It’s something we have talked about doing for months, if not years, but you know how it is – even the best intentions aren’t enough sometimes. That’s when I just have to make it happen. Pick a date, put it on the calendar and make a point to carve out the time.
Awhile back, in my effort (again with the sincerest of intentions) to feature a cookbook off my shelves each month, I showcased Whitewater Cooks with Friends, one in a series of three (so far) cookbooks originating out of the Whitewater Ski Resort in British Columbia – and a gift from friends Mark & Romy. In fact, they have given me two of the three cookbooks and so forever we’ve been promising a dinner party completely inspired by the collection.
Once the date was on the books I could start perusing for the first course and dessert that I was in charge of. With fall starting to creep into the air with earnest soup seemed like a good way to get things started. I had a delicious sounding shrimp bisque all picked out and grocery list made when I suddenly woke up in the middle of the night remembering that Mark is allergic to shellfish. Back to the books (thank goodness I had this realization sooner vs later) to choose again – this time opting for a roasted mushroom soup from Whitewater Cooks at Home.
(Might I add here that mushroom soup is not very photographic. Thankfully it tastes more colorful that it looks!)
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1½ pounds mushrooms, thickly sliced (I did a mix of oyster, button and portobellos)
- ⅓ cup butter
- ⅓ cup flour
- ½ tsp ground thyme
- 4 cups milk
- 2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock (preferably homemade)
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat then add the onions and cook until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and fresh rosemary and sauté for a few minutes more. Add the mushrooms and stir well to combine.
- Dump the contents of the pot onto a baking sheet (I reserved a few of the nice golden brown ones for a garnish) and bake for about 25 minutes, stirring once or twice. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- Melt the butter in the same pot and add flour, stirring to make a roux. Add the ground thyme and cook the roux for a couple of minutes.
- Pour the milk in slowly while whisking to prevent lumps. Simmer over medium low heat for about five minutes until thickened.
- Add half of the mushroom mixture and stock to food processor or blend and blend until very smooth. Add the purée and the rest of the mushroom mixture to the soup pot. Stir and bring the soup to a simmer for a few minutes.
- Season with fresh rosemary, salt and a generous grind of fresh black pepper. Garnish with a swirl of yogurt if you’d like, and reserved mushrooms.
What was for dessert you might wonder? Well that’s a whole different post. Stay tuned!
I’m so glad we finally got to spend this great evening filled with great food. Whitewater Cooks with friends indeed. Cheers to that!