Mushroom Soup with Toasted Bread |
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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
Ready In: 0 Minutes Servings: 12 |
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Michel Bras purees this lush mushroom soup with bread toasted to a dark brown to thicken the texture and deepen its flavor. He learned the trick from his mother growing up in the Aubrac mountains, one of France's poorest regions. I used to mix bread crumbs with sugar for a little treat, Bras says. We were happy with very little. Ingredients:
3 1/2-inch slices of sourdough bread, crusts removed (6 ounces) |
4 tablespoons unsalted butter |
1 1/2 pounds white mushrooms, coarsely chopped |
2 portobello mushrooms—stems discarded, black gills reserved for garnish caps coarsely chopped |
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced |
salt and freshly ground white pepper |
6 cups vegetable broth or water |
3/4 cup heavy cream |
12 dill sprigs |
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 300°. Bake the bread slices on a baking sheet for about 1 hour and 40 minutes, until deeply browned.
2. In a pot, melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and the garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over moderate heat, until the mushrooms are softened, 5 minutes. Add the broth and 1/2 cup of the cream; bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until the mushrooms are tender, 10 minutes.
3. Add the toasted bread to the soup; simmer until softened, 5 minutes. Working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor. Return the soup to the pot, season with salt and pepper and keep warm.
4. In a saucepan, bring the remaining 1/4 cup of cream to a boil. Remove from the heat; whisk until frothy. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with the frothed cream, garnish with the dill and portobello gills and serve.
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