MUSHROOM AND THYME SOUP WITH ROQUEFORT CROUTONS
We love a smooth mushroom soup, but we also love the meaty texture of whole mushroom, so here we’ve gone for both. For the mushrooms to top the soup, use flat mushrooms or Swiss browns or, if you’re lucky enough to find them, pine mushrooms or trompettes work beautifully.
Serves 4 Prep time: 20 min. Cooking: 30 min
• 20g dried porcini • 60g butter, coarsely chopped • 70ml olive oil • 1 leek, thinly sliced • 10 garlic cloves (2 finely chopped, and 8 bruised with the flat of a knife) • 750g flat mushrooms, coarsely
chopped • 12 thyme sprigs, plus extra to
serve • 1L (4 cups) chicken stock • 200g crème fraiche • finely grated zest and juice of
½ lemon • ½ baguette, thinly sliced
diagonally • 300g pine or other mushrooms, halved or quartered if they’re too large • 1 tsp red wine vinegar • Roquefort or any other blue
cheese, to serve
Soak the porcini in 100ml boiling water in a bowl until softened (10–15 min).
Meanwhile, heat half the butter and half the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until the butter foams. Add the leek and chopped garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent (4–5 min). Stir in the flat mushrooms and half the thyme sprigs and sauté until beginning to soften (6–8 min), then add the stock and season to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook until well flavoured (10–15 min). Discard the thyme, add the crème fraiche and purée with a handheld blender (or in batches in a food processor) until smooth. Stir in half the zest and keep warm.
Preheat the grill to high and toast baguette slices, turning once, until golden brown (2–3 minutes).
Heat the remaining butter and remaining oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the pine mushrooms cap down, then add the bruised garlic. Season to taste and fry until golden brown (2–3 minutes). Turn the mushrooms, add remaining thyme and cook for another minute. Remove from heat and add vinegar and lemon juice.
Ladle soup into warm serving bowls; top with pine mushrooms and garlic and buttery pan juices. Scatter with thyme; serve hot with croutons spread with Roquefort.