I call this crowd-pleasing soup my magic recipe. It is so amazing that so few ingredients—and a soup made in a matter of minutes—can have so much depth of flavor. It really is a fine example of the miracles of infusion. The dried cèpe (porcini) mushroom powder packs a maximum of fragrance and flavor and takes well to many variations: Pair it with paper-thin slices of raw domestic mushrooms or seared domestic or wild mushrooms showered in the bowl at serving time; prepare with dried morel powder in place of cèpes; top with thin slices of raw black truffles; or add a dollop of mushroom-powder- infused whipped cream.
Recipe information
Yield
8 servings
Ingredients
For the Cèpe Mushroom Powder:
2
For the soup:
2
2
1
3
Special Equipment
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
For the Cèpe Mushroom Powder:
Step 1
Coarsely chop the dried mushrooms or cut them into pieces with scissors. Working in batches, grind them to a fine powder in the spice mill. [Makes 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) powder.]
For the soup:
Step 2
If time permits, combine the cream and 2 tablespoons mushroom powder in a jar, seal, and refrigerate for 24 hours to infuse the cream with the mushroom flavor and aroma. (Alternatively, combine the cream and mushroom powder in the heavy-duty saucepan, bring just to a simmer, cover, remove from the heat, and set aside for 30 minutes to infuse the cream.)
Step 3
At serving time, in heavy-duty saucepan, combine the infused cream, salt, and stock and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat and taste for seasoning.
Step 4
Serve in the warmed soup bowls, garnished with chives and a drizzle of oil.
Do Ahead
Step 5
The soup can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
Variations:
Step 6
Add sliced raw domestic or wild mushrooms to the soup and cook for several minutes; add grilled, sliced fresh cèpes or domestic mushrooms; add truffle matchsticks at serving time.
