Paris Mushroom Soup from Dorie Greenspan
Late yesterday afternoon I saw someone tweet about the fantastic mushroom soup she was making from Dorie Greenspan’s book ‘Around My French Table’ (pp 72-73)) and sure enough it was for French Fridays with Dorie and I was inspired.
Inspired not only because I was hungry after being on the go all day without lunch but it helped that I had fresh mushrooms in the fridge and anticipated I would have the ingredients for a soup.
Except for parsley I did have everything including the book and it was literally within minutes that I had chopped onions and garlic sizzling in a pot.
This dish was so simple; sauteed onions, garlic and mushrooms combined with white wine, rosemary and chicken broth.
Simple and simply divine. I might normally not have rosemary readily available but I’ve had great success with a small rosemary ‘tree’ I bought at Whole Foods for the holidays.
It seems to rather like the window box above my kitchen sink and is growing like crazy so I was delighted to have a recipe for mushroom soup using one of my favorite herbs and killed the proverbial two birds with one stone by giving the rosemary a little trim!
Dorie suggests serving the soup as they do at the Paris bistro, Les Papilles, on top of a salad comprised of raw mushrooms, chives, parsley, salt, pepper and then finishing with dollop of crème fraîche on top.
I didn’t do the salad, opting instead to top the soup with some quickly sautèed mushrooms and in lieu of crème fraîche a dollop of Greek yogurt.
An amazing mouthful of flavor yet filled with very little fat; it felt like a great soup to start the New Year with when so many of us want to get ourselves back into an après holiday routine with lighter and healthier fare.
The ONLY thing I did that put a different spin on Dorie’s recipe was to add a piece of rind from the last piece of Parmesan that I had purchased.
I can’t stand to pitch that hard piece of cheese that I cut off before using Parmesan so I save those pieces in a container that I store in the freezer.
I’ve found that it’s a great addition to soups, sauces and stews so I put a nice chunk in while the broth simmered and though subtle I could sure tell and loved the addition!
I used my immersion blender when it came time to blend the ingredients into soup form. It was the perfect instrument for me with the end result being not a totally smooth consistency but having some substance to the mouth-feel.
Sort of like my mashed potatoes, I like more rustic versions!
From thought to plate…30 minutes, and it was simply FANTASTIC!
Paris Mushroom Soup from Dorie Greenspan
Ingredients
- PARIS MUSHROOM SOUP
- Prep 25 minutes Cook: 30 minutes
- Makes: 6 servings
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1-1/2 large onions coarsely chopped
- 3 large cloves garlic coarsely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper
- 1-1/2 pounds white mushrooms trimmed, sliced
- 2 parsley sprigs
- 1 rosemary sprig
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- 6 cups chicken broth or water
- Creme fraiche sour cream or yogurt, optional
Instructions
- Put the butter in a Dutch oven or soup pot over low heat. Add onions, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft, 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and remaining tablespoon of the butter.
- Raise the heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms release their liquid, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to high; cook until almost all the liquid evaporates. Pour in the wine; let boil until almost evaporated.
- Add the broth and herbs; heat to a boil. Lower the heat; cover the pot almost completely. Simmer 20 minutes. Discard the rosemary sprig.
- Puree the soup in small batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Taste for salt and white pepper. Pour the soup back into the pot; heat over low heat until hot. Serve garnished with creme fraiche, sour cream or yogurt.
Hi, I enjoy your meal recipes, which is why I returned to your blog to see what new and wonderful dishes you’ve included. This soup looks delicious and tasty, and I’m excited to try it. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.
I love your post (and blog in general). I love to cook with parmesan rind and am glad to learn it pairs well with this recipe. Look forward to more of your posts.
Barb – I love, love, love this soup. And I have the book – top three of all my cookbook purchases in 2010. 🙂 Oh, how I wish I had time to contribute to French Fridays with Dorie. Maybe soon.
Oh, if your rosemary tree gives out and you need more? Call the RGB. 🙂
[K]
Me too Kim; I seriously think I could eat a bowl for lunch everyday. Try the Parmesan rind..so good!
I love this, Barb… just love it…. anything with mushrooms makes me a happy woman. and anything French makes me tingle…
Thanks Bren and I couldn’t agree with you more. You would love Dorie’s cookbook and this soup? So easy and so good I think it is on my list of winter staples. I’ve had a bowl now for four days in a row and was sad when it was gone!
Great idea to save your cheese rinds. Can’t believe I hadn’t thought to do that before.
Love mushroom soup!
I can’t rave enough about it! And believe me; I pitched enough cheese rinds to make me ill thinking about it now that I have a purpose for them…better late than never, right?
Now that was a hard one to photograph and it looks fabulous! Love the plate with the soup.
Yes it was…so thank you very much!
I think I’ll use a Parmesan rind next time I make this. My partner really liked the soup, but was disappointed when he learned that it didn’t involve cheese in any way at all.
Love the idea of adding a cheese rind! Also love that you had all the ingredients and made it within 30 mins of deciding too! I love cooking like that!
I just finished it off last night; I’m thinking this has to be a winter staple. The ease of prep sure adds to my overall impression.
So very pretty! I had a rind of parmesan cheese, but forgot about it – great idea to add it in. So glad that you joined the group!
I can tell it’s there but it’s subtle and I feel less wasteful so a win win for sure!
Drat. I have cheese rinds in my freezer and didn’t even think about them- I bet they give the soup a lovely flavor. (Not that I didn’t think it was lovely to begin with- we loved it!) Yours is gorgeous, and I love your soup plate! 🙂
Now that it’s all I know; I sort of thing it’s all I’ll ever do!
A simple, hearty, flavorful soup… just my kind of recipe. And I love how easily I can make this vegetarian. Lovely post, Barb!
Gorgeous soup! I love how you added the Parmesan rind and dollop of yogurt. I am now interested in getting this soup done 😉
Very nice – I loved that it was so simple and didn’t require a lot of out of the ordinary ingredients. I also love the concept of throwing the cheese ends into a pot of soup. Such a great use of a resource.
Beautiful photo Barb and that soup looks wonderful. I’ve been saving parmesan rinds for that same reason. Can’t remember where I read about it first. I’m loving soups right now.
Looks just like my French nanny would cook. Very nice presentation. I’ve been gone a few weeks and it is so nice to visit all the new folks that have joined the group. Look forward to visiting often B:)
Thanks Beth; I don’t think there is anything much harder to photograph than a brown soup, is there? 🙂
Your photo is beautiful! Glad this recipe worked out so well for you!
Thank you Candy; I sometimes do best with spur of the moment, have ingredients on hand type things and this was a true winner.
Oh my! Now I know I have to buy Dorie’s book. Mushroom soup is one of my all-time favorite soups and this version looks and sounds like perfection.
Many reasons to buy Dorie’s book…I’ve only participated in a couple of the FFWD but the first thing I ever made was the Apple Cake when company was coming. WHY? Did I let them have any? 🙂
Your mushroom soup looks Soup-er!!! 🙂 I love Dorie’s new book! I can go for a bowl right now! 🙂
It is so easy Sara; has found a permanent place in my recipes for quick and satisfying (and without a ton of calories!).
Wow! You definitely win best photo – this soup was so hard to photograph for me! Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you Jessica! I sort of felt it had to have some contrast to not look like a bowl of mud; but I think it’s also one of the few times I did something more than just take a quick snap before eating. I wanted those mushrooms and the yogurt to be mounded in the middle but feared they would sink into the soup so I took one of the really small glass bowls I use for mise en place, and put it in upside down before pouring the soup. Made all the difference!
You did a *souper* job with your soup! Your idea to save the last bit of parm is an awesome idea Barb. I will start doing that in my kitchen as well. Have a great weekend.
Looks great – especially for a last minute dish! I love the idea of the Parmesan rind too – next time!!!
I bet the Parmesan added a very nice touch – I’ll give that go next time. This is my first FFwD – it’s fun!!
Your soup looks like utter perfection Barb! Glad I spurred you on to make this last night. Thanks for the shout out too. Much appreciated 🙂 Can’t wait to cook with you more!