Morels and Hazelnut Soup
Fresh morels should be soaked in cold salty water for two hours. I keep them in a refrigerator. At the end, mushrooms will be floating on top and all unwelcome little creatures from the woods will be collected on the bottom of the bowl. Squeeze excess water from morels using paper towels. Layers of soaked and squeezed morels can stay in a fridge under the wet napkin for 2-3 days, if not cooked the same day. We need a pound of morels for 2-3 portions of soup.
Morels - 1 lbs
Clarified butter - 5 oz
Celery root - 3 oz (wash, peel, and dice)
Leeks, white part - 1 each (chop and wash)
Water - 4 cups
Thyme - 2 stems
Oregano - 2 stems
Bay leaf - 1 each
Garlic - 3 cloves, brunoise
White dry wine - 3 oz
Whipping cream (33%) - ¾ cup
Hazelnuts - 1 cup
1. Roast hazelnuts for 15 min (350F). Wrap roasted nuts in kitchen towel and let them steam for another 15 min, then rub them inside the towel to remove their skins.
2. Heat clarified butter in a pan (medium heat) and fry hazelnuts till golden and aromatic. Remove hazelnuts on paper towel, keep the butter in pan. Reserve 1T of fried hazelnuts for garnishing each serving of soup. The rest of them will be pureed.
3. Reserve the best looking small morels, 2-3 per portion of soup, for garnish. Fry them in the same aromatic butter. Remove and place on paper towel to absorb extra fat.
4. Sautee leeks, garlic and celery root all in the same aromatic butter till soft and sweet.
5. Add wine and let it evaporate.
6. Reserve the tops of herbs for garnish. Add water to the pan with vegetables; season it with salt and black pepper, add thyme and oregano stems, bay leaf, fried hazelnuts, turn the heat to minimum, cover with a lid and let it simmer for 30 min.
7. Remove and discard herbs and bay leaf. Puree the rest.
8. Reheat puree and let it start simmering again. Add morels, cover with lid and let it simmer for another 20 min.
9. Temper cream with ½ cup of puree and add all of the the soup..
10. Serve garnished with fried hazelnuts, fried morels, fresh herbs and optionally edible flowers (in my case, chives and marjoram flowers).