Cassandra’s Mushroom Soup
After working on Elastic Waist videos expounding the joy of healthy eating, I can’t tell you how good it feels to come home to butter. And heavy cream. And unskimmed beef stock. Cassandra’s soup is what a warming fall soup should be: rich, creamy, and heady with woodsy mushrooms. A bowl of this soup to kick-start a meal says one thing to your dining companions: hang on, cause this meal is going to be seriously good.
Cassandra has long been one of the best cooks I know, and she has an inspirational fridge and pantry, well-organized and overflowing with smoked salmon, heavy cream, every cheese your heart could desire, fritos and bean dip (for late night pangs), countless bottles of wine (my dad’s to thank for that), the best chicken salad, a lifetime supply of chocolate, and a bounty of fresh veggies and fruits that sit happily on the kitchen island, ready for the taking.
But what I love about the way Cassandra cooks, and what I love about all my favorite cooks, is their ease in the kitchen. Cassandra can tell stories while she makes an impromptu nibble, listen attentively while while something sizzles. It’s this talent that makes her also one of the most gifted hostesses I know; nothing rattles her. And to host with aplomb, you really have to have the capacity to watch as a guest hangs from the chandelier while a dog nips at their pant leg with a smile and a devil-may-care shrug.
Of course, it’s not just the way Cassandra cooks and entertains that I love, it’s the way she lives, and I see my own values mirrored in hers. She laughs a lot, and seeks out fun and pleasure, and reads herself to sleep at night. She understands the beauty of doing nothing. She cares about love and does something everyday to foster it. She cherishes friendship and manages to talk on the phone while feeding the dogs. She creates a sense of community among her neighbors, inviting them over to sit in the yard by candlelight and swat at mosquitoes. She makes a point to share her time, food, company, and creativity with the people around her. In short, she lives well, and her spirit seems sort of unflappable; I envy her sunny disposition. Maybe this soup is the secret. Then again, maybe it’s the wine.
Cassandra’s Mushroom Soup
Serves 8-12
12 tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 pounds mushrooms, roughly chopped
6 tablespoons flour
8 cups beef bouillon or stock
3 cups heavy cream
fat pinch of white pepper
fat pinch of nutmeg
Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onion and stir over moderate heat until onion is translucent. Add mushrooms and cook another five minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the flour until mixture is well coated. Add the stock slowly, stirring constantly. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add white pepper and nutmeg. Remove from heat and stir in cream. Serve, and watch mouths drop.
Kinixi: That looks absolutely delicious and I can’t wait to make it!!!! Glad you’re back!! I recently became addicted to your blog and hand have been anxiously awaiting a post from you!!!2 years ago
cz: I’m also glad you’re back- was afraid you’d eloped or something! As to the recipe looks good- might I suggest, maybe you could interview the author of ‘Vegan with a Vengence’? The recipes are surprisingly good.2 years ago
Joyful Abode: Oh goodness, that looks absolutely delicious. I am a big sucker for mushrooms.2 years ago
Suzy: THANK GOD! I thought you might be dead! (Or just perhaps had eloped to a parallel universe!)2 years ago
Ruth Simons: Sarah, I’m so glad you are back…I’ve been checking regularly. What an incredibly nice piece you’ve written about your stepmom. I’d love for someone to say that of me someday. You are a jewel. And, was that one you were wearing on your left hand in the video?2 years ago
Buffy: You had me at the mushrooms.
Fat gets the bad end of the stick if you ask me. I mean, sure, if you drink it by the gallon….but who does that? Anyway, it’s ‘nature’s own’, right?
Sugar, on the other hand. Can you even tell me what’s in an M&M? Really?
You also had me at the wine.2 years ago
Sarah: Not dead at all, and just want to say how glad I am to be back!
Ruth, I think if you think something nice about someone, you should say it, right?
And yes, that’s my engagement ring from one Mr. Conley.
Buffy, Totally agree with you. I feel like if Laura Ingalls Wilder ate something how bad could it be?2 years ago
Buffy: Sarah - That’s what I’m sayin’.
As a side, I dreamt about this stuff last night.
I think it’s a sign. “Thou shalt attempt Cassandra’s Mushroom soup.”2 years ago
Sarah: I’ve been dreaming about trains in the night — what’s that a sign of?
Anyway, Thou shalt attempt and thou shalt triumph. It’s very simple!
2 years ago
Ruth Simons: Sarah–congratulations! I’ve been married going on 9yrs. and still in love. Mr. Conley is a lucky lucky man! Hope to see many wedding planning posts…2 years ago
Karen: I made this soup over the weekend and it was a HUGE hit. So easy, yet so tasty. I’ll be making this a lot throughout winter and fall.2 years ago
Sarah: Karen, I’m so glad you liked it! Isn’t it the best when the simplest things are the most delicious?2 years ago
KAREN: I can’t remember if I’m the same Karen as up there…but I needed to tell you that my family and I have all come down with early fall colds and none of us could think of anything better than Cassandra’s Mushroom Soup for dinner tonight. It’s a nice way to beckon in fall. (the soup, not the colds!)48 weeks ago