She sure isn’t pretty to look at, but she’s a beaut to eat! I wish I could present you this mushroom bisque with a blindfold, because once you taste it, you’re sure to forget about how blah and, well, brown, it is.
I had a version of this at long-gone restaurant in my hometown and it still causes me shivers when I think about how perfect it was. Ethereally light and smooth, full of earthy mushroom flavor with a bit of spice at the end…this version comes as close as my memory allows me to get without having that original recipe in front of me!
Dried porcini mushrooms and fresh cremini mushrooms combine to give this a strong, meaty mushroom backbone and light-as-whipped-cream structure when blended. Shallots, garlic and tons of herbs provide a little extra flavor, while heavy cream makes it completely decadent and (obviously) creamy. Make sure to thoroughly scrub and clean your mushrooms so you have no grit, and blend to as smooth a texture as you can achieve with your blender…this is not meant to be a chunky soup!
I remember this being served in small servings at the restaurant because it’s so rich and flavorful that you don’t need much…making it perfect for entertaining-or the holidays if you have a crowd to serve.
A little drizzle of crème fraîche and thinly sliced chives gives this a much-needed pop of color to contrast ALL. THAT. BROWN. I love mushrooms so much that I’m willing to sacrifice the appearance in photos to bring you something delicious.
[tasty-recipe id=”34284″]
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