Mushroom Brie Soup ~ The Modernized Dietrich
They say that Marlene Dietrich’s favorite meal was hot dogs and champagne.
Sister Madly saw this as a challenge.
It happened some years ago, when all that Sister Madly really knew about the elite was what classic Hollywood had glamorized. Apparently, this required pairing junk food with fancy spirits which, in Sister Madly’s mind, was limited to brandy, scotch, port and bourbon. What can you expect from a wide-eyed little ingénue who grew up in a place where the state flower is the highway cone?
Well, Madame Dietrich: challenge accepted.
Hot dogs and champagne, you say?
Well, Sister Madly can deal you one better:
Port.
And French Fries.
The Modernized Dietrich.
And the bartender didn’t even bat an eye.
While no one has ever paired Port with French Fries in the golden years of Hollywood, Sister Madly just assumed that was an oversight on their part. She may never achieve the status of Madame Dietrich, she may never attain her glory, but there’s no reason that Sister Madly couldn’t be a legend in her own little world.
Yes, Sister Madly: Sophisticate.
Of course, the real thing turned out to be nothing like she expected, much like that one summer on Mackinac Island, when she and Tallulah decided to try the god-awful tandem thing. Actually, the tandem thing was all right as long as only one person was riding it. With all the speed and enthusiasm of continental drift, Sister Madly looked over her shoulder to find an empty bike seat and no Tallulah.
That is also when Sister Madly discovered the incredible stopping power of a picket fence.
While Sister Madly can’t tell you what, exactly, her expectations were of the Modernized Dietrich, she was still surprised by the ostentatious presentation of the purple-filled thimble. In all the great fairy tales, these tiny goblets contain either a sleeping potion, the blood of a virgin, or some other poison evident to everyone but the ill-fated victim. But while the bartender was, indeed, a shifty sort of fellow, he lacked the imagination- certainly the humor- to carry out such a prank.
So tell us, Sister Madly- what were you expecting? Sure, you’ve had bigger shots of cough syrup, but this is the cultured life: the way of the sophisticate, flaunting feathered boas and paying a fortune for a single string bean and a chicken nibblet in all of your finer French restaurants. This is what they call class, and lord knows, you could use some.
Besides, any libation with that sinister character on the bottle can’t be all bad. Who wouldn’t want to run into a caped marauder some lonely night during a bout of selective nocturnalness? *
*On the street, that is; not in the apartment.
Then came another surprise: Port, it turns out, is a fortified wine, and Sister Madly did not drink wine in those days. Had she known this, she would have tried a bit of scotch, which might have paired better with the French Fries. She certainly wasn’t thinking that Port was a wine- nature does not embed that knowledge into the human DNA anymore than it dictates that all cats should respond to the Here Kitty, Kitty gesture.
Fortified wine- fortified with what? Doesn‘t fortify mean to make something stronger? Perhaps the wine had just completed an Olympic training course, or attended a week-long motivational seminar; perhaps it has been armed with battle axes and spiky helmets in anticipation of facing the ultimate foe that is Sister Madly.
But this one thing is for certain: Port is chock-full of anti-French Fry compatible enzymes and all things sticky-purple. In other words, Port and French Fries do not mix.
The Modernized Dietrich was a failure.
(No doubt, most of you knew this without having to sample the delicacy, with the wiser amongst you knowing that any such warning to Sister Madly would have been met with a squirt of mustard to the face. You see, sometimes things just aren’t true until you prove them to yourself.)
Port and French Fries, hereafter known as The Bastardized Dietrich.
Just face it, Sister Madly: this sophistication stuff is for the birds.
MUSHROOM BRIE SOUP
- 16 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 8 oz brie cheese, cubed, rind removed
- 1 lg onion, chopped
- 2/3 c dry white wine
- 4 c chicken/vegetable broth
- 1/2 c heavy cream
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp basil
- 1/4 tsp pepper, or to taste
- Butter/oil
Sauté mushrooms, garlic and shallot in butter/oil, until fragrant. Set aside.
In large saucepan, sauté onion in butter/oil until translucent- 5 minutes or so
Add wine and simmer about 5 minutes
Stir in broth, brie, and spices.
Stir in sautéed mushrooms.
Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes- do not boil.
POST’S THEME SONG: Lili Marlene, Marlene Dietrich
I always enjoy your writing. 🙂 Very glad that the recipe is something else–and I definitely want to give it a try. Mushroom soup is one of my favorites.
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November 13, 2014 at 7:07 AM
Mushroom soup is also one of my favorites.. actually, mushrooms in general. I add them to almost everything. 😀
And I appreciate your support- thank you!
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November 14, 2014 at 8:27 PM
Oh I’m am sooo going to make that soup tonight. Perfect weather for it as well ( -2C)
Plus I had a crush on Marlene Dietrich after I saw her in concert when I was 9. 🙂
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November 13, 2014 at 8:45 AM
Indeed, the perfect weather! We just had an ice/wind/more ice storm, and the power and internet finally came back on a little while ago.
I would have loved to seen Marlene in concert! You are so lucky! 🙂
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November 14, 2014 at 8:30 PM
Made the soup! Wonderful. Served just as some snow started to fall. My parents were German immigrants and big fans. So when she came on her farewell tour we had 6th row seats. I is still a magical memory. We had all her albums and can still hear her voice. 🙂
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November 15, 2014 at 4:59 AM
That is so awesome- and on her farewell tour, no less. There are very few artists I’d like to see in concert, but I would have loved to have seen her!
Glad you liked the soup- it’s good to know that it worked for someone else (i do wonder sometimes 😉 )
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November 15, 2014 at 12:14 PM
Why, you never try your own recipes! Hee Hee.
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November 15, 2014 at 12:32 PM
Sometimes I utilize the medieval practice of employing a taster, in case the meal is poisoned.
(Did I just say that aloud? Oops…)
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November 15, 2014 at 12:41 PM
I did that for a while. Then the divorce was finalized and I felt safe again. 😀
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November 15, 2014 at 12:59 PM
HA!!! 😀
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November 15, 2014 at 1:15 PM
I love what you say , sister madly …and will try the recipe , thankyou xx
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November 13, 2014 at 9:46 AM
Aw, thank you! It always good to hear from friends!
I hope you enjoy the soup, should you try it 🙂
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November 14, 2014 at 8:33 PM
EEEEEEEEEK, the issues, oh my god Sister Madly the issues!
HMMMMMMM, Looks really good and shall be enjoyed in the future but there is the outstanding matter of the tamales.
SHUDDDDER, Mom was named after Ms Dietrich so lets not go there. Lets not even say we did.
MMMMMMMM, Drambuie and Flummadiddle. Drambuie is also an excellent substitute for cough syrup and you won’t care what the Flummadiddle actually is. Drambuie also fits the fare bill as fortified.
SHUDDDDER la deuxième partie, Along with the ear worm I’ve had for over a week I now have that Mom thing so thanks a heap.
DAMMMMMM, I’m out, not even a wee Dram to MAKE IT ALL STOP.
SHUDDDDER la troisième partie, curled in to a small quivering mass of flesh wishing to be in Negril for tea time.
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November 13, 2014 at 11:18 AM
Better that your mother was named after Madame Dietrich than, say, yourself…
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November 14, 2014 at 8:48 PM
Well there is that “Amanda” thing but that is a whole other issue!
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November 15, 2014 at 4:46 AM
So your real name is Amanda…
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November 15, 2014 at 5:01 PM
Ahhhhhhhhhh yeah, sure … no it’s not … yes it is! … NO NO NO … well maybe, sometimes
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November 16, 2014 at 12:30 PM
Alrighty, Amanda. I’ll try to remember that in the future.
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November 16, 2014 at 2:46 PM
Shall we try a soup from the same mind which brought us french fries and port? Hmmm?
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November 13, 2014 at 2:27 PM
Would I ever steer you wrong?
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November 14, 2014 at 8:34 PM
Another typical Sister Madly post ~ everything from soup to nuts…
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November 13, 2014 at 6:04 PM
I just went back and re-read the post trying to figure out what reference had been made to nuts.
There isn’t any.
Well played.
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November 14, 2014 at 8:45 PM
: )
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November 15, 2014 at 4:31 AM
That “sinister character” bears a strong and suspicious resemblance to the Dodo….
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November 13, 2014 at 6:11 PM
Well, there goes any hope for sleep tonight…
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November 14, 2014 at 8:47 PM
So glad to assist with your selective nocturnality …
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November 15, 2014 at 4:33 AM
You are too kind.
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November 15, 2014 at 12:22 PM
Interesting spin on the junk food fancy spirit combo. And the recipe….can’t wait to try it. Looks amazing.
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November 13, 2014 at 6:17 PM
It was a very interesting combo. I have not had it since.
The soup, should you try it, is much more successful. 😀
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November 14, 2014 at 8:35 PM
This looks so delicious. Can’t wait to give it a try.
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November 14, 2014 at 9:47 AM
I hope you do! Perfect time of year for it 😀
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November 14, 2014 at 8:36 PM
This looks nothing short of a wonderment! 🙂
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November 18, 2014 at 11:54 PM
It was, indeed- especially in this weather!
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November 19, 2014 at 11:21 AM
Your recipe inspired me to create Mushroom and Smoked Gouda Soup – replacing the Brie with smoked Gouda, foregoing the onion and adding more shallots instead. It was to-die-for delicious.
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November 22, 2014 at 1:11 PM
Wow! I’m definitely going to try that sometime! Thanks for the heads up! 😀
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November 22, 2014 at 7:40 PM
Pingback: Mushroom and Smoked Gouda Soup | Rosemarie's Kitchen
your soup is looking nice 🙂
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November 27, 2014 at 12:00 PM
Thank you! Perfect time of year for it!
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November 27, 2014 at 1:50 PM
yep. Do you cook often?
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November 27, 2014 at 3:18 PM
Not as often as I’d like. But I try to experiment when I do- not always successful. C’est la vie…
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November 27, 2014 at 4:28 PM
Je comprend.
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November 27, 2014 at 4:30 PM
Brie IN mushroom soup? If this is a dream, don’t wake me up! Will have to try it! Best mushroom soup I’ve had is from Longwoods garden, right in the heart of the country’s mushroom capital, Kenneth Square, PA
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November 30, 2014 at 5:55 PM
Not a dream, I assure you!
Never knew there was a mushroom capital. It would be amazing to make a dish out of freshly picked ones. These, however, came from the market, which is probably best -indeed, safer- for everyone involved. 😉
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November 30, 2014 at 7:49 PM
Pingback: Smoked Gouda Mushroom Soup – Rosemarie's Kitchen
Reblogged this on FitandFunNow.com.
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May 28, 2018 at 10:31 AM
Thank you!! ;c)
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May 28, 2018 at 11:32 AM