We have moved into the grays of Winter around
here and to warm up from the chill a lovely soup
is always a great addition to the menu.
Many, many moons ago, Mr. Wonderful and I
got engaged in one of our favorite places ~ Cape
May, NJ. Cape May is a lovely little seaside
village located at the southern tip of the New
Jersey peninsula. When you drive to the very
end of the state, it looks like you have come to
the end of the world so it is nicknamed, "End of
the World, NJ".
Cape May is a Victorian jewel. There had been a
devastating fire that burned much of the town during
the Victorian era. Since it was such a popular vacation
destination, the town was quickly rebuilt and we now
have a wonderful collection of Victorian architecture
in one small town. On this visit, we were getting engaged
and we stayed at the Columbia House. We chose this
place because we could rent an apartment with a
kitchen. Even back then we were cooking on our travels.
Ingredients:
1/2 pound mushrooms
2 mediums onions
2 cloves garlic
1/2 stick butter
3 tablespoons dry white vermouth
5 cups mild chicken stock (reduced sodium)
3 egg yolks
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
salt and pepper
Peel and chop the onions and garlic finely
and melt the butter in a large pan. Sweat
the onions and garlic in the butter while you
chop the mushrooms finely.
Add the mushrooms to the onions and stir them
around for a few minutes and then add the vermouth.
In another pan bring the chicken stock to the boil
and then pour it into the vegetables. Simmer for
15 minutes or until the taste of the mushrooms has
really permeated the broth.
Beat the egg yolks with the cream.
Add a few ladles of the soup to the eggs and
cream to temper them.
Pour the mixture into the soup. Season to taste.
Depending on the stock you use, you may not need
any more salt. Heat very slowly, stirring. Do not
allow the soup to boil or it will curdle. When the
mushrooms are suspended in the soup, serve
immediately.
I made some popovers to go with the soup
that really formed some prehistoric looking
shapes ~ but they were tasty!
We have been making this soup for decades.
The vermouth adds a nice touch and the soup
isn't gloppy like so many cream of mushroom
soups can be.
I can't remember where I got the recipe, so
we just refer to it as Cape May Mushroom Soup.
When I make it, it always takes me back to that
kitchen in the Columbia House when we were
filled with the hopes and dreams of our future.
And we are still cooking. Tomorrow we are
heading down to Mexico for a few weeks and
we will be cooking. We have already decided
we can get terracotta dishes down there to
bring our own scallop shells to make Coquille
St.Jacques...
Enjoy!