French Dandelion Soup with Truffle Oil

Planting our herb garden this summer I went through the list of the herbs that top on my list including many edible flowers. As I read the list to my husband he stopped me in my tracks and I read the words “ dandelion“ off of my list. He’s like you really aren’t going to purchase a weed then plant it in our garden? I had to laugh because of anyone had said that to me a few years back I would have absolutely agreed with them. I had heard for years thr rumors of all of the great health properties that dandelions contained but couldn’t image that a weed that had usually taken over my lawn by midsummer would ever make it to my dinner table. I mean first of all would anyone of my family eat it? Would it taste like a weed or just plain grass? But this year I took the plunge and dived into the world of dandelions and other edible flowers.

We grew 4 different varieties of dandelions including white flower, pink flower, red dandelion and Italian giant looking for which one would be a winner for our soup. The clear choice is the pink flower for its less bitterness and the beautiful unique flower that makes for garnishing. This year we are adding to the collection and growing French Dandelion. The flavor makes it a great plant for this soup.

Here’s a simple summer soup recipe using heavy cream or swap it out for a coconut based heavy cream and a large Italian Parmesan rind for depth of flavor. Some recipes call to dispose of the rind after the soup finishes but I highly recommend removing it from the soup and the end and wrap it in foil. Keep it in a warm oven until it’s time to serve the soup and add a piece to each bowl. It’s a little piece of heaven. I always keep my rinds from my wedges of Parmesan once the cheese has been used up and throw it in the freezer until it’s time to make this soup. Someone in the grocery store has made a brilliant idea with selling just the rinds for just this purpose.