The yo-yo of living in the Midwest during springtime started last week. One day we had temperatures pushing 60 degrees, warm sunshine, and singing red robins. The next day it looked like this:

Country Peach Ice Cream
Adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Ice Cream Cookbook
Makes 1 Quart

Ingredients:
4 large ripe peaches (or 4 cups frozen), peeled, pitted, and chopped in small chunks
1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 Tablespoons
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
Pinch of Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Directions:
Place half (2 cups) of the peaches in a bowl. Add in lemon juice and 2 Tablespoons of sugar. Gently mash mixture with a fork and stir to combine. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge.

Using a heavy medium size pot, mix together milk, 1 cup of the cream, and all remaining peaches. Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens slightly (about 4-5 minutes). Do not let it boil! Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl using the back of a spoon to press down on the peaches. Discard the solids. Let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, whisk together egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup cream, and salt in a bowl. Whisk until the sugar starts to dissolve and the mixture is smooth.

Gradually pour a slow stream of the warm milk mixture (about 1/2 cup) into the egg mixture, stirring constantly until smooth. Then pour the egg and remaining milk mixture together into the heavy saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Keep the custard at a low simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and leaves a clear trail when you draw your finger across the back. This will take 4-6 minutes (do not let the custard boil!). Strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Add the vanilla and stir to combine.

Place the custard bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and water to cool, stirring occasionally. Once mixture has cooled down, cover pressing plastic wrap onto the surface to keep a film from forming. Place mixture in the fridge and chill for at least 3 hours and optimally up to 24 hours.

Pour the custard into your ice cream maker and chill according to the manufacturer’s directions. When the ice cream is almost done, and is the consistency of whipped cream, add in the reserved peaches. Churn until just mixed. (We ran out of room in our ice cream container and had to transfer the mix to a larger bowl and hand stir the peaches – this worked fine.) Place ice cream in a freezer safe container and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours and up to 3 days. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving so ice cream can soften enough to scoop.

I am a mushroom lover. I consider mushrooms a gift to cooking, enhancing meatless dishes while adding earthy complexity and unique textures. In my family mushrooms were always served on the side since two people (who shall remain nameless) thought they were vile and inedible. After suppressing my love for fungi for years I decided that whomever I married needed to appreciate the beauty of mushrooms. Happily Mr. B fit the bill and for the past several years I’ve been able to cook mushrooms like a wild woman!

This recipe for a Mushroom soup “cappuccino” came across my path when I traveled to Houston last Fall. One of the benefits of traveling frequently for work is that I usually can find a few exciting restaurants to try while on the road. Voice in Hotel Icon caught my eye because of Chef Michael Kramer’s commitment to use local and seasonal ingredients. The recipe for this soup was posted online and it sounded marvelous. I couldn’t resist giving it a try. The entire meal was excellent- I would definitely recommend Voice if you ever find yourself in Houston- and not surprisingly, the soup was my favorite part. I couldn’t wait to try making it at home.

The original soup at Voice Restaurant
(Please pardon my cell phone camera!)

Speaking with the waiter I learned that the soup was made with a homemade veal stock and fresh porcini mushrooms. This is a bit different than the recipe posted online so I attempted to adapt it accordingly. Unfortunately a trip to several grocery stores confirmed that (surprise!) veal bones and fresh porcini mushrooms do not exist around here. I ended up using a tablespoon of veal demi-glace from Williams Sonoma along with a combination of crimini and portabello mushrooms. The resulting soup was absolutely delicious and would make a beautiful and whimsical starting course. Of course it did not *quite* achieve the heights of flavor in my memory but I suppose that is what keeps restaurants in business. If you are lucky enough have access to quality veal stock and fresh porcini than I would recommend using those and you may encounter mushroom nirvana in a cup!

Stove Top Step-by-Step

Mushroom Soup “Cappuccino” with Truffle Foam
Adapted from Voice Restaurant in Houston, TX
Serves 10-12 (This makes a lot – you could easily halve the recipe)

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
2 Large onions, 1/2″ dice
3 lbs Mushrooms and scraps (crimini, portabello, porcini)
3 Tablespoons Garlic chopped
2 Cups white wine
4-5 Cups Veal Stock (or Chicken stock with 1 Tablespoon Veal demi-glace)
3 Cups Heavy Cream
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Add oil to a large saucepot over medium heat, and warm until hot.

Add onions and lightly caramelize. Next add mushroom scrap and sweat thoroughly by cooking over medium heat covered, about 5 minutes. The volume of mushrooms will reduce considerably. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes, and then add white wine.

Simmer to reduce wine by 75% and then add enough veal stock to cover mixture by about a 1/2″. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Add cream, and simmer another 5 minutes.

In a small batches blend soup with blender or hand blender until smooth. Strain through a medium strainer.

Truffle Foam

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Truffle oil
1/2 Cup Whipping cream
1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Directions:
For truffle foam, mix truffle oil and cold whipping cream. Mix until peaks are stiff. Season with salt. Place a dollop of cream on top of hot soup. Garnish with grated dried mushroom if desired.

Just when I was feeling optimistic that spring was near, old man winter cackled with glee and decided to make everything white again. Sigh. Soup seemed to be the best way to combat the cold while trying to hold on to my optimism. A beautiful Broccoli soup with Lemon Chive Cream caught my eye over at Orangette, and it appeared to be the perfect accompaniment for our dinner of Poached Salmon with Dijon Cream sauce. I was attracted to the soup not only because of Molly’s always interesting writing and photos, but also for its lack of heavy cream and gobs of yellow cheese. Now I’m not one to knock heavy cream or yellow cheese, don’t get me wrong, but you see there was this one time…

I was a college freshman, new to the world of campus dining and wet behind the ears when it came to identifying dishes that should never touch your tray. It was a cold, winter day, and cheddar broccoli soup sounded like an excellent idea for lunch. I dug my spoon into the Styrofoam bowl of soup and took a bite. The broccoli was far beyond overcooked, and the amount of cream and cheese clogged not only my arteries (I’m sure) but even had a hard time making it down my throat. After suffering through the bowl, I tossed the remains in the trash and made a mental note not to pick that one again. However the real trouble began about an hour later. I was sitting in the middle of my political science class, literally in the middle of the room- with about 30 people around me. The professor was explaining some subject like nuclear proliferation or the Bretton Woods agreement, when I felt my stomach starting to expand. Uh oh. The more I noticed it, the worse it got. Pretty soon I felt like balloons were being shoved into my rib cage from all angles.

This is the part where I should probably mention that I had tiny bit of a crush on the political science teacher. He was young, he was passionate about politics, and he was a dead ringer for Charlie Sheen. (Yes you can laugh all you want. Just try to watch Hot Shots! Part Duex and tell me he isn’t cute.) The last thing I wanted to do was have a gas attack in the middle of a crowded room in front of Charlie Sheen. By nothing short of a miracle I managed to make it until the end of the class before making a mad dash out of the room. However the potential for an embarrassing explosion of epic proportions was so mortifying that I have avoided cream of broccoli soup ever since.

Fortunately Molly’s soup does not have the same effects and instead provides a light and fresh taste of Spring in late Winter. The lemon chive cream topping is bright and delightful. It would make a terrific dip for vegetables on its own but we didn’t end up with any leftovers! So if like me, you suffer from a phobia of broccoli soups, this may be just what the doctor ordered to leave your fears behind and start living again!

Link: Broccoli Soup with Lemon Chive Cream