Dear Eric: Long ago on a ski trip to Aspen, Colorado, I had a fabulous mushroom soup in one of its equally fabulous restaurants.
That was in the 1970s, and in all my travels I have never repeated the experience. The soup must have been "mijot脙漏e" in the oven. I researched it without success and consulted many, many recipe books. Would you, by chance, have a recipe that I could try?
惭颈肠丑猫濒别
Dear 惭颈肠丑猫濒别: As you know, mijot脙漏e is a French word that means to cook slowly, by techniques such as simmering. When making a soup, of course, that simmering is most often done in a pot on the stovetop.
However, 惭颈肠丑猫濒别, you believe that memorable mushroom soup you enjoyed all those years ago was cooked in the oven and I think you might be right.
For you to still think about it all these years later, it was obviously very richly flavoured and cooking the soup in the oven could help achieve that.
The methods I've seen for making the soup in the oven require you to first roast the mushrooms, which deeply concentrates their flavour and richens their colour. Add some rich-tasting liquids and a few key flavourings and you'll create a soup with a lovely and lingering taste.
I know that because that's what occurred when creating today's recipe for roasted mushroom soup with wine and tarragon. To make it, you'll need a fairly hot oven and a wide pot that can be used in the oven and on the stovetop, the latter being where the soup's finishing touches occur.
You need a hot oven and a wide pot so the mushrooms can be spread out and actually roast. and moisture seeping from them evaporates. Where the soup cooks slowly in the oven is when you add the liquids, which take a bit of time to start to bubble, a process that would occur much more quickly on the stovetop.
You could use storebought chicken stock or broth in the soup. But to create the richest taste, a homemade one made with meaty chicken bones would be the best way to create a first-class, restaurant-style taste.
No flour is used to thicken my mushroom soup. Instead, some of the mushrooms and liquid are scooped out of the pot, pur脙漏ed, and then stirred back in with a bit of whipping cream. This creates a thicker-looking end product that's still swimming with several whole slices of mushrooms.
I served the soup with baguette. To make a meal, also consider serving some good cheese and sliced meat, such as ham, alongside the soup and bread.
ROASTED MUSHROOM SOUP WITH WINE AND TARRAGON
Rich-tasting soup cooked in the oven and then quickly finished on the stovetop.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: About 90 minutes
Makes: About 4 (1-cup) servings
2 Tbsp butter at room temperature
1/2 lb. small-to medium-sized white mushrooms, sliced
1/2 lb. small-to medium-sized brown mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
? salt and freshly ground pepper black pepper to taste
1/3 cup very finely chopped shallots
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup white wine
3 3/4 cups rich-tasting chicken broth or stock
3/4 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Place an oven rack in the lowest position. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Smear butter on the bottom of a wide, heavy-bottomed stovetopand oven-friendly pot. (My pot was 12-inches wide.) Spread mushrooms into the bottom of the pan. Drizzle with the olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast the mushroom 25 minutes. Mix in the shallots and garlic and then roast 25 minutes more.
Remove the pot from the oven. Pour and stir in the wine, chicken stock or broth, tarragon and paprika. Set the pot back in the oven and cook, uncovered, 30 to 35 minutes more, or until the soup just starts to bubble around the edges.
Remove pot from the oven and set on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Scoop out 1 1/2 cups of the mushrooms and liquid out of the pot and put into a blender or food processor. Pulse until pureed. Stir the pureed mixture back into the pot with the whipping cream. Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper if you need to. Ladle soup into bowls, sprinkle with parsley and enjoy.
Eric Akis is the author of the bestselling Everyone Can Cook series of cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
To ask Eric a question about recipes or cooking techniques or best ingredients, email him or write to Ask Eric, c/o sa国际传媒, 2621 Douglas Street, Victoria, sa国际传媒 V8T 4M2. Or fax 250-380-5353.
