Mushroom Cream Soup & Café de Paris Butter

if i had to pick either lifestyle – rustic or glamorous – i wouldn’t really know which one to pick… i’m a rustic girl at heart, who loves the reduced and simple country life, cooking my own jam, wearing an old pair of rubber boots. but then again, i wouldn’t want to miss an outing at the opera, tea time at a lush 5 star hotel or a decadent dinner at a fancy restaurant. isn’t life’s secret to know how to do both, and to integrate both elements in your life? my mom, for example, goes to the opera by bike. she actually rides a bike to the opera. in her evening dress.

[gap height=”20″]how do you go about picking your lifestyle? by occasion and daily mood – or do you rather have one line that you stick, religiously, too, for dear life?[gap height=”20″]

this soup is the manifestation of this internal battle in me. it combines the best of both worlds, in a way. it’s the simple earthiness of a mushroom, combined with some noilly prat for depth and that lush creaminess, all in one good bowl. oh, and did i mention the café de paris butter to go with the bread? right. that’s extravagance in a little spread. not only because you’ll have to get some tabasco and worcestershire sauce, that you’ll likely never use again (except maybe for a decadent bloody mary brunch… hmm, there’s an idea!). [gap height=”20″]

mushroom cream soup & café de paris butter
recipe by my ever so glamorous but relaxed mom (who’s a soup expert, among many other things)
serves four

ingredients for the soup:
750 g mushrooms, diced
20 g porcini mushrooms, dried
1/2 vegetable onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 parsley root, diced
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
some flour
1 dl noilly prat or white wine
1 l vegetable broth
parsley, the stems, chopped
1 organic lemon, zest and a little juice
salt, pepper, nutmeg
1 handful mushrooms, diced
1 tbsp. olive oil
thyme and parlsey, finely chopped
salt and pepper

directions:
to begin with, soak the dried porcini in enough hot water for a couple of minutes, then drain and dice. heat the olive oil and butter in a saucepan. sweat the onion and garlic in it. add the mushrooms – both the fresh ones and the soaked ones – and the parsley root. fry everything, then dust with a little flour (to ensure the soup has the right consistency later). when the mushrooms are golden-brown, deglaze with the noilly prat and let it cook until the liquid has almost evaporated. add the vegetable broth and the parsley stems and let everything cook for about 10 minutes. puree with an immersion blender. season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. refine with some lemon zest and juice. keep warm.

fry the remaining mushrooms in a little oil. season with salt and pepper, thyme and parsley. shortly before serving, whip the cream and season it with salt and pepper. fold it into the soup. divide into bowls, garnish with the fried mushrooms and drizzle some parsley oil on top.

café de paris butter spread
with some bread, that’s your ideal snack or starter

ingredients for the café de paris butter:
100 g butter, melted
1 tbsp. curry powder
1 tbsp. paprika powder
1 tbsp. sherry
1 tsp. tabasco
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. thyme, leaves
salt, pepper

directions:
melt the butter and add all the spices. blend well. season well with enough salt (important) and pepper. pour the butter into a little bowl and refrigerate. when the butter is almost cold again and hardened, you can shape it with the back of a hot spoon by brushing over the top of the butter. serve with a good, rustic (or lush) bread.

Mushroom Cream Soup & Café de Paris Butter

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