Mushroom Soup with Gruyère Crust

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This recipe comes from Paula Lambert's book The Cheese, Glorious Cheese. View more recipes.

There is a wonderful little wine bistro in Dallas called The Grape that is famous for its mushroom soup. I always think of The Grape when I make mushroom soup, even when my version varies from their rich, cream-laden specialty. My recipe combines a rich, classic mushroom soup with the glorious, bubbling cheese that normally tops French onion soup. With a combination like this, it's hard to go wrong.

Serves 6

Ingredients

Directions

Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Using your hands, quickly swish the mushrooms around in the water to remove any debris and then lift them out of the water. Discard the washing water and replace the mushrooms in the small bowl. Cover them with 1 cup hot water and leave them to plump for at least 30 minutes.

Trim the stems of the cremini mushrooms and brush them to remove any debris. Cut the mushrooms into 1/4-inch slices. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the shallots. Sauté until soft but not browned. Add the cremini mushrooms; quickly stir to coat them with the melted butter; and sauté, stirring intermittently, until they are soft and limp. The skillet will be dry at first; then, as the mushrooms cook, they will begin to release their juices. Lift the dried porcini mushrooms out of their soaking water, chop them coarsely, and add them to the sautéed cremini mushrooms. Strain the soaking water through a fine- mesh sieve or several thicknesses of cheesecloth into the mushrooms. Continue to stir and cook in the skillet for a few minutes to loosen the cooked bits of mushroom that may have adhered to the skillet. Transfer the mushrooms from the skillet to a large saucepan. Crush the bay leaves and 3 thyme or tarragon sprigs with your hand and then wrap them in cheesecloth and secure the pouch with kitchen string. Pour the chicken broth over the mushrooms, add the herb pouch, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the Marsala and continue cooking uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove and discard the herb pouch.

If you have made the soup ahead of time, return the soup to a boil.

Position the oven rack 3 inches beneath the heat source and preheat the broiler to high.

Cut the baguette into 1/4-inch-thick slices and place on a baking sheet. Transfer the bread to the oven and toast the bread on both sides. Remove the bread from the oven and rub each piece of toast lightly with the whole garlic clove on one side. Position the oven rack 6 inches beneath the heat source.

Ladle the soup into small individual-serving-sized ovenproof bowls. Place the slices of toasted bread on top of the soup and sprinkle the shredded Gruyère over the bread. Place the bowls of soup on a baking sheet. Transfer the soup, on the baking sheet, to the oven and broil until the cheese on top is bubbly and browned.

To serve, garnish the crust of the soup with the remaining sprigs of fresh thyme or tarragon.