Cream of Chanterelle Soup

Our morning hike started out at a small bridge that crossed over a creek. The air was crisp and smelled of trees and fresh rain. We followed a trail that wound through the woods and climbed to the top of the ridge. Along the way the sun popped in and out through the clouds making some areas very dark and wet. We saw many visible changes in the landscape. Fallen leaves, pine needles and mushrooms dotted the way.

These mushrooms in particular caught our interest. These are Chanterelle's, a delicious edible mushroom. After collecting a small bag full, we headed back down. We were so excited, what a find! We went straight to town to verify that these were what we thought they were. And they were....

As you can imagine they were a little wet and dirty. I first set them outside for a few hours in a cardboard box with a wire screen on top. This was to help them dry out. Today I set out to clean them. I used a mushroom brush and a wet paper towel. They weighed almost a pound all together. A soup was in order.

This is a hearty soup that really takes center stage. The flavors are full and earthy. I garnished mine with fresh thyme but I bet fresh chives and a very lite sprinkling of truffle oil would be great too. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion (diced)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
3 medium stalks celery (diced)
4 sprigs fresh thyme divided
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 pound mushrooms
1/4 cup white wine
5 cups water
1/4 cup heavy cream

To prepare:

In a heavy soup pot on medium heat olive oil and saute onion and celery together until soft about 8-10 minutes. Add garlic and saute about 1 minute until fragrant. Add 3 sprigs thyme and butter, then add mushrooms. Stir together and saute until mushrooms have cooked down and all liquid is gone, approx 10-15 minutes. Add wine and stir occasionally until liquid has evaporated. Add water and simmer 30 minutes. Remove from stove. Remove thyme sprigs. Use immersion blender to mix together, then incorporate the cream. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves. Enjoy!