Cream of Mushroom Soup Epiphanies

I was too scared to do anything useful at the TCA open house and job fair. All i kept thinking was all of these people are students here or even graduates, I have absolutely no experience in a professional kitchen; I haven’t even started classes yet. I know I’m not an idiot and I’m a very fast learner and I’m knowledgeable about food and cooking, but I just felt like I couldn’t compete with any of the other people there.

I don’t do well in big competitive free-for-alls like job fairs unless I know I can at least compete with some of the people there. I just get scared and clam up and feel very very small and insignificant. Yes I have experience in the professional world of web development and internet marketing and that counts for something, but I had no idea what sort of experience any of the other people there might have. They might be just as professionally adept as I am plus they are already culinary students and many of them have probably worked in kitchens before.

The students also had the opportunity to sign up for interviews with the employers well in advance; that meant that they knew who was going to be there. This left me even more disadvantaged and unprepared. If TCA had listed the employers that were attending on their website I would have researched them all. I would have found out what type of cuisine they specialize in, the size of their establishment and their average cost per plate. It would have helped me to find a place that I felt comfortable talking to and working in. I wouldn’t have been able to impress someone who looked down at me for having no experience, so I would have focused on those who might be interested in helping me learn and who’s cuisine I already have experience cooking at home.

Going into a job fair completely blind and having no experience is not the right way to do this for me. I think I’m going to continue working at Star Nine part time until the end of the year like we had planned. I don’t think I really need two jobs; Brian is living here now and paying for half the bills, so it’s not like I’m at risk of being evicted or anything like that. I think this gives me a few months to feel it all out better. I’ll start school and then start looking around on my own for job in a kitchen or bakery. I know a one on one interview situation with a potential emplyer would be better for me even without any professional culinary experience. In an interview I would feel more confident and capable and be able to wow them.

So I did what I always do when I’m feeling kind of lame…I cooked, of course. I decided soup would be perfect for a rainy, lame kind of day. This is what I made

Cream of Mushroom Parmesan Soup

• 5 tbs butter
• 5 tbs AP flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1 clove garlic peeled and smashed
• 1 lb white or brown mushrooms caps sliced
• 1/2 medium white onion minced
• 1 cup beef or vegetable stock
• 1 tbs red wine or sherry
• 1 Cup grated parmesan plus a little more for garnish
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper (use white if you have it. I did not)
• 1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
• 2 green onions chopped – optional garnish

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium low heat. Saute mushrooms and white onion in butter until mushrooms are just soft. Add salt and pepper. Sprinkle flour over mushrooms and stir together, allow to cook until flour is a light sandy color, about 6 or 7 minutes

Meanwhile heat milk with smashed garlic clove over medium low heat until just before it starts to boil; don’t let it boil.

Add wine to mushroom roux, allow to reduce for just a minute then whisk in stock. whisk until it’s smooth, it will thicken at this time too. Once smooth ladle in hot milk whisking together between each ladle. Once all the milk is whisked in and it’s all combined grate the nutmeg over soup and stir in. Taste and adjust salt and pepper, check consistency – it should coat the back of a spoon. Allow to heat just to a bubble then immediately remove from the heat and serve. Sprinkle a little more parm over the top and green onion if desired.

*Last night I was reading “Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom” by Julia Child. She gave me the idea to add dried tarragon to this recipe. A 1/4 teaspoon should do; added in with the nutmeg. I think you’ll like this, give it a try and let me know!