Mushroom soup used to be the bane of my existence.
First of all, mushrooms were number two on my list of most loathed foods (right under Brussels sprouts). Then came culinary school in 2006 where I was forced to make cream of mushroom soup in my basic skills class during the first semester. Of the numerous dishes we prepared in that class, the mushroom soup was by far my most dismal creation. To make matters even worse, we had to prepare it as part of a menu for our final practical examination to pass the class. Mine was a complete disaster: gray-colored, chunky and just plain horrible-looking (and tasting). I cried, literally, over that damn mushroom soup. Luckily, I was able to retake the exam, not screw up the soup as horribly, and pass the class.
Fast forward to last year. By this point, I had learned to accept mushrooms and had even become rather fond of them in certain dishes (but never raw). I visited Raglan Road in September of last year, the Irish restaurant and pub in Downtown Disney. Because of the high recommendation the waiter gave it, I went out on a limb and ordered the wild mushroom soup. This soup changed my life — well, it changed the way I felt about mushroom soup, at least.
This wasn’t anything like the soup we’d made in class. Served in a teacup, it was a pale brown with earthy nuances, creamy and had a slight sweetness to it. In short, it was amazing. It was definitely my “come to Jesus” moment with mushroom soup.
Ever since that ethereal experience, I have wanted to recreate that beautiful dish. Since it’s finally autumn (and actually feels like it here in Florida), I figured this would be the perfect time to roll out this comforting and satisfying soup. I’ve put my own touches on the original recipe by Chef Kevin Dundon of Raglan Road, because I always have to make everything my own way. Nonetheless, it still evokes the same taste memories of the soup I ate on that fateful September day.
