Porcini Mushroom Bisque

 

Last time I dined at Geronimos in Santa Fe, we were served a delicious Amuse Bouche of Porcini Mushroom Bisque.  Once back home, I came up with this recipe which I think is quite delicious with a lot of depth.  Enjoy!

Porcini Mushroom Bisque 

Steep Porcini:
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
3/4 cup dry sherry

Bisque:
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
6 shallots, minced (3/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 pound cremini mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced 1/4 inch thick
6 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup crème fraîche
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice


Mushrooms: Rinse the porcinis under running water. Bring sherry to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add porcinis. Let sit for 10 minutes until soft. Drain the mushrooms and reserve liquid. Pass the sherry through a fine strainer to remove any bits of dirt. Reserve.

Mix Ingredients: Melt butter in large stock pot over medium-low heat. When foaming subsides, stir in the flour; cook 2 minutes. Add shallots and sauté, stirring for about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic, thyme and nutmeg; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute longer. Increase heat to medium. Add sliced mushrooms and soaked porcini mushrooms. Stir. Add the stock, strained sherry and salt; cover and bring to a boil; simmer, covered until mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes.

Puree Soup: Fill a blender half full with the soup mixture. Working in batches, purée until smooth, 2 minutes a batch.  Whisk in the lemon juice and crème fraîche.

Garnish the top of the soup with a small dollop of crème fraîche.

How to make crème fraîche:
In a bowl, whisk together one part sour cream and one part heavy cream.
Let sit on the counter overnight.  Refrigerate the next day.

 

 

 

 FYI - I order my "Funghi Porcini Secchi" from

           www.gustiamo.com  

           A great suppler of many Italian products.

 

                     Bon Appetit! 

The Palace Carousel in San Sebastián

One of my favorite places is San Sebastián, Spain.  The Palace Carousel is exceptionally special!  Not far from were we stay, The Hotel Londres y Inglaterra, it is fun to sit on one of the many benches lining the promenade and watch the children and families revel in the excitement of riding on the carousel.

This carousel is a replica of its 1900 predecessor and was set up in Donostia around 1998 to evoke that golden era in which the city offered a whole world of attractions to visitors.

This merry-go-round catches the attention of children and adults alike.  Spend some time observing every detail. 

 

With ponies, airplanes, dolphins, cars, swans, carriages, giraffes and tigers, 

 

the two levels of this carousel are imbued with the Belle Époque style, a period of peace and prosperity approximately between 1871 and 1914.

Under the hand-painted roof, we find representations of paintings by famous painters such as Van Gogh, Gauguin, Lautrec, Vallotton, Manet, Monet, Cezanne, Picasso, Sisley, Pisarro, Renoir and Degas, and at the very top of the carousel, a beautiful pony watches out across the city.  Artists of the mid 1800's to early 1900's representing styles such as Impressionism and modernism.

Degas 

Manet

 

The original Manet 

 Boating - 1874

 

Vallotton

Renoir

& 

Lautrec 

The original  Lautrec 

The Divan Japonais - 1892 

Cezanne

Monet
 

The original Monet 

 Studio Boat -  1874

Pissarro

 

Picasso

 The original Picasso  

Los Baineuses - The Bathers - 1918 

The carousel has been restored on several occasions to reflect each new era. In its earliest days the carousel had no electrical power and was manually rotated by an operator in the center. As the years progressed, electricity became the norm in towns and cities and at the beginning of the 1940s, when the Civil War had ended, a powerful electrical motor was installed. This system was active until the year 2000.

In 2008 the carousel was completely restored using the most up-to-date technology and a unique decorative style was brought in to reflect the city of San Sebastián. 

 

The carousel was painted by hand and features illustrations taken from old photos of Donostia at the turn of the century.

The sun setting on the large building which is the City Hall (with the carousel in the foreground).  It was once the home of the Gran Casino from the 1st of July of 1897 to 1924 when gambling was prohibited.  It was also built during the Belle Époque period.  

 

Everything around La Concha Bay's promenade so is captivating.  A special place to be.