Monthly Archives: January 2011
French Fridays with Dorie: Paris Mushroom Soup
To me, the difference between a raw mushroom and a cooked mushroom is transformational. I don’t care for raw mushrooms. My husband Howard eats them whole, as a snack, but that has no appeal for me. I like cooked mushrooms just fine, cooked any number of ways. I like them sautéed, stuffed, sliced, roasted, as long as they’re cooked. Oh, I forgot soup. I like them in soup.
In January, for French Fridays with Dorie, we’re back to everyone making the same recipe every week. This week, the recipe is Paris Mushroom Soup, a creamless creamy mushroom soup, poured over a fresh herby mushroom salad in the bowl. As I said, I like cooked mushrooms, but not raw, so this recipe presented a bit of challenge for me. However, one of the things I like about this cooking group is the chance to take a leap of faith sometimes and learn about something new. It could be a new technique, a new ingredient, or a new flavor combination. You never know what it will be.
I waited until Friday to make this recipe and got home from work later than expected, so I wasn’t sure it would come together. However, this soup is a quick one, definitely suitable for a weeknight dinner. The soup was ready in just under an hour. While it simmered, I had enough time to wash the pots and pans, and put together the raw mushroom salad I mentioned.
I made this soup pretty much as written. I found homemade turkey stock in the freezer, so used that instead of the chicken stock. The chopping went quickly. When I have to slice a lot of mushrooms, I use the food processor. I cut them in half, load up the chute, and run them through the slicer blade. It’s fast! I usually chop onions by hand (well, with my knife), but the food processor was already in use, so I made quick work of the onions too.
Liked!
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I was going to make sandwiches to go with the soup, but because of my late start, we snacked on chips and guacamole instead while I made the soup. Then, we just ate bowls of soup with some warm crusty bread. Maybe when we have leftovers for lunch tomorrow, sandwiches will be on the menu.
If you want to see how the other bloggers made out with this week’s recipe, check out their links on French Fridays with Dorie.
Happy New Year 2011!
So far, 2011 has been off to a great start! It started New Year’s Eve. We were invited to our good friends Laury and John’s for raclette. Laury’s father was Swiss, and, after many years of talking about raclette, she offered to treat us to this delicious Swiss tradition. Who wouldn’t love a meal centered around melted cheese?
Raclette is a semisoft cow’s milk cheese, mildly stinky with a slightly nutty taste. Laury had a special Swiss machine for melting it, the same one her family had during her childhood. You start with a big block of cheese (they bought a 3 pound hunk). The raclette machine has a serious heating element that can be moved back and forth so you can control the melting. When the heating element is over the cheese, it slowly melts. The cheese sort of rolls down onto the waiting plate (a special raclette plate, according to Laury). We scraped it off to help it along. I read that raclette comes from the French word racler, which means to scrape. The rind was an extra-special treat as it got toasty.
The cheese is served with boiled potatoes, gherkins, and pickled onions. She also served bresaola because she couldn’t locate a source for the more traditional Bundnerfleisch, an air-dried beef.
It takes time for each layer of cheese to melt enough to serve, so it was a leisurely meal, a perfect way to pass the time while we waited for midnight. I also brought a simple salad with beets and walnuts, but we never got around to eating that. We did attack the dessert I made, one of my “signature” dishes – Molten Chocolate Cakes. They were a little heavy after a rich meal with all that cheese, but they sure were delicious.
Molten Chocolate Cakes
Makes 4
5 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, plus more to butter dishes
1 Tbsp brandy
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Large pinch of salt
1 Tbsp flour
Generously butter 4 ¾-cup ramekins or custard cups. In the microwave, melt the chocolate and butter at half power, about 2 minutes, checking after 30 second intervals, until stirring it creates a smooth concoction. Stir in the brandy. Cool for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl, at medium speed, until a very thick ribbon falls when the beaters are lifted. This will take about 6 minutes. The fixture will be pale yellow.
Sift the flour over the egg batter; fold in the flour. Fold in the chocolate mixture. Divide the batter evenly between the four cups, filling each one completely. Cover and chill for at least an hour, overnight is fine.
When you are ready for dessert, remove the cups from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 400F. Bake until the tops are puffed and dry, about 12 minutes. Be careful not to overcook or the insides won’t be molten. Cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.
A Plateful of Happiness 