Some days you just know food will make you feel better. Such was the case when the Accidental Locavore decided to hit up the Apple Pie Bakery Café at the Culinary Institute the other day, intent on getting enough croissants to make it through the weekend. Now, as we all know, hunger and a crappy mood are the perfect combination to send you out of a place like that lighter of wallet and heavier of bags.
One of the bags contained the soup of the day — a cream of mushroom with a cremini mushroom and tarragon goat cheese garnish. Sounded like the perfect lunch for a winter afternoon and it was! A perfect puree, with a texture like the smoothest satin, it floated down my throat, leaving a wonderful woodiness in its wake. The goat cheese garnish melted into it, adding more creaminess and a nice slightly salty tang to cut the richness of the puree.
As most soups do, this came with bread, in the form of a nice crusty roll. Since I was still working on indulging myself through food, I warmed it up in the oven and “buttered” it with the last bit of a petit Délice de Bourgogne. Perfection! The roll was warm, tasty and had a perfect crust (usually lacking in the typical bread that comes with soup) and I enjoyed every bite with my favorite cheese. Did my mood improve? Yes, temporarily.
Now I’m on a mission to try to make a cream of mushroom soup as dreamy as the CIA’s. Who has a favorite recipe I should try? Otherwise I’ll just rabidly follow the Apple Pie Bakery Café’s Facebook page where they post the daily specials and run over there when I see mushroom soup on the menu again. Besides, they make much better rolls!
