HOME COOKING MUSHROOM SOUP WITH TRUFFLE OIL SERVED WITH GOUDA CHEESE GARLIC BAGUETTE

 DINNER WITH VIKNA, DANNA, SEAN AND CHLOE  

– Mushroom soup with truffle oil served with gouda cheese garlic baguette 

We started dinner with a mushroom cappuccino served with some grilled garlic butter baguette that have been dusted with Gouda cheese.

MUSHROOM SOUP

1. Heat up 4-5 spoons of olive oil in a pot.  Add one whole yellow onions diced.  Fry until half brown then add 3 garlic finely minced.
2. Add about 3 large spoonfuls of butter.
3. Add 4 portobellos and 6-8 Swiss Browns chopped into small pieces. Stir well.
4. If you have dried porcini, soak them in water for about 15 mins before cooking starts, strain and keep the water.  Add in your strained porcinis at this stage and continue frying.  Porcinis are delicious and will lift the aroma of your soup to a different level (Optional).
5. Continue sautéing the mushrooms for 5 more minutes over high heat to intensify the flavours.
6. Add 2 spoons of fresh thyme that has been plucked and stems removed.
7. Add about 8 cups of chicken or vegetable stock and the strained porcini water.
8. Bring the soup up to boil and  then turn down the heat to medium heat.  Simmer for 30- 45 minutes. Add one or two more cups of chicken stock if the level goes down during simmering.
9. After 30-45 minutes, add 3 spoons of chopped parsley and turn off the heat.  Leave the soup to cool for 30 minutes. 
10. When the soup has cooled a little after 30 minutes, pour the contents of the mushroom soup into a blender.  Add 500 ml of fresh milk and 200 ml of cooking cream or sour cream.   Whisk well until all contents are dissolved.
11. If the contents are too thick, thin it with additional milk or chicken stock and whisk further until you get the desired consistency. 
12. Transfer the contents back into the pot and bring it back up to boil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Adjust the consistency again by adding in more milk or chicken stock if desired. The soup should not be too thick. 
13. Just before serving, add 2-3 spoons of truffle oil, stir through and serve in small cappuccino cups which allows for better sensory appreciation when sipping the soup.

GARLIC BREAD 

1. Slice a good quality baguette into large chunks.
2. In a frying pan, add about half a block of butter and melt it over a low flame.  
3. Immediately add in 8 heaped spoonfuls (about one spoon per pax) of chopped garlic into the butter.
4. Turn off the heat immediately and stir continuously to ensure the butter does not turn brown.  Transfer into a bowl to stop the cooking process in the frying pan.
5. Butter one side of your slice baguette generously with ricotta cheese (optional) and with this butter garlic mixture.
6. Grate gouda cheese over the buttered side.  You can use shaved parmesan if you can’t find gouda. 
7. Bake the bread in the oven for about 20 -30 minutes at 200C or until it turns brown.

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

Processed with MOLDIV

For the meats, I prepared chicken roulade and cut it into chunky medallions and served it with a mushroom cream sauce.  I used boneless chicken thigh and stuffed it with low fat ricotta cheese, bacon, caramelised onions and shredded cheddar and parmesan.

For the recipe how to make chicken roulade, see my previous post:

https://wolfandbulldog.wordpress.com/2018/06/09/chicken-roulade-chilli-pesto-white-wine-and-cream-pasta-killer-grilled-cheese-sandwich/

 

I pan seared some seasoned  lamb chops and braised it with cream and chicken stock for about an hour with chopped celery, carrots and white mushrooms in the oven.

The third meat was grilled beef seasoned with salt, pepper and rosemary served over a bed of rocket, brussel sprouts and vine tomatoes, with an aged balsamic lemon juice dressing.

To add a sweet savoury side dish, I stuffed canned rambutans and lychees with shredded cheddar and parmesan and baked it in the oven for 30 mins at 180C.

The carbo was my signature Chilli Pasta with minced fresh chillies, crispy bacon, prawns, portobello and tossed with fresh herbs and cooking cream.