Paris Mushroom Soup for French Fridays with Dorie

Even though I don't believe in making resolutions, I did make a New Year's decision to join in on the fun over at French Fridays with Dorie, inspired in part (and I believe unbeknownst to her!) by the indefatigable Mardi of Eat Live Travel Write. Each Friday, members of the group post a predetermined dish from the fan-tabulous Dorie Greenspan book Around My French Table.  I know, I know - as if I don't have enough to do ... but something about the discipline of the project (not to mention the recipes) really appeals to me. It's so easy to get caught up always trying to create that "new now next" recipe, that cooking from an actual book - not a blog, not a Web site - feels quite comforting and almost old fashioned. Of course, we'll see how well I keep this up once culinary school starts back up, but my intentions are good!

To be honest, at first I wasn't super thrilled about this recipe. For some obstinate reason or other,  I always think I don't like mushrooms, but then as soon as I eat them in, say, a yummy soup or salad or sauce I change my mind. Well, I'm pretty sure that the Paris mushroom soup (pages 72-73 in the book)  has cured me of my phobia once and for all.

It also reminds me how simplicity in a dish is so often the very best way to go. Butter, onions, herbs, dry white wine - why clutter it up? My favorite part of the soup is the way it's served over a "salad" of raw mushrooms, scallions, and herbs, as it is at the Paris bistro Les Papilles:

The crunchy raw vegetables give the soup great texture - I didn't even feel the need for crusty bread, though I certainly wouldn't have turned it down.

If you want to cook along, you can join here - you don't have to participate every Friday, but you will need to buy the book, as the group doesn't publish the recipes online.  If all the dishes are as good as this one, I'm in for a pretty tasty year.