Thursday, September 25, 2008

Barefoot Bloggers-Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

The Barefoot Contessa's
Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

I knew when I signed up with the Barefoot Blogger's I would be gaining weight. I mean, have you ever seen an Ina Garten recipe that does not include at least one half cup of butter? Well kids, this exciting recipe was no exception, and was made even richer with the addition of 1 cup each of heavy cream, and half and half. Thanks to Chelle at Brown Eyed Baker for the challenge.

I just loved this recipe. Why? Well, it was really fun to make. I loved shopping for the exotic mushrooms, and it felt kind of naughty adding all that butter and cream. We had to make our own mushroom stock with the stems from the shitake, portobello and chanterelles ( the recipe asked for cremini). I loved the addition of the leeks. Part of the fun for me in a recipe like this is the prep work; leeks are fun to chop! I could kick myself that I don't use leeks more often in other recipes. They hold their texture and color where regular onion would dissolve in a recipe like this. I think the leeks played a supporting role here in this gastronomic drama. Here is the link to this lovely recipe: Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup
or you can look it up in your own copy of Barefoot Contessa at Home, page 48.

Also, thanks to good friends for sharing this soup with me. Thanks to Sarah for bring a stunning Potato Chowder and Stacy for the the fruit dip. I could kick myself for not getting pictures...What was I thinking?

16 comments:

webbie said...

You know, I sometimes imagine a dinner made by Ina Garten, Paula Deen, and Nigella Lawson but I'm sure my heart couldn't stand it. Love the pics! Love the idea of the chantrelles.

NKP said...

Glad you loved the soup too.
I have just recently added leeks to the regular shopping list - they really are great to have around. (although hubby balks at the price)
I loved it when Ina started a recipe once saying "Everyone says that all my recipes start with a pound of butter, well this one starts with two pounds of butter."
I love Ina.

Meryl said...

I had fun shopping for mushrooms too! They come in such fun shapes.

Megan said...

It was fun shopping for the ingredients. I had never used those muchrooms before or leaks for that matter.(gasp)But I know I will again sometime soon! :)

Anonymous said...

Glad you liked it! I think we have the same bowls... are there lions heads on the sides?
~Cat

Esi said...

I agree! I am all about the prep work too, but maybe it's just because I really like my knife and cutting board. Nice job with the soup!

Deb in Hawaii said...

It was fun to make wasn't it!? I didn't mind all the chopping and cooking. Your soup is beautiful--glad you enjoyed it!

Mary Ann said...

It really does look good. Funny, huh! I don't like mushrooms but the soup looks delicious, explain that?

Prudy said...

OH wow-yours turned out so great! It looks gorgeous and silky.

Aggie said...

Thanks for the tip on the evaporated milk...I just saw the Cat's Pajamas post and she used that too to lighten hers up. I don't use evaporated milk often but maybe I should start!

I feel the same way about leeks, I should use them in more recipes! Yours looks great!

Anonymous said...

Your soup looks beautiful! I love chopping veggies, too and leeks are fun to chop! Leeks are a great alternative to onions because they are milder. At my old job we used to make potato leek soup all the time and it was delicious!

Michelle A'etonu said...

your soup looks great. I was also guilty about all that milky goodness we had to add to it. I wouldn't have had it any other way :) Yeah, keep the old kitchenaid...why stop a good thing???

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

This soup converted me into a mushroom soup lover Cynthia:D

Laura said...

I'm with you on the having fun with this soup. My first thought when I was chopping all the veggies was that this soup is healthy - ha! Your soup looks fabulous (love the tureen, too!)
Thanks for stopping by my blog :-)

Summer said...

Looks delicious! You had me laughing, this is definitely not a diet group.

Cathy said...

I totally agree with you -- and Ina doesn't even wince as she adds the metric ton of butter like the rest of us do! And I also agree with you about the leeks; I don't really have the first clue how to prep them, but they sure hold up well once they get into the pot! Glad you liked the soup -- it looks great!

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