This week’s soup is one that Joe salivates for. I’ve been making it for years, from a recipe developed by Margaret Fox at the sadly departed Café Beaujolais in the storybook town of Mendocino, CA. This, too, can be made with vegetable broth, although I use whatever I have in the freezer or even canned chicken broth. I save the soaking water from rehydrating dried mushrooms for other recipes and use it in soups or risotti, and I have some mushroom broth cubes from Italy, but both will change the flavor some. Still extremely good, just different.
The restaurant served this with a creme fraiche liaison, the cream beaten with an egg yolk and the Marsala and drizzled over each serving of soup before it’s set before a guest. In my general philosophy of home food vs. restaurant food, I skip that and simply add the marsala if I have it on hand.
Mushroom Soup
1 3/4 lbs raw mushrooms, wiped clean, trimmed and sliced (You don’t have to be too tidy about this.)
1/2 c. butter (1 stick), divided
1/3 c. chopped green onions
5 (yes, that’s not an error) cloves garlic, peeled
3 Tbs. flour
6 c. chicken or vegetable stock
3/4 c. heavy cream
1 tsp fresh or 1/2 tsp. dried tarragon (Fox says you may use dill instead; I haven’t. Yet.)
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. Marsala wine, optional
Using a frying pan, saute mushrooms in 1/4 c. butter for 5 minutes. Add green onions and garlic, give it a stir and continue sauteeing for another minute or two. Set aside.
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt the remaining 1/4 c. butter over medium heat. Add the flour, stir it in, and cook the mixture for at least 2 minutes, stirring all the while. (This is important to avoid a sort of paste-like taste and texture.) Don’t let it brown.
Slowly whisk in your stock, making sure you pay attention to the bottom of the pan where lumps like to form. Bring the mixture to a boil. I’m obsessive about this, and stir constantly, using a wooden spatula . It will thicken. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Then add the mushroom mixture and the dried tarragon, if you’re using it, and let cook for another 15 minutes.
Puree the mixture. I use a food processor for this, but no matter what you use unless it’s one of those stick blenders, it’s best to let the soup cool some before pureeing it.
Stir in the cream and salt. If you’re using fresh tarragon and Marsala, they go in now, too. Taste it and adjust seasoning, if needed. (Sometimes just a hit of cayenne is nice.)
Serves 5 or 6.
-Ann
Next week: Tomato Bisque