Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

These mushrooms might not make you high but you will surely heighten your gourmet experience from this recipe.


On my last visit to France, in a small town outside Paris, my wife and I stopped for a lunch in a small bistro. Knowing that we wanted to cover ground, we opted for a bowl of soup rather than the full course plat de jour. I love mushrooms, yeah I know but you can,t get those in France...

Chock full of chopped mushrooms,thick and creamy,needless to say,I brought it home...

*Half lb. chopped mushrooms(white)
*Quarter lb of chopped wild mushrooms (Whole Foods carries them)..
( you can substitute..an even mix of Shitaki/Oyster/BabyBell..if you can't find a wild mix)
*4-5 Tblsp. butter..
* 1 small sweet onion(Vidalia if available...) can also be made with half a Leek chopped
*3-4cups of Chicken Broth
( DON'T GET LAZY HERE--the can crap has way too much salt )
easy made chicken broth= quarter lb.chicken parts(necks or leg,backs etc...2 celery chopped,half onion quartered,2 sliced carrots,4oz white wine,quart of water,2 Tblsp butter, salt/pepper/crushed clove of garlic..garlic...set on low temp and cook till done...strain and save broth..you can double this amount or triple and save the rest for other recipes.)
* 1 cup of Heavy Cream
1 0z of dry Sherry
1/4cup flour
*1/8 tsp of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Warm Chicken Broth in pot....
Cut some of the white mushroom in slices and chop all of the rest . In a large saute pan,melt a little butter and saute the slices,set aside...melt rest of butter,add the onions and chopped mushrooms,stir and cook on medium,add Sherry and saute till done to a soft consistency,a light brown.

Add Flour slowly to mix and stir until smooth.Add Broth while stirring, simmer until thickened and add Heavy Cream...simmer DO NOT BOIL,,,season with Nutmeg..salt and pepper to taste..

If you want it thicker, mix a tsp of flour with 4-5 oz of warm water and add in slowly while stirring over warm heat..

Spoon into bowls, top with sliced mushrooms ...and of course a hearty French or Italian Bread
(coated with rich butter,maybe sprinkled with a little parmesan..who cares about fat anyway,if you really do then just lick it)

Mussels (not the one from Brussels)

We know all about the "Muscles from Brussels" but these mussels are from the ocean where in Honfleur France I learned two ways to make them..... filling myself as much as possible, making sure I would'nt forget them..

Moules Mariniere..the classic

2-3 tbls. butter..unsalted
1-2 tbls. olive oil..EVO
1 yellow onion chopped
1-2 cloves garlic..minced



4-6lbs of shiny
mussels,debearded..any open discard.
2 cups of a decent white wine(Charddonay does well)
2-3 tbls chopped parsley

pepper to taste

..heat butter and olive oil. When hot add onions to a nice translucent color,add garlic,pepper,mussels ,wine and parsley.Turn down heat to low, cover and cook for about 10 min. uncover to be sure all are now open,stir and serve with a great French or Italian crusty bread.

These are normally served and made with white wine, BUT I had it with Cider that came from the region as well......mmmmmm!!!

Now My favorite is:

Moules a la Creme..
Normandy Style

2-3 tbls. butter..unsalted
1-2 tbls. olive oil..EVO
1 yellow onion chopped
1 cloves garlic..crushed
pepper to taste
1 zucchini chopped
1 carrot chopped
1 large leek sliced thin
4-6lbs of shiny mussels,debearded..any open discard
2-3 tbls chopped parsley
2 cups of a decent white wine(Charddonay does well).

16 oz. of heavy cream or less ..3/4cup grated gruyere cheese or swiss

Saute all the veges together in butter and oil first.remove half.. add wine,parsley and mussels,cover 10-min. on low heat till all are open...in a separate sauce pan bring cream with half the veges to almost boil add cheese stir till melted and add to mussels...stir let sit 1-2 min.
serve with a crusty bread any who cares...try serving it with the cider
FEAST!!!!!

*Here is great way to clean mussels...in a pot of cold water enough to cover them, stir in 3 tbls of mustard or dry powder mustard. Swish them around and let them site for 10 minutes...Rinse and pull off the beards,( those stringy things hanging out of the shell)..dscard open ones.

Rosy's Corner ..Cranberries

From their farms to your table, cranberries can be used for more than just turkey. Here is one idea from "Rosy's Corner"....

and for more coverage on cranberries...http://www.matthewpacephoto.blogspot.com

Cranberry Pastry

Frozen Pastry shells baked according to directions
blend
1 bar of soft cream cheese
1) cup of chopped frozen cranberries
3) tablespoons of sugar (more if sweeter desired)
pinch of orange zest

top with some chopped cranberries

Wine a Question of Price?

Think you have to spend a whole lot of bucks or Euros for a good bottle of wine? Not so mon amis!

The French have been drinking what they call table wine or Vin de Table, I know because I have had my share, and everywhere I have been the Vin de Table they are talking about is made from a collection of the same grapes that grow in the same region you are in. They just aren't one grape or from one vineyard picked at one time in one region and bottled by one chateaus etc etc...

Yes there may be no consistency nor year, although current since they don't age well if at all, but in France they run around $2.00-5.00 and here you can find them for under $8.00 with some shopping. The trick is to chill them first then decant them, let them come up to room temperature unless you are in the tropics of course, and drink! Now I know that the wine aficionados taste buds are curling but table wine is a staple there and for most very good with dinner.

The bottle shown in this image is a perfect example. Under $7.00 at TotalWines
It taste very much like a beaujolais and a lot like the wines I had in various caves in France(except the grand masters of course). Now I am not saying that you will fool someone into thinking this is a Grand Margaux or Chateau Lafite Rothchild, but then again you will have some change left from that ten spot to buy some cheese and you won't have to wait for your tongue to try to distinguish all those fruits they talk about.

Rosy's Corner

Thai Chicken and Jasmine Rice

1 lb of chicken breast cut in to 1 inch pieces (you can also use chicken thighs)
1/2 small package of mushrooms (your choice)
1 small red pepper cut in to 1 inch pieces
1 small can of Geisha bamboo shoots
1 large clove of garlic minced
1 inch slice of onion chopped
1 can of coconut milk (Goya)
1/2 tsp of red curry (McCormick)
1/2 Tumeric (McCormick)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tablespoon of Wesson peanut oil
1 tablespoon of Tyling Naturals sesame oil
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh ginger
1/2 can of Lesueur peas


Saute the onion, garlic, red pepper, ginger, bamboo shoots in the peanut and sesame oil.
Once the onion is clear in color then add the mushrooms, red curry and Tumeric.
Let it boil then bring temperature down to medium until sauce gets thick. Set aside.
In the same pan, add the 1/2 tablespoon of sesame and peanut oil and fry the chicken
until golden brown. Once chicken is golden brown, add the sauce that was set aside.


For Jasmine rice

1 cup of Mahatma Jasmine rice
1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste

Take 2 cups of water, add a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper and a teaspoon of sesame oil.
Bring water to a boil, add 1 cup of rice and cover. Once the water has evaporated, lower
temperature to low and cook for about five (5 minutes) then turn the rice around and cook
for another five (5) minutes.

This dish feeds about four (4) people as a main course, but (6) people as an appetizer shown here

Rosy's Corner

Rosy's Mango Colada

.................................................................recommended brands
1 cup mango juice ............................................(Looza)
*the pulp of 2 large mangoes
1/4 cup dark rum .............................(Barcelo Anejo Dominican Rum)
1 tsp of pure vanilla extract...............................(Nielsen Massey)
1/2 pint of mango ice cream..............................(Hagen Dazs)
3 cups of ice.

In a blender mix all the ingredients except the ice.
* If the mangoes are not very sweet, you can add a little sugar.
Then add the ice little by little and blend until the mixture is frothy.

Pour and enjoy!

Rosy's Corner

Cilantro Shrimp in Plantain Cups

For shrimp

1 Lb shrimp
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 onion
2 small cloves of garlic
1 bay leaf
peanut oil
1/4 cup bitter orange
1 tbsp capers
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 small yellow pepper
1/2 small red pepper

Clean shrimp and set aside. Meanwhile,saute onion, garlic on 12 tbsp of peanut oil. Once onion is pale, add red pepper and yellow pepper. Rinse capers under water for a minute so it is not too salty then add to the pan. Then add the tomato sauce. Once it is simmered, add the chopped cilantro and the shrimp. Cook for about 3 more minutes

For plantain cups

3 green plantains cut in to 1 1/2 inches
peanut oil to cover the plantains

In a large pot or deep fryer, fry plantains until golden yellow. Set aside on paper towel until cooled. Once cooled place one plantain piece in to a small cup or jello mold. Take a pestle and press lightly until the desired cup shape. Take the cups and re-fry until golden brown. Once cups are done, take the desired amount of shrimp and sauce and add to cup


For rice

1 cup of white rice
2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

Boil 2 cups of water, add salt and pepper and then the rice. Once the water is almost evaporated, cover rice and turn down heat to low. Cook for 7 minutes. Turn rice with spoon and cook for another 7 minutes.

Serve the plantain filled cups and put over a spoon of rice.

Enjoy