08 December 2011
Posted in Soups

Again, I was able to pick up a selection of perfectly healthy looking portabello mushrooms at our local Gutenburg Market.  Saturday the mushroom seller from Schloßbergpilz had arrived from a significant distance...140km to be exact from the city of Freiburg. All I can say is that us Karlsruher must be well worth their journey, and as a customer I definately wont complain. With  our current week of wet and windy weather, the mushrooms were put into perfect use for a creamy cheese (Philadelphia to be precise) and mushroom soup that  seemed fitting for our outdoor filler. We packed the picnic set with the vacuum flask of hot soup, accompanied with a treat of an apple and cream cheese tart (see picture in the gallery). With our wet weather gear we were off for a stroll in the Black Forest.   Well for the most part, rain doesn't neccessarily stop play!      

For location pictures in the Black Forest with Ann-Kathrin and Tobias please scroll below...

Mushroom and cream cheese soup (serves 6)

 

500g Portobello mushrooms
6 Slices breakfast Bacon, cut into strips
2 Brown onions, finely chopped
1 Garlic clove, chopped finely
150g Philadelphia cheese
250ml Cream
1 Liter Chicken stock
50g Butter
Salt and Pepper
Oil for frying
Paprika for garnish

 

1. Clean the mushrooms and quarter and set aside a few thin slices for garnishing the soup. Finely dice up the garlic and onion.
2. Heat the butter in a large pan and sauté the mushrooms until golden adding salt and pepper. Add the onion, bacon strips and garlic and cook for a further 3 minutes.
3. Add the stock and cook for a further 15 minutes. Add the Philadelphia and the cream together and bring to the boil, remove from the heat and blitz through a blender until the texture is fine, then add salt and pepper to taste. Gently fry the mushroom pieces in a small pan.
4. Divide the soup into six bowls and top with the mushroom slices.

 

Apple and Fresh cream cheese tarts (makes 8 large ones)

 
2 Sheets puff pastry, store bought
500g, Light curd (magerquark)
200g, Fresh cream cheese
3 Eggs
150g Fine sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
1 Packet Cheesecake aid
2 Large Apples

 

1. Roll out the pastry and evenly cut into six pieces with the baking paper intact. Place the baking paper side first into 12 tart forms, pressing gently and rolling the edges into the forms. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Place the fresh cheese, eggs, sugar, vanilla sugar, cream and the cheesecake aid into a large bowl. With a hand mixer, mix the ingredients together for two minutes. Pour the cream mixture evenly into the forms and smooth out evenly.
3. Rinse, core and peel the apples and cut into six pieces width wide. Place one apple slice on top of each tart form and sprinkle with a little sugar. Bake for about 25 minutes until the filling is set. Leave to cool down before removing from the forms.

See the tart picture in the picture gallery.