TUESDAY

Cream of Mushroom Soup  |  Kale & Apple Salad with Bacon and Candied Pecans

Today began gray and rainy here in the San Francisco Bay area.  The dogs and I headed out for our daily walk early before the heavy showers {and, eventually, the hail!} arrived.  Strolling along, I found this little piece of sunshine tucked under a tree…

Tonight’s soup & salad dinner is hearty & satisfying…perfect for a chilly, wet evening!

Cream of Mushroom Soup {adapted from The Balthazar Cookbook}

• 1 ounce, dried porcini mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 sprigs of fresh thyme {bundled in cheesecloth}
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 large {or 6 small} garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 pound white button mushrooms stemmed, cleaned and thinly sliced
• 1 pound shiitake mushrooms stemmed, cleaned and thinly sliced
• 1 cup dry Vermouth
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. Soak the dry mushrooms in 1 cup of boiling water for 30 minutes, until plump.  With a slotted spoon, remove mushrooms to a separate bowl.  Place a double-layer of cheesecloth over a small bowl and pour the mushroom soaking liquid into the bowl {allowing the cheesecloth to catch any grit}.  Set the strained soaking liquid, as well as the reconstituted mushrooms aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  When the oil is shimmering, add the thyme bundle and cook for a few minutes to infuse the oil.
3. Add the onion, garlic, salt & pepper.  Cook for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft, translucent, but not brown.
4. Turn the heat up to high and add the mushrooms.  Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the vermouth and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid has been absorbed
5. Add the broths and the reconstituted mushrooms, along with the soaking water {mushroom broth}.
6. Simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove the thyme bundle and then add the cream and butter. With a hand-held immersion blender, purée the soup until smooth.  Keep at a very low simmer until ready to serve.

Meanwhile…the Kale & Apple Salad with Bacon and Candied Pecans {adapted from Food & Wine.com}…

• 2 cups pecans
• ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces, thickly-sliced bacon ~ coarsely chopped
• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons caper brine {from a jar of capers}
• 3-4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Granny Smith Apples, cored & diced
• 1 large head radicchio, chopped
• 8 ounces lacinato kale leaves {stems discarded}, chopped
• 3 tablespoons snipped chives
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a bowl, cover the pecans with water.  Transfer to a fine-mesh sieve and drain, shaking out excess water.
3. In another bowl, whisk the confectioner’s sugar, cayenne and 1½ teaspoons of salt.  Add the pecans & toss.  Once again, transfer to a fine-mesh sieve and shake off the excess coating.
4. Arrange the pecans on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the sugar is lightly caramelized and the pecans are golden.
5. In a skillet, heat the oil and cook the bacon over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until bacon is browned, 5-6 minutes.  Remove bacon pieces {with a slotted spoon} to a plate lined with paper towels & pour pan-drippings into a large bowl.
6. Add vinegar to the bacon drippings and whisk, adding caper brine, maple syrup, salt & pepper.  Add the apples, radicchio, kale, chives, tarragon and pecorino cheese and toss.  Mound the salad onto plates, garnish with the candied pecans and bacon & serve.

I started the candied pecans earlier this afternoon…

The rest of the salad was easy…

And our dinner plate this February evening…

See you tomorrow…