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Wild Rice, Mushroom, and Oyster Bisque

Source of Recipe

From "Cold-Weather Cooking" by Sarah Leah Chase


Recipe Introduction

"I have frequently seen recipes for soups that combine both wild rice and mushrooms or mushrooms and oysters, but I never heard of one that made a natural merger of all three. If you can imagine a taste even more alluring than any one of the component parts, then you may have a faint idea of how decadently sublime this creation really is."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ ¾ cup dried porcini mushrooms
â—¦ 2 cups boiling water
â—¦ 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter
â—¦ 1 large onion, minced
â—¦ ½ cup minced celery
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
â—¦ Pinch of grated nutmeg
â—¦ ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
â—¦ 4 cups fish stock or bottled clam juice, plus any accumulated juices from the shucked oysters
â—¦ ½ cup cream sherry
â—¦ 6 ounces fresh oyster mushrooms, sliced ¼ inch thick
â—¦ 8 ounces domestic white mushrooms, sliced ¼ inch thick
â—¦ ¾ cup heavy or whipping cream
â—¦ Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
â—¦ 1 ½ cups cooked wild rice
â—¦ 1 pound fresh shucked oysters, cut in half if they are particularly large
â—¦ Chopped fresh parsley or small sprigs thyme for garnish


Recipe

Place the porcini in a small bowl and cover with the boiling water. Let stand 30 minutes. Remove the porcini from the liquid, reserving the liquid. If the mushrooms are sandy, pour the liquid through a strainer lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth and massage any dirt out of the mushrooms with your hands. Chop the mushrooms fine.

Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, porcini, thyme, and nutmeg. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly.

Gradually stir in the reserved mushroom liquid, the fish stock and oyster juices, and sherry. Simmer uncovered 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the soup is simmering, sauté the oyster mushrooms. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium-size skillet over medium heat. Add the oyster and domestic white mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently until the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are cooked through but not browned, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Purée the soup in a blender along with the cream until very smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the soup into a clean pot and return to the stove over medium heat. Add the sautéed mushrooms, wild rice, and oysters to the soup. Cook 10 minutes to heat through and blend the flavors. Serve at once garnished with a little parsley or thyme.

Makes 6 servings