Alpine Mushroom Soup Recipe: A Hearty French Culinary Escape
A Hearty Soup For A Cold Night
It was September in the Alps, and I rented a chalet near Chamonix for a few days. I decided to take Pearl for a nearby hike, following a glacial river.As we turned a corner, a man with a knife in his hand surprised me. A faded brown jacket hung about his shoulders, and he hadn't shaved in a few days. With a cigarette dangling from his mouth, he grinned widely to show a few missing teeth and that he didn't mean to scare me.
He held out a stunning wicker basket, gently lined with an old linen tea towel so I could see its contents. "Champignons," he mumbled. He was foraging for mushrooms.
We chatted for a while. He asked after Pearl, as clearly, a bright white French bulldog is a rarity in the French alps. He thought it was funny that she was so "sportif" and liked to go on hikes with me. As we parted ways, he offered me one of his precious treasures to take home and cook.
"Just a little butter," he counseled. It's all you need when cèpes are that fresh.
Ingredients
1+ kilo of fresh porcini mushrooms
3 shallots
3 garlic cloves
1/2 white leek
1 stalk of celery
1 liter chicken broth
20 cl of full fat cream
Sprig of marjoram
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of parsley
Olive oil & butter
Optional: 1 tbsp madeira wine
Serve with country bread.
This recipe freezes well for up to one month.
Method
Prepare all the ingredients: mince the shallots and garlic, clean and slice the mushrooms (set one aside for the final decoration), wash and chop the celery stalk. In a pan, begin to warm the chicken broth.
Brown the shallots, garlic, leek and celery for a few minutes in a casserole dish with olive oil & butter.
Add the mushrooms and sweat them for about 10 minutes. Salt the mixture & add the marjoram sprig before covering it with chicken broth and simmer covered for about 30 minutes.
After cooking, reserve some of the cooking broth in a bowl. This allows you to create the desired texture by adding more broth at the end, if you prefer.
Pour the cream into the soup (and the madeira, if you like). Salt and pepper to taste. Add the reserved cooking broth a little at a time until you achieve the texture you prefer.
Before serving, cook the sliced extra mushroom you set aside in a little olive oil. Arrange the golden strips on the soup, sprinkle with parsley and serve hot!
