Bello Wild Mushroom Soup, Crisp St Ewe Hen’s Egg, Crostini

Paul Ainsworth's recipe for Bello Wild Mushroom Soup, Crisp St Ewe Hen’s Egg and Crostini is a cut above your standard bowl of soup but is easy to make! A true winter feast, it is packed with both earthy and fresh flavours and is elevated even further by the eggs and the mushroom crostini. Just gorgeous!

Ingredients

Soup
  • 750g flat cap mushrooms sliced
  • 3 large shallots sliced thin
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 5 thyme sprigs picked
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 250g butter
  • 570ml milk
  • 570ml chicken or vegetable stock
  • 50g crème fraiche
  • Salt for seasoning
Crispy hen's egg
  • 4 rich yolk St Ewe eggs
  • 100ml malt vinegar
  • 100g seasoned flour
  • 200g panko breadcrumbs
  • 4 egg whites lightly broken with a whisk
  • Iced water
  • Fine salt and sea salt flakes
Wild Mushroom Crostini
  • 2 slices wholemeal sourdough or any good toasting bread
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic finely grated
  • 1 shallot finely diced
  • 10g diced tarragon
  • 10g chopped flat leaf parsley
  • 400g cleaned mixed wild mushrooms
  • 30g unsalted butter
  • Salt and pepper for seasoning

Method

Soup

  1. Add the butter to a large saucepan on a medium heat then add the shallots, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf with a pinch of salt
  2. Place the lid on top and sweat the shallots for a few minutes to soften
  3. Once the shallots are soft with no colour add the mushrooms and mix well through the butter and shallot mix, return the lid and carry-on cooking for about 5 minutes
  4. Remove the lid and you will see moisture in the pan from the mushrooms, reduce this down until it has disappeared this will intensify the mushroom flavour
  5. Add the milk and stock and bring back to the boil and then simmer for a few more minutes
  6. Blitz the soup in batches and pass through a fine sieve to achieve a smooth consistency
  7. Finish the soup by checking the seasoning and whisking in the crème fraiche

 

Crispy Hen’s Egg

  1. Bring a large saucepan filled with water to the simmer then add the malt vinegar
  2. Crack each egg into a separate bowl
  3. Lower the temperature of the water to a simmer and lightly spin the water with a whisk or spoon and drop each egg into the centre of the pan and leave to cook for about 2-3 minutes
  4. When the poached eggs have formed but still soft, remove them from the water and place into the iced water
  5. Once the eggs have cooled remove and lightly trim the excess whites with scissors keeping the yolk part encased in the white of the egg then place onto a paper towel to dry
  6. Take the poached egg and roll in the seasoned flour, then into the egg whites followed by coating in the breadcrumbs
  7. In a deep fat fryer at 180c fry the eggs until golden brown then remove and finish with fine salt and a pinch off sea salt flakes

 

Wild Mushroom Crostini

  1. Drizzle olive oil on both side of your bread and lightly season with sea salt then place onto a hot chargrill to colour both sides, once toasted place into a pre heated oven 180c to finish toasting
  2. Heat a large frying pan until hot then add a drizzle of olive oil then add the butter, once the butter has turned a dark golden colour add the shallots followed by the mushrooms and leave for a minute, maintaining the heat in the pan
  3. Lightly toss the mushrooms and carry-on cooking for another minute, now add the garlic and season well with salt and pepper
  4. Be carful not to burn the garlic, finish the mushrooms with the chopped parsley, taragon and remove onto a tray lined with paper
  5. To assemble the dish, add a few wild mushrooms to the bowl and place the fried egg on top of the mushroom, now pour the soup into the bowl and finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Place the remaining mushroom on the toast and serve alongside the soup.

 

Ingredients

Soup
  • 750g flat cap mushrooms sliced
  • 3 large shallots sliced thin
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 5 thyme sprigs picked
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 250g butter
  • 570ml milk
  • 570ml chicken or vegetable stock
  • 50g crème fraiche
  • Salt for seasoning
Crispy hen's egg
  • 4 rich yolk St Ewe eggs
  • 100ml malt vinegar
  • 100g seasoned flour
  • 200g panko breadcrumbs
  • 4 egg whites lightly broken with a whisk
  • Iced water
  • Fine salt and sea salt flakes
Wild Mushroom Crostini
  • 2 slices wholemeal sourdough or any good toasting bread
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic finely grated
  • 1 shallot finely diced
  • 10g diced tarragon
  • 10g chopped flat leaf parsley
  • 400g cleaned mixed wild mushrooms
  • 30g unsalted butter
  • Salt and pepper for seasoning

Method

Soup

  1. Add the butter to a large saucepan on a medium heat then add the shallots, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf with a pinch of salt
  2. Place the lid on top and sweat the shallots for a few minutes to soften
  3. Once the shallots are soft with no colour add the mushrooms and mix well through the butter and shallot mix, return the lid and carry-on cooking for about 5 minutes
  4. Remove the lid and you will see moisture in the pan from the mushrooms, reduce this down until it has disappeared this will intensify the mushroom flavour
  5. Add the milk and stock and bring back to the boil and then simmer for a few more minutes
  6. Blitz the soup in batches and pass through a fine sieve to achieve a smooth consistency
  7. Finish the soup by checking the seasoning and whisking in the crème fraiche

 

Crispy Hen’s Egg

  1. Bring a large saucepan filled with water to the simmer then add the malt vinegar
  2. Crack each egg into a separate bowl
  3. Lower the temperature of the water to a simmer and lightly spin the water with a whisk or spoon and drop each egg into the centre of the pan and leave to cook for about 2-3 minutes
  4. When the poached eggs have formed but still soft, remove them from the water and place into the iced water
  5. Once the eggs have cooled remove and lightly trim the excess whites with scissors keeping the yolk part encased in the white of the egg then place onto a paper towel to dry
  6. Take the poached egg and roll in the seasoned flour, then into the egg whites followed by coating in the breadcrumbs
  7. In a deep fat fryer at 180c fry the eggs until golden brown then remove and finish with fine salt and a pinch off sea salt flakes

 

Wild Mushroom Crostini

  1. Drizzle olive oil on both side of your bread and lightly season with sea salt then place onto a hot chargrill to colour both sides, once toasted place into a pre heated oven 180c to finish toasting
  2. Heat a large frying pan until hot then add a drizzle of olive oil then add the butter, once the butter has turned a dark golden colour add the shallots followed by the mushrooms and leave for a minute, maintaining the heat in the pan
  3. Lightly toss the mushrooms and carry-on cooking for another minute, now add the garlic and season well with salt and pepper
  4. Be carful not to burn the garlic, finish the mushrooms with the chopped parsley, taragon and remove onto a tray lined with paper
  5. To assemble the dish, add a few wild mushrooms to the bowl and place the fried egg on top of the mushroom, now pour the soup into the bowl and finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Place the remaining mushroom on the toast and serve alongside the soup.