Hit and a Miss

Yummy Mushroom Soup

Beautiful Monkfish from McCall's

When Cathy and I were in New York this fall, we got trapped by rain storm while shopping. We were close to the Balthazar French Bistro, and popped in for a wonderful lunch. We had their book a long time, and it reminded us to find some recipes. We found two, of which one, the Mushroom Soup was fantastic. If you are ever in NYC definitely go the restaurant, it is like being in Paris. 


The Mushroom Soup from The Balthazar Cookbook was fantastic. It is very thick and of course very earthy. This is a keeper recipe. We also made a Monkfish Grand-Mere that we didn't particularly enjoy. It is basically a fish and potato stew. I am sure on a rainy, cold Parisian Day it would make a wonderful dish to warm you up, however this being sunny California...

Mushroom Soup

The Balthazar Cookbook

Keith McNally Riad Nasr & Lee Hanson

This hearty puree combines velvety fresh mushrooms with the concentrated intensity of dried ones. The result is a deeply flavored soup that's ready to eat in under an hour. Clean the fresh mushrooms with a damp paper towel or scrape them clean with a paring knife. Choose mushrooms that arc firm and moist but not soggy. They should be in good form, indicating that they've been carefully handled.

Serves 6

1      ounce dry mushrooms (porcini, morels, or shiitakes)

½      cup olive oil

2      sprigs of rosemary

4      sprigs of sage

1      large yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced

3      garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

½      teaspoons salt

½      teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1      pound white button mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced

1      pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned, find thinly sliced

6      cups Chicken Stock or water

1      cup heavy cream

1      tablespoons unsalted butter

Soak the dry mushrooms in 1 cup of warm water for 20 to 30 minutes, until plump. Strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter to remove grit and reserve along with the reconstituted mushrooms, until needed.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over a medium flame. Bundle the rosemary and sage together and tie with kitchen twine. When the oil is hot, add the herb bundle and sizzle for a few minutes on both sides to infuse the oil.

Add the onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent but not brown. Turn the flame to high and add the white mushrooms and shiitakes. Cook for 10 minutes, during which the mushrooms will give off their liquid (which should evaporate quickly due to the high heat) and deflate significantly. Stir occasionally.

Add the Chicken Stock and the dried mushrooms along with the soaking water. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the herbs, then add the cream and butter. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return to the pot and keep at a very low simmer until ready to serve.

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