Wild Mushroom Velouté
I love the taste of wild mushrooms, and I created this soup to celebrate their earthy, seasonal flavors. You can buy a wild mushroom mix or create your own with any wild mushrooms you prefer – either way, the result is an elegant and satisfying first course. Ground dehydrated mushroom powder is the secret to intensifying the soup’s earthy flavor – and, if you make extra, you can use it as a wonderful addition to sauces. To best appreciate the wild mushroom flavors, be sure to serve this soup piping hot.
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 appetizer portions
Ingredients
1/2 cup leeks, diced
1/4 cup celery, diced
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups fresh wild mixed mushrooms such as oyster, shiitake, morel or others
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 ounce dehydrated wild mushrooms
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Optional garnishes
1/8 cup shitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon black truffle oil
Chervil sprigs
Chives
Methode
Start the soup: In a medium pot, stir the olive oil, leeks, celery, and garlic together over medium heat for about 30 seconds. Turn down the heat and season with a little bit of salt. Cover the pot with a lid and let the mixture “sweat” for about 2 minutes – this lets the flavors of everything in the pot gently cook together.
Make the mushroom powder: Place the dehydrated wild mushrooms into a coffee grinder and grind until it becomes a thin powder.
Prepare the mushrooms and add them to the soup: Clean the mushrooms by wiping off any soil or residue with a damp paper towel. Cut off any stems that feel tough when you squeeze them between your fingers. Cut the mushrooms into small pieces and add them to the pot. Let the mushrooms sweat for about two minutes, then add the chicken stock, mushroom powder, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the lid, add the cream, and cook the soup over medium heat for a few minutes or until it thickens a bit.
Blend the soup: Carefully transfer the hot soup to a blender. Add the butter and blend the soup until it is creamy and smooth. If the soup is too thick, add chicken stock for a thinner consistency. If you prefer a soup with a smoother, more refined texture, pass the soup through a fine mesh strainer before serving.
Prepare the garnish: If you are garnishing the soup with shitake mushrooms, slice them very thin. Heat canola oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat, add the shitakes, then sauté the mushrooms until they reach a golden brown color. Or, simply fry the mushrooms in the oil you desire using a countertop deep fryer set at 350 degrees.
Garnish the soup and serve: Ladle the soup into 4 bowls and garnish as you desire with shitake mushrooms, black truffle oil, chervil sprigs or chives. Serve immediately.
“Dinner is Served. Bon Appetit!” — Chef Patrice Olivon
For a delicious autumn meal, serve this soup as a first course followed by Pan Seared Chicken Breast on a Bed of Sautéed Spinach with Baby Arugula and Spinach Pesto, Tomato Sauce and Blue Cheese. Try Chocolate Delice for dessert.
Nutritional Information: Per Serving: 559 Calories; 57g Fat (90.1% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 179mg Cholesterol; 1131mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Vegetable; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 11 1/2 Fat.
From: Dinner is Served, a public television series
© 2009 Fresh TV Creative, LLC, All Rights Reserved.
For more information about Chef Patrice and Dinner is Served,
visit www.chefpatrice.tv