Wild Mushroom Soup with Garlic Bread

Ingredients

For the garlic bread

• 1 garlic bulb
• 500 ml (2 cups) double cream
• Handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large ciabatta, cut lengthways into 4

For the soup

• 50 ml (3 1/2 tbsp) rapeseed oil
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 625 g (1 lb 6 oz) wild mushrooms, such as chanterelle, ceps, trompette, girolle or oyster
• 1/2 lemon, juice only
• 400 ml (14 fl oz / 1 2/3 cups) chicken stock
• 125 ml (4 fl oz / 1/2 cup) double cream
• 50 g (1 3/4 oz) butter, diced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 bunch fresh chervil, chopped, to garnish

Method

1. For the garlic bread, preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F / 150°C Fan / Gas 3 1/2). Wrap the garlic bulb in aluminium foil and place on a roasting tray. Roast for 40-45 minutes, or until soft. Leave to cool.
2. Cut the top off the garlic bulb and squeeze out all the soft cloves, then finely chop.
3. Pour the cream into the bowl of a freestanding mixer and beat for 3-5 minutes, or until the mixture turns to solid fatty lumps with a liquid base. Line a colander with a clean muslin cloth and place it over a bowl. Tip the mixture into the colander and wrap the muslin tightly around the cream. Squeeze out all the liquid so that you have a solid mass of butter in the muslin, then discard the liquid.
4. Tip the butter into a bowl, add the chopped garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Stir in the parsley and mix once more. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
5. Meanwhile, for the soup, heat half the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until softened. Add 500g (1 lb 2 oz) of the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 3-4 minutes.
6. Stir in the lemon juice, then the stock. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
7. Pour the soup into a blender and blend to a smooth purée. Return it to the pan and stir in the cream. Gently warm over a low heat, then stir in the butter, adjust the seasoning, if needed, and keep warm on the hob.
8. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Gently fry the remaining mushrooms for 3 minutes, or until cooked, then season and set aside.
9. To serve, heat a large griddle pan and brush the bread with oil. Place on the griddle pan and cook each side for 1-2 minutes. Spread the bread with the garlic butter. Divide the cooked wild mushrooms between bowls, ladle over the soup and sprinkle with the chervil.

Tips

• To make this mushroom soup vegetarian, replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock.