her little finger around aristocratic, influential men.

We were intrigued to visit part of her residence, gifted by Louis XV, in Louveciennes in Les Yvelines (only 10km west of Paris). Alas, the domain is private and closed to the public - but, once a year for just a couple of hours, guided visits are arranged in May by the Office de Tourisme de Boucles de Seine. As photos are not permitted inside the residence, my photos are restricted to the lush grounds.

monument in Madame Dubarry's garden near Versailles — In Madame du Barry's garden in Louveciennes, near Versailles

Louveciennes was host to painters such as Madame Vigée Le Brun (who painted 3 portraits of Mme du Barry) and Impressionists, Pissaro and Sisley.

It's another lovely walk in the area, as part of the 4 Impressionist Walks by the Seine (see my post on the Renoir walk from Chatou to Carrières-sur-Seine).

In Louveciennes near Versailles, the home of Madame Dubarry — Mme du Barry's residence where cauliflower soup was her crème de la crème

Outside Madame du Barry's residence was the enormous water pipe - still camouflaged today - in the lush countryside. Apparently the noise of the water from the pipes distressed Madame.

It transported water to the Versailles fountains from the Seine river via the Machine du Marly. This incredible feat of engineering coped with Louis XIV's luxurious tastes for the palace but I bet Madame would have loved to stuff some cauliflower in it!

bowl of creamy cauliflower soup topped with a classic French garnish of raw florets and herbs

Madame du Barry or Countess?

The Countess wasn't always a countess. Raised as Jeanne Bécu in a convent (since her mother had a dangerous liaison with a Franciscan monk), she then worked her way up from hairdresser to haberdashery in Paris. It was the wealthy, influential casino owner, Jean-Baptiste du Barry that changed her direction as Mademoiselle.

Jeanne became his mistress, plus mistress to others too in royal circles - right up to Louis XV. One problem: she wasn't appreciated as being a non-aristocrat in French society and the king couldn't see her unless she had a title. The King solved this by ensuring her marriage to Du Barry's brother, the Count Guillaume du Barry in 1768. This gave her title of Countess - even if she was, and still is, referred to as Madame.

After King Louis XV's death in 1774, Madame du Barry wasn't permitted to stay in the court (Queen Marie-Antoinette thought of her as rather common - read vulgar). So she stayed here, lavishly entertaining in her oak-panelled dining room with the best creamy cauliflower soup in France.

giant lime tree in Madame Dubarry's garden

Adding Egg Yolks to Cauliflower Soup (Crème Dubarry)

It was apparently under this enormous tilleul or lime tree that the aging King Louis XV and young Madame du Barry would sip chocolat together in Louveciennes. Although the luxury of chocolate (as a drink) was brought to the French court via Louis XIII then Louis XIV, it was Louis XV that was reputed to have loved chocolate the most.

Considered an aphrodisiac drink, the king prepared his own chocolate love potion (see the chocolate recipe from Versailles Palace). He added an egg yolk to his chocolate to ensure its extra smooth texture. Could he have been inspired by the egg yolks in Madame du Barry's best cauliflower soup?

Enough of the history of Dubarry but the French are fascinated about her story. Now on to making that Crème Dubarry!

bowl of cauliflower cream soup garnished with florets, parsley and by candlelight and mistletoe

Classic French Method of Making Dubarry Cream

Keeping with rich, velvety textures, Madame du Barry's chef, Louis Signot, created a soup with Jeanne's favourite vegetable. It was so simple yet sophisticated enough for royal approval.

According to the French culinary legend, Auguste Escoffier in his Guide Culinaire (page 34), there are two versions of Dubarry Cauliflower Soup.

One is a cream based on milk, cream and potatoes;
the other Crème Dubarry or Vélouté is based on a white roux (butter and flour) with added egg yolks and cream at the end of cooking.

Seen as Louis XV's chocolate potions included egg yolks, I'm guessing the King cracked for the latter version. So I'm sticking with this.

One recipe I got at our local market, however, used a whopping 6 egg yolks. Instead I prefer the recipe as follows, as it's silky enough without being too overwhelmingly rich to start off a meal.

preparing French cauliflower soup with 2 egg yolks at the end of cooking and grating the vegetable as a garnish

How to Thicken Cauliflower Cream Soup ( Dubarry)

Normally I would use a potato to thicken soup but this French recipe uses flour instead.

Make a white roux by adding butter, gently cooking the leeks and adding the flour to make a paste - then stir in the stock and tiny cauliflower florets. Also use this method for this creamy Mushroom Cappuccino.

All of the bitter cauliflower stalk is discarded. Small, digestible florets are used, cleaned first in a mixture of water with a little vinegar. Keep the smallest florets aside for the garniture.

Once mixed/blended using a stick blender, create the soup's liaison (pun totally intended with that romantic history).
The mix of egg yolks and cream are gradually blended/liaised into the soup. Add some of the soup liquid to the cream, then add the whole lot to create the Dubarry cream.

bowl of soup garnished as a Dubarry but made with broccoli — Same method and classic garnish as Crème Dubarry but made with broccoli

Cauliflower Cream Soup - Dubarry French Garniture

The garniture is just as important as the soup! The classic, according to Auguste Escoffier in his Guide Culinaire (1903), is to add tiny cauliflower florets (pre-cooked à l'anglaise - English-style in boiling water) and some chervil.

Even easier, sprinkle with the smallest raw florets: the mini crudité-style cauliflower adds a magnificent crunch! Grate a cauliflower floret to top the soup.

Less Classic Garniture: Seared scallops - see recipe for Curried Cauliflower soup.

For the ultimate dinner scandal, serve the Dubarry Cauliflower Cream with a mini curry macaron. The recipe is in my book, Mad About Macarons - see more how to serve savoury macarons. I'm sure Madame would have approved, even if just for the mischievous fun of it.