Recipe: Wild Mushroom Bisque

Shut Up & Cook began nearly four years ago with a recipe for wild mushroom bisque. At the time I was just discovering my love of cooking; an outlet for my creative expression. I wasn’t much of a cook then, and that’s being generous.

In fact, the evening that I made the bisque I ended up trying to puree it in the blender (because that’s the kind of thing I did back then) which promptly resulted in the top flying off “as my beautifully simmered, and incidentally scalding hot, mushroom bisque raised to the top of the blender like a full moon tide” and went flying all over my kitchen.

What I lacked in skill, I made up for in chutzpah, slowly tackling more complicated recipes such as Grilled Eggplant Carpaccio with Arugula and Fontina or Smoked Salmon Quiche with Sautéed Leeks and Chevre. There were of course my fair share of culinary disasters thrown in too, but I’m no fool and kept those to myself (and the dogs).

So when the time came to present my recipes for the final round of Kitchen Circus, a reality show about amateur cooks who are challenged with making dinner for a full-house of guests at Seattle’s renowned four-star restaurant Rovers, the choice was oddly simple.

For me, cooking and food have always been about bringing people together. About life as it happens around a table. About simple ingredients that are made to sing through techniques that anyone can do. It was a risky move; hard to win with a soup, and a vegetarian soup at that when competing against dazzling plates such as an iconic fish of the Northwest, Herb Crusted Salmon, or sexy little bites of Asian Beef Tartare.

I was determined though to prove my proof of concept of The Attainable Gourmet. That truly anyone can make not only a meal, but a truly spectacular, memorable meal.

Rumor has it Kitchen Circus will be airing next month and I am both nervous and excited to see it. Comments forgotten and hushed words to oneself have been captured in perpetuity for all the world to see. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with the trailer and a recipe for Wild Mushroom Bisque, of course.

Wild Mushroom Bisque

Serves 6

6 TB Butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 lb wild mushrooms, assorted, thinly sliced (6 “pretty” pieces reserved and sautéed in butter right before serving)

3 TB flour

1/2 tsp meat concentrate

2 cups parmesan broth

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp black pepper

3/4 cup whipping cream

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Turn flame down to medium-low, add the finely chopped onion, cover, and allow to slowly cook until onion is transparent about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid, add the mushrooms and cook, slowly, allowing mushrooms to cook down and release their flavors, about 10 minutes. Add in the flour and meat concentrate, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes. Then add in the stock slowly, stirring constantly, and seasoning as necessary with salt, pepper, and a bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from bay leaf and using either an immersion blender or food processor puree the soup until totally smooth and velvety. Stir in the cream, finish with a mushroom garnish and truffle oil if you so desire.