You won’t believe it… we can hardly believe it! Chanterelle Mushrooms have magically materialized and there just isn’t a better excuse to tromp around the woods in the rain. So we, two very soggy and smiling mushroom hunters, will be proudly bringing chanterelles to market this week. We’ll definitely have them at the Wallingford Farmers Market tomorrow (Wednesday 9/28), and we’ll let you know if we’ll have more for Friday’s Madrona market. It all depends on the rain, folks!
Of course, we had to test them out tonight. We wouldn’t want to bring you anything we didn’t verify as delicious. There are numerous ways to eat chanterelles, 99% of which include copious amounts of butter, but we didn’t even have to mull it over. The obvious answer… cream of chanterelle soup!
We modified a recipe by Hank Shaw (which he had modified from Escoffier) and although it has more steps than I usually take in my soups, we were thrilled with the result. Using a roux to thicken the broth before adding a final liaison (egg yolks and heavy cream… hey, I never said it wasn’t killer-rich!) made this into a velvety, complex soup that doesn’t just skate by on its butter and cream. Here’s the quick synopsis of my version, but you should check Mr. Shaw’s website for the full treatment. I left out his saffron and brandy because I was lazy and didn’t want to go to more than one grocery store, but I’m sure they add even more amazingness. I added one carrot, which was a great flavor combo but could be omitted if you prefer.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb chanterelle mushrooms, minced
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1 carrot, minced
- 4 cups broth (chicken or veggie)
- 2 Tbs butter, divided
- 1 Tbs flour
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup cream
Saute the shallots, mushrooms and carrot in 1Tbs butter until softened. Meanwhile, make a lazy roux of the remaining butter and the flour, then slowly pour in the broth while stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to keep the soup at a simmer. Add the sauteed mushroom mixture as is, or if you prefer, put in a food processor to make the pieces even smaller and then stir into the soup. Let simmer for about 10 minutes.
While simmering, separate two egg yolks and whisk with the cream. This is the aforementioned “liaison”. Pour one ladle-full of soup into the mixture and whisk in. This is to warm the eggs without cooking them. You don’t want scrambled eggs in this soup! Follow with 2 or 3 more ladle-fulls, whisking after each one is added. Then pour the liaison into the soup and stir in. Bring the soup back up to a simmer (not a boil!) for a few minutes, add salt and pepper to taste, then eat! This version serves 3-4, while Hank Shaw’s version serves 4-6.
