Some foods just naturally go together. And one of the most heavenly combinations, one of the purest expressions of goodness and hope for nature and mankind, is the magic that happens when mushrooms come together with cream.
The richness of the cream coats the umami earthiness of the mushrooms, giving this pairing a subtle power, an irresistible force that demands to be served in crepes, alongside chicken or meat, or especially as a soup.
Because cream of mushroom soup has such a pure flavor, I decided it would be best to keep things simple when making it. But only up to a point. The basics were easy enough -- mushrooms,chip card, butter, stock, and cream -- but I wanted it to have a heightened mushroom taste. So I used a multiplicity of mushrooms.
The only kinds of fresh mushrooms at my local store were regular button mushrooms, shiitakes and cremini, which are also called baby portobellos. I had to improvise, which means I headed for the dried mushrooms and picked up plastic containers of black trumpets, oysters and morels.
Morels are awfully expensive (my packet was $14.99 for one-half ounce), so feel free to leave them out. And pick any other dried mushrooms; you are limited only by what the store sells.
The waiter at Jean-Robert's Table explained that the restaurant makes its soup from a puree of mushrooms, so I decided to do that. But I wondered what it would be like if I first simmered the mushrooms in stock and then pureed that, too. This method would let me make the stock doubly rich by simmering carrots and celery along with the mushrooms. Then I thought better of adding the other ingredients, reasoning that I did not want the additional flavors to detract from the pure mushroom goodness.
At any rate, I made the soup both ways, adding more liquid by necessity to the version in which I first simmered the mushrooms before pureeing them. As a result, this batch was a tad thinner, but every bit as good.
For a heartier texture, you could thicken either one with a teaspoon or more of cornstarch dissolved in cold water, but I would recommend against it. These soups derive much of their elegance from their light texture.
In light of recent events in political correctness, maybe it is time to look at some of society’s definitions. Since we may redefine marriage as something more than a man and woman (recall Genesis 2:24 “…a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife…”), I would like to take this opportunity to redefine other traditions.
Please, God, continue to bless this nation during these challenging times. I assume we forgot why You leveled Sodom and Gomorrah and fear this country may be heading down the same path.
Happy Birthday. The redefinition will be Happy Birth Date Anniversary because it is self-explanatory that you only have one birthday. But this greeting should only be used in an email or a card. No more spontaneous birthday greetings because anybody within ear shot who is also celebrating their Happy Birth Date Anniversary will feel excluded and hurt because you did not include them.
Hence the term “Happy Birthday” will slowly die like “Merry Christmas.” Exactly like Christmas party turns to holiday party turns to winter party turns to We’re Not Celebrating Anymore because some people are non-believers and they feel they don’t fit in.
Water. It’s about time hydrogen and oxygen get the recognition they deserve. From now on, water will be redefined as dihydrogen oxide plus whatever leachable you are drinking from the glass or plastic bottle. It will also carry a warning label because this dihydrogen oxide plus whatever leachable you are drinking from the glass or plastic bottle causes erosion. And too much of it is toxic.
Stricter car laws. Guns are taking a bad rap here and the cars are laughing all the way to Petro Mart. Hence, any car found with a drunk driver is immediately impounded and sold for scrap. These cars are killing people and we need to get them off the road. Also, list the year, make and model of the guilty car so we can ooh and ahh when we read about them in the Journal.
Pi. This number will finally end. No more infinite decimal places. I mean, Pi isn’t Buzz Lightyear, hence it will be redefined. The last number for Pi will be the last digit of the day of the month. Hence, if it’s the 12th of whatever month, Pi will end in a ‘2.’ If it’s the 27th, Pi will end in a ‘7.’ Yes, February gets ripped off as it loses a 9 and 0 and the months with 31 days will get an advantage, but we’ll settle this in court.
0 and 1. These are the two extreme numbers and all numbers should have the same opportunity. Anything multiplied by 0 is 0 and we can’t divide by 0. Hence, 0 is way too powerful. On the other hand, anything multiplied by 1 is the same. Go figure. I propose we eliminate 0 and anything multiplied by itself will be the number Pi with the appropriate ending decimal place.
Police were called to neighborhood at 1:47 a.m. Sunday after a resident was awoken by his barking dog, according to Hingham Police Sgt. Steven Dearth. When the resident looked outside he spotted Graney, who fled the area, Dearth said.
Three of the vehicles near his home had their driver’s door open with their glove compartment and center consoles open and the interior lights on.
When police arrived on the scene they spotted Melissa Wolfe, 26, of Quincy sitting inside a vehicle. Wolfe claimed she was coming from a party and waiting for her boyfriend, who had walked off to go to the bathroom in the woods.
Police noticed two white plastic bags, several car charges and a GPS inside the vehicle, which she claimed belonged to her boyfriend’s mom.
When police spotted Graney on Lincoln Street, he had a small silver claddagh ring and $24 cash inside his pocket, Dearth said. Graney claimed the ring was a childhood ring of his grandfather.
But when victims spoke to police they had identified the ring, the GPS unit the plastic bags, and other valuables as their own. One victim also was able to match the last 4 digits of his credit card, with what was found on a receipt in Graney’s vehicle.
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