Pea Soup With Morel Cream
By
Light the fire and enjoy a night in with this rich, flavorful soup. The morel cream is delicious and can be made ahead and refrigerated. Enjoy The Cutrer Chardonnay with this decadent soup.
Serves 4
Total Time 30 minutes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Difficulty Level Easy
Ingredients
3/4 oz dried morel mushrooms
1 c very hot water
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp unsalted butter
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 tbsp dry white wine
4 c chicken stock
1/2 c heavy cream
1 tbsp dry sherry
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
5 c frozen peas (1-1/2 lbs), thawed
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
8 small mint leaves for garnish
Directions
In a small bowl, cover the dried morels with the hot water. Set aside until the morels are softened, about 15 minutes. Lift the morels out of the soaking liquid and rinse under water to remove any grit and chop. Reserve the morel soaking liquid.
In a small saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the chopped morels and half of the shallots and cook over moderately high heat until the shallots are lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the white wine and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes.
Add 2/3 cup of the chicken stock and the reserved morel soaking liquid, stopping when you reach the grit at the bottom of the bowl.
Boil until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the cream and sherry and simmer over moderately low heat until lightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
Season the morel cream with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
Transfer the morel cream to a blender and puree until smooth. Return the morel cream to the saucepan and keep warm. Rinse out the blender.
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the remaining sliced shallots and cook over moderate heat until they are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining chicken stock and bring to a boil over high heat.
Add the peas and half of the chopped mint and simmer over moderate heat until the peas are just tender, about 4 minutes.
Working in batches, puree the pea soup in a blender and pass it through a coarse sieve set over a heatproof bowl, pressing on the solids with the back of a wooden spoon or a plastic spatula. Return the soup to the pot, reheat gently and season with salt and pepper.
Ladle the pea soup into 4 shallow bowls. Swirl in the warm morel cream. Garnish the soup with the remaining chopped mint and the mint leaves and serve immediately.
