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
Why is it Called Crème Dubarry?
Known as Crème Dubarry or Velouté du Barry, this French Cauliflower Cream Soup is a classic. It's named after Madame du Barry, the last mistress of King Louis XV who created this soup with her favourite vegetable, cauliflower.
Turning to my French culinary bible, Larousse Gastronomique, anything called 'Du Barry' in French cuisine contains cauliflower (chou fleur in French). The name has since merged into one word: Crème Dubarry.
Classic Crème Dubarry Ingredients
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 Auguste Escoffier in his Guide Culinaire (page 34), there are two versions of Dubarry Cauliflower Soup.
- One is a cream thickened with milk, heavy cream and potatoes
- the other Crème Dubarry or Potage is made from a white roux (butter and flour) with added egg yolks and cream at the end.
Inspired by this, I use a white roux method from a simple flier recipe I picked up at the market's vegetable stand: butter, leeks, flour, then cauliflower and stock. The egg yolk-cream mix is added just before serving, creating that silky French finish.
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.
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.
Who was Madame du Barry?
Born Jeanne Bécu, she worked her way from convent-raised commoner to royal companion. To be allowed at court, she married Count Guillaume du Barry, gaining the title Comtesse du Barry. (Not to be confused with the chain of Parisian boutiques, Comtesse du Barry. Known for its gourmet tinned meals of foie gras or truffles.)
With her blond curls, blue eyes, and taste for extravagance, she captivated Versailles.Although Queen Marie-Antoinette found her vulgar, Louis XV gifted her a residence in Louveciennes, near Versailles.
I visited this house on one of its rare open days. Normally closed to the public, it opens just once a year for guided tours by the Office de Tourisme de Boucles de Seine. While photos are forbidden inside, the gardens are lush and full of stories.
The nearby Impressionist walks include views of the house, where painters like Madame Vigée Le Brun (who painted 3 portraits of Mme du Barry) Pissarro and Sisley once found inspiration.
See my post on the Renoir walk from Chatou to Carrières-sur-Seine).
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 before catching the eye of Jean-Baptiste du Barry, a casino owner. Through his connections, she met the king.
To give her a title, she married Du Barry's brother, the Count Guillaume du Barry in 1768 - and although officially a countess, she remained known as Madame.
After Louis XV died in 1774, she left court and entertained lavishly at her Louveciennes estate. No doubt Crème Dubarry graced her oak-panelled dining table often - no doubt the best creamy cauliflower soup in France.
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 that they produced a film on her. Now on to making that Crème Dubarry!
More Classic French Soups
Enjoy the following potages or classic French soups:
- Soupe crècy - classic French carrot soup with rice
- Soupe de cresson - watercress soup
- Potage Saint Germain - either fresh pea soup or split pea bacon soup
- Potage Bonne Femme - leek and potato soup, made according to Escoffier.
Cauliflower Cream Soup (Crème Dubarry)
Ingredients
- 700 g (1.5lb) organic cauliflower (prepared after stalk/leaves removed)
- 2 leeks (white part only) sliced
- 55 g (2oz/ 4 tbsp) butter (unsalted)
- 2 tablespoon flour (all purpose)
- 1 litre chicken stock * (stock mixed with hot water)
- 2 egg yolks organic
- 100 g (3.5oz/ ⅓ cup) half-fat cream or crème fraîche
- ½ teaspoon each of salt (fleur de sel) & freshly ground pepper
- Fresh chervil or flat-leaf parsley optional, for decor
Instructions
- Remove the bitter stalk and leaves from the cauliflower, reserving the florets. Wash in a mixture of water with a dash of vinegar and set aside. Clean and slice the leeks.
- In a large, heavy pot, melt the butter then sweat the leeks in it until translucent but not brown. After 4-5 minutes, add the flour and stir together well until a smooth paste forms. Gradually whisk in the hot stock. Add the cauliflower florets, setting aside a few of the raw, smallest florets for decor. Bring to the boil.
- Cover, turn down the heat and leave to simmer gently for about 25 minutes.
- Towards the end of cooking, in a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the cream, salt and pepper. Add a ladle-full of the soup's hot liquid to temper and whisk together. Using a hand-mixer, blitz the soup until well blended.Gradually whisk in the yolk and cream mixture until the soup is smooth. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Serve topped with tiny raw cauliflower florets (or grated), chopped fresh chervil or parsley.
Sebnem
Hello Jill,
Thank you very much for this recipe. We will probably cook it tonight, it sounds really good.
I read somewhere that this soup is inspired by the whiteness of her chest.
another information about her is that her head was also gone in the revolution. Apparently she had a servant from Bangladesh if I remember correctly, and he started attending the meetings of the revolutionaries. She heard this and banned him from joining. However he complained about her and next her head was gone.
Anyhow, thank you again, and we wish you a wonderful year.
Jill Colonna
Hello Sebnem,
Thanks for your fun snippets about Madame Du Barry! I would have loved to add much more about her story but, after all, it's a recipe post for soup. Have you seen the film of Jeanne du Barry that came out in 2024? What I found fascinating is that (during our guided tour in her home in Louveciennes near Versailles), she made a number of silly mistakes - especially returning to France from hiding in England and basically that's what made it much easier for them to drive her to the Guillotine. Plus it was all down to her jewellery being stolen. Hope you enjoy the soup and Happy 2025 to you!
Lorraine
Absolutely delicious, a keeper.
Jill Colonna
Thanks - so happy you've tried this, Lorraine.
Sally Ferguson
Can you freeze this soup
It sound delicious and the history lesson was pretty good
Jill Colonna
I haven't ever frozen this soup, Sally but yes it would freeze no problem. I'd use it within 2-3 months. Let me know how you like the recipe!
Thomasina
Thank you for the history lesson Jill. I have always wondered who Madame du Barry was as seen the name in Paris. I love cauliflower but sometimes it lacks flavour but your recipe is tops.
Jill Colonna
Here's to cauliflower soup with tons of flavour with a wee story behind it. Thanks, Thomasina.
Jacqueline McColl
I just made this soup and it's absolutely wonderful. I used cashew cream for heavy cream. This recipe will be on my perfect recipes list. Thankyou !!
Jill Colonna
So thrilled to hear it's one on your perfect recipe list. Thanks so much, Jacqueline. Have a lovely weekend!