International Culinary Institute of Myrtle Beach
Horry Georgetown Technical College
2050 U.S. 501, Conway
Chef Joseph Bonaparte
Here your eyes will fool your tastebuds as you think you’re about to sip a hot cappuccino with sweet biscotti on the side. In reality, this Chef Bonaparte-created soup and side is a combination of savory mushroom soup with a salty, cheesy Walnut Parmesan “biscotti,” instead of crackers, served on the side.
“This is a rich mushroom soup that uses dried mushrooms to fortify the mushroom flavor,” said Chef Bonaparte. “It uses rice as a thickener so it has a nice consistency without being fatty or heavy, and it’s topped with a foamed skim milk and dried mushroom powder so it looks like a cup of cappuccino. The frothed skim milk helps to keep it on the lighter side and not too heavy and creamy. The garnish is tasty and fun as it looks like typical almond biscotti, but has a nice savory flavor and crunchy texture to go with the soup.”
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 ounces portabella mushrooms, sliced, gills scraped off and reserved
4 ounces white mushrooms, quartered
2 shallots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons porcini powder (dried porcinis, if available)
1 tablespoon raw rice
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, simmered with the portabella gills, and all clean stems, strained
1/4 cup brown veal stock
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons brandy
2 teaspoons butter
1 cup skim milk
1/2 teaspoon porcini powder (ground dried porcini)
Walnut Biscotti (recipe follows)
Directions:
Heat olive oil in a small saucepan until smoking. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they begin to release their water, then add shallots, garlic and porcini powder and sauté until the shallots are translucent. Add rice, stocks and seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook gently for 18 minutes until the rice is tender. Add thyme and transfer the mixture to a blender jar and blend until smooth. Strain through a chinois into another saucepan set over medium high heat. Add cream, brandy and butter and correct seasoning.
To serve, heat skim milk to boiling and pour into a clean French press coffee pot. Insert plunger and pump firmly and repeatedly until the milk triples in volume and becomes quite thick. Or use a small burr mixer to foam. Ladle the soup into cappuccino cups, top with some of the frothed milk and sprinkle with porcini powder. Set cup on a saucer and garnish with walnut biscotti.
