Let me start this out by saying the last few months of cooking have been fairly atypical for me. Because I haven’t been in a home kitchen, I haven’t even been in a land-based kitchen. I’ve been on the water, cooking from the galley of my 40-foot sailboat. This lifestyle of living aboard a boat is riveting but certainly not glamorous. And for the past six months, which I spent cruising in the vibrant crystal clear waters of the Bahamas, there was one thing I missed greatly: the seasons. I missed how cool spells blow in unexpectedly, bringing a bite of cold air. I missed the rustle of golden leaves. And I missed the produce that came along with it – the squash, the pumpkins, the mushrooms.
This soup, a creamy intensely earthy mushroom soup, is an ode to that now that we’re back in the States. A collection of the late autumn mushrooms that pop up in stores and along the forest floor. In the recipe, I call for a variety of mushrooms, crimini, shiitake, chanterelle, and trumpet, but these are simply meant to be more of a loose guide. You could, for instance, swap out the shiitake and chanterelles for all trumpet mushrooms; or you could use a blend of shiitake and chanterelles in lieu of the crimini. The idea is only to source a variety of the freshest mushrooms you can find and cook them in a pan with a little fat over high heat until they’re just caramelized and intensely flavorful.
The soup is made creamy through the addition of goat cheese, which also adds some tang to its otherwise dense flavors, and a bunch of fresh dill, which lends a noticeable brightness to the final product. It’s the kind of soup that can comfort on a chilly night or bring warmth to a fall dinner party. Just don’t forget a toasted baguette for serving. Whether you’re on land or at sea, your guests will want to lap up every last drop.
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