portobello mushroom bisque
Truffle Oil, Pine Nuts, Lemon Marscapone
Serves 6
Mushroom Bisque
8 large portobello mushroom caps
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup diced pancetta
1/2 cup chopped peeled shallots
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup diced peeled celery root
1 tablespoon chopped marjoram
6 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
1/4 cup Marsala wine
pinch nutmeg
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Discard stems and gills from portobello. Chop. Set aside. Add oil, pancetta, shallots and garlic to large stock pot over medium heat. Cook 3 minutes, stirring often. Add flour. Cook 1 minute. Add portobello, celery and marjoram. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add stock and cream. Bring to simmer. Cook 20 minutes. Add dried porcinis to spice grinder. Process to a powder. Transfer to small mixing bowl. Whisk in Marsala and nutmeg. Add to soup. Cook 1 minute. Working in batches, transfer mixture to blender. Puree until smooth. Transfer back to stock pot. Return to low simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
Lemon Marscapone
3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons chopped tarragon leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Add all ingredients to mixing bowl. Beat with wooden spoon until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Presentation
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
6 sprigs marjoram
1 tablespoon truffle oil
Ladle bisque into warm soup bowls. Spoon mascarpone in center. Garnish with pine nuts and marjoram. Drizzle bisque with
truffle oil.
In Umbria, the village of Monton celebrates the Festa del Bosco, a Slow Food Festival that brings together cooks, food artisans, farmers, and academics to promote world food sustainability. This area is known for its truffles and porcini mushrooms that grow under giant oak trees. Taking our willow basket and walking stick to the woods, we gathered a potpourri of mushrooms. Back at the village, our forager guide, Maria, inspected the harvest carefully for mis-picked specimens. We were safe! We had a funghi fiesta of risotto, salads and soup paired with a bottle of the finest Amarone. Brush or peel your mushrooms until clean, but avoid washing them as they will absorb water and lose flavor. Pulverizing dried porcinis, morels or chanterelles in your spice grinder will fortify the taste of your bisque.
- Executive Chef Bernard Guillas
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