The temperatures are starting to cool down now here in Eastern Canada. We have had frost a few mornings and a few dampish days.
Damp cool days are soup days! For me soup is the ultimate comfort food and when it is a soup like creamy Hungarian Mushroom Soup, so much the better!
As a young Bride one of the first places I lived was in Calgary Alberta. While there I had a lovely Hungarian friend named Esther. She was such a sweet girl. We spent a lot of time together.
Esther had had polio when she was a child and so needed the aid of crutches to walk. She was so inspiring to me because there was nothing Esther could not do, and no mountain she would not/could not climb.
It was Esther who taught me how to make beautiful delicate cheese and potato pierogi from scratch. I can't believe that I have never shared her recipe for pierogi on here.
I must rectify that soon. There is nothing so delicious as a pan of butter fried cheese pierogi with fried onions and sour cream on the side. Heavenly bliss.
Esther also taught me how to make this beautiful creamy Hungarian mushroom soup. It is rich and delicious and filled with gorgeous flavors.
Sweet onion, meaty mushrooms, lemon, dill, sour cream and a good stock all work together to create something with is sublime and quite simply delicious. There is no other word to describe it.
Not is it incredibly tasty, but it is also really quick and easy to make. I have taken the liberty to downsize the original recipe today to feed only two to three people, but everything can quite easily be doubled or even tripled to serve more.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE HUNGARIAN MUSHROOM SOUP
The ingredients list is fairly simple here. It may look like a long list, but almost everything is a common kitchen ingredient.
- butter ( I just use plain salted butter)
- onions (one medium onion, peeled and finely chopped)
- button mushrooms (get the freshest you can find)
- chicken or vegetable stock (if you want a vegetarian version)
- dried dill weed
- full fat milk
- flour
- salt and pepper
- lemon juice
- sour cream (again full fat)
- parsley (I use dried, but if you have access to fresh by all means use it, just double the quantity)
- salt and black pepper to taste
- butter croutons to garnish (optional)
HOW TO CLEAN and PREPARE MUSHROOMS
Mushrooms are one of those things which have a fairly high water content. I do not recommend cleaning mushrooms in water or soaking them.
Mushrooms act like a sponge and soak up water in much the same way. Water logged mushrooms will not fry properly and will not develop a beautiful golden color.
Most mushrooms available to us in the shops these days are grown in controlled conditions in a pasteurized substrate. They are really clean to begin with and only require a quick wipe with a damp sponge or cloth.
Trim off the tips of the stem end, discarding or saving for future stocks (you can freeze them). Cut in three to four slices across depending on their size.
HOW TO MAKE HUNGARIAN MUSHROOM SOUP
This is a relatively quick and easy soup to make. There no requirement for any type of specialist equipment as the mushrooms are kept sliced and intact. This makes for a somewhat hearty soup!
Melt the butter in your saucepan. You will only need a medium sized one for this recipe. Add the onions and sauté them in the butter for about five minutes without coloring them.
If you are going to have the optional mushroom garnish, reserve about 1/2 cup of them and then add the remainder to the saucepan with the onions. Cook them for a further 5 minutes, giving them only an occasional stir until they are nicely softened.
Don't worry about browning these ones too much. You really don't want the onions to color.
While you are cooking the onions and mushrooms for the soup you can make the mushroom garnish by cooking the reserved mushrooms in a small quantity of butter in a heavy based skillet over medium high heat.
These are the mushrooms you want to brown. Do not agitate or stir them. Leave them as undisturbed as you can to achieve the optimum golden brown color which is what you want. Set these aside and keep warm.
Once your mushrooms and onions in the saucepan have softened you can add the stock, paprika, dill, parsley, some seasoning and the soy sauce. I use Kikkoman fermented soy sauce, which has a lovely flavor.
Cover your saucepan and simmer for about fifteen minutes. At the end of that time, which together your milk and flour until smooth and stir this into the saucepan, making sure it is well amalgamated.
Make sure you have no lumps in the mixture. If you are worried about that, push it through a small sieve into the soup.
Cover and simmer for a further fifteen minutes.
At the end of that time, stir in the sour cream and lemon juice. Heat through for about five minutes or so. Don't allow it to boil or it may curdle.
Your soup is now done. Ladle it into heated bowls and top each serving with some of the sautéed mushrooms, some butter croutons and a sprinkle of parsley.
HOW TO MAKE BUTTER CROUTONS
If you are wanting to garnish your soup with croutons there is no need to buy ready made unless you want to. Homemade croutons are much tastier and very easy to make.
First of all use a rustic type of bread. Sour dough is really nice, but any bread will do. Remove the crusts and butter the bread slices lightly on both sides. Cut into small cubes.
If you want to add any seasonings, now is the time to do it. Salt, pepper, garlic or onion powder, herbs, etc. Pick what you like.
Toast the croutons in a hot oven (425*F/225*C) for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. Alternately you can toast them in a toaster oven or air fryer.
I like to make a whole bunch of these when I have stale bread or even croissants to use up. You can keep the finished croutons in a tightly closed container in the freezer for up to six months. They come in very handy for things like soups, salads, etc.
Toast the croutons in a hot oven (425*F/225*C) for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. Alternately you can toast them in a toaster oven or air fryer.
I like to make a whole bunch of these easy butter croutons when I have stale bread or even croissants to use up. You can keep the finished croutons in a tightly closed container in the freezer for up to six months. They come in very handy for things like soups, salads, etc.
And there you have it, Creamy Hungarian Mushroom Soup. Quick, easy and delicious! Note, because of the sour cream, this soup does NOT freeze well. The sour cream will split.
You can reheat any leftovers gently in the top of a double boiler. The important thing is not to let it boil.
This makes a beautiful hearty luncheon soup, especially with some crusty rolls served along side of it. Very tasty!!
Hungarian Mushroom Soup
Yield: 2 - 3
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 37 MinTotal time: 57 Min
Ingredients
- 2 TBS butter
- 2 medium onion, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 pound (8 ounces/230g/3 cups) button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 1 cup (240ml) chicken stock
- 1/2 TBS Hungarian sweet paprika
- 1/2 TBS soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp dried dillweed
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
- 1 1/2 TBS flour
- 1/4 cup (30g) full fat sour cream
- 1 TBS dried parsley, plus more to garnish
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- salt and black pepper to taste
- butter croutons ( optional)
Instructions
- Remove 1/2 cup of the mushrooms and set aside. (These will be the garnish.)
- Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over moderate heat. Add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes, without coloring. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes longer.
- In the meantime heat a small amount of butter in a small skillet. Add the reserved mushrooms and fry over medium high heat, without disturbing for about 5 minute, then give them a good stir and set aside. Keep warm.
- Add the chicken stock, paprika, soy sauce, dried dill and parsley to the saucepan. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- Whisk together the milk and the flour. Whisk this into the saucepan of soup. Cover and cook for a further 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Whisk in the sour cream and lemon juice. Heat through for 3 to 5 minutes. Do not boil or the soup may curdle. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Serve in heated bowls with some of the sautéed mushrooms on top as well as a few buttered croutons and a sprinkle of parsley.
Prepare yourself to fall in love. This recipe I am about to share with you is destined to become a firm favorite in your kitchens and with your family.
I like to call them One, Two, Three, Buttermilk biscuits because they go together one, two, three, lickety split, and they require only three ingredients.
Yes, I said that right. ONLY THREE INGREDIENTS. Three ingredient biscuits.
When I got home from church today I was starving. Usually I have something ready that is quick and easy for me to eat.
I didn't today, so I decided to make these biscuits. I couldn't believe that I hadn't shared the recipe on here yet and so here I am sharing one of the best biscuit recipes ever for buttermilk biscuits with you!
Quick and easy, these homemade buttermilk biscuits go together in a flash, and pay attention if you are in the UK, I am not talking about cookies here.
These are a North American quick bread, which is meant to be eaten with sweet or savory things, and usually they are served warm.
They are delicious split, spread with cold butter and served warm with soups and stews. Or with jams and other spreads. With chunks of cold meat and cheese.
They are just plain delicious no matter what. And what's really special about this version is that they are so very quick and easy to make.
If these were any quicker to make they would be instant biscuits. Truly, however, they are not a lot of work, and with a bit of planning ahead of time you really can have them done in quicker than a jiffy.
1. have the flour all measured out in a bowl and ready to go.
2. have the butter, diced and waiting, chilling in the refrigerator, ready to go.
3. have the buttermilk, measured and waiting, chilling in the refrigerator, all ready to go.
That would make them pretty darn near instant, but failing that . . . this is all you need to know.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE ONE, TWO, THREE BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
Simple ingredients, put together in a genius way.
- self raising flour (you can easily make your own, just add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp of salt for every cup of plain flour used. I make mine up five cups at a time.)
- cold butter
- cold buttermilk
Three ingredients, no more, no less.
HOW TO MAKE ONE, TWO, THREE, BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
Nothing could be easier, especially if you follow all my hints and tips along the way. You will be using cold butter and cold buttermilk, so you won't have to wait for anything to come to room temperature.
Using cold ingredients such as these in a biscuit recipe causes the biscuits to rise higher once they hit the hot oven. I am not sure of the chemistry behind it, but I can promise you it works a charm.
Start your oven to preheating before you even start putting the biscuits together. That way as soon as your biscuits are on the pan, you can bang them right into the oven.
Its a very high temperature. 450*F or 230*C.
Measure your flour into the bowl and drop in your bits of cold butter. You will need to quickly cut the butter into the flour. You can either do this with a pastry blender or two round bladed knives.
My grandmother never had anything as fancy as a pastry blender. She just used knives and they worked perfectly. You want to cut the cold butter in until resembles coarse meal, with some bits being larger than others.
Work quickly so that the butter doesn't melt into the flour.
Once you have done that, its as simple as stirring in the buttermilk and forming a dough.
I use a fork to stir in the buttermilk, which again should be very cold. I add half of it all at once, give it a stir and then add the rest in areas which need it, until its all been mixed in. It should be forming a dough by then.
Tip it out onto a lightly floured board and knead it gently once or twice to really bring things together and then pat it out into a 4-inch by 8-inch rectangle that is roughly 1 1/2 inch thick.
Don't overwork the dough. Overworking the dough is the number one cause of tough biscuits.
There is positively NO waste with these biscuits. You just shape them into the rectangle and then, using a very sharp knife and a straight up and down cutting motion (not sawing), cut the rectangle into 8 pieces.
One cut the long way and four cuts the short way gives you 8 perfect size biscuits. In other words, cut it into quarters and then cut each quarter in half again. (Does that make sense?)
Cutting them this way means that there is no waste at all. You use all of the dough and there is no need to recut and have tougher misshaped biscuits.
Just be sure to cut and not to tug. DON'T use a serrated knife. One sharp straight blade. If you stretch and tug on the dough when you are cutting it, you will get lopsided biscuits. Just a warning.
Transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet. Closer together if you want soft sided biscuits, further apart if you want crisp edges.
Here is my secret ingredient for those crisp and buttery tops. Add a paper thin sliver of butter to the top of each biscuit. Easy peasy if your butter is cold and your knife sharp.
That's it. Pop them into that hot, hot oven and bake. Ten minutes later you will be rewarded with 8 beautiful crisp edged, flaky, light and delicious buttermilk biscuits.
I was really naughty today and enjoyed a couple of them warm from the oven with lots of cheeky cold butter and some of my sister's strawberry jam on top. Oh my but they tasted some good.
One, Two, Three, Buttermilk Biscuits. Light, fluffy and crazy good in no time at all. How will you enjoy yours?
One Two Three Buttermilk Biscuits
Yield: 8 Biscuits
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 15 Min
I like to call these one, two, three buttermilk biscuits because there are only three ingredients needed and they go together lickety split. You can mix these up, bake and be enjoying these in less than fifteen minutes! Nothing could be easier.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280g) self rising flour
- 1/4 cup (60g) cold butter, (cut into bits) plus a bit extra
- 3/4 cup (180ml) cold buttermilk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450*F/ 230*C. Have ready a small baking tray.
- Measure the flour into a bowl. Drop the cold butter bits into the flour and cut in using two round bladed knives or a pastry blender. You want a mixture that resembles coarse meal with some large bits as well as small bits.
- Stir in the buttermilk with a fork to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead gently a couple of turns. Pat out into a rectangle roughly 4 inches by 8 inches in size, and 1 1/2 inches thick.
- Using a sharp knife cut into 8 portions. I do one down the long ways, and four across the short ways. Try not to tug the dough.
- Place, spaced apart, onto the baking sheet. Top each with a thin sliver of cold butter.
- Bake for 10 minutes until golden brown and risen. Serve warm or cold. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
Homemade Apple Cider Donuts. These are a favorite treat this time of year when the outdoor colors are changing and the air is filled with the scent of wood-smoke, drying leaves and fresh apples.
Moist and spicy and coated in cinnamon sugar, they go down wonderfully served up on a damp overcast day with a hot drink.
Baked and not fried, I adapted my recipe from one which I found on NY Times cooking site by Erin McDowell. You can find the full sized recipe here.
I didn't want or need a dozen donuts however, so I cut the recipe in half to make just six, deliciously dense, cake-like, cinnamon sugar, cider spiked donuts!
In the UK, all apple cider was hard cider, meaning alcoholic. Here in the beautiful Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, cider this time of year is sweet cider, of the non alcoholic variety.
Made from freshly pressed apples there is no alcohol present in this cider. The alcohol develops a bit later on as the cider ferments. Eventually it will turn to vinegar, but that's a whole different story.
My first husband came from a farming family here in the valley. They had a few orchards scattered here and there. The best pickings are used for selling to eat out of hand.
The drops are pressed and used to make apple cider, apple sauce and the like. I picked drops one year and it is back breaking labor.
Drops are the apples which fall off the trees. Found on the ground, there is a lot of picking involved to fill one of those big wooden bins, which seem to loom larger and larger as the day progresses.
Normally, or at least back in those days, you were payed by the bin, not by the hour. If you were a good and quick picker you could make a decent wage.
But, I kid you not, it was hard work. Farm work always is.
I like to get a jug of fresh cider early in the season when the apples are sweet and the cider sweet as well. In the UK you can use pressed apple juice (the good stuff you find in the chiller section of the shops.)
You can cook the cider down to make a more concentrated flavor for baking, but I am always happy with it just as it is.
If you want to reduce it, begin with approximately 1 1/2 cups (360ml) of the sweet cider and cook it over moderate heat, until it has reduced to approximately 1/2 cup (120ml).
This will take about 20 minutes. You won't need all of it for this recipe, but you can keep it in the fridge to use another time.
Fresh cider is an unpasteurized form of apple juice. It is raw and has not been processed. No filters have been used to remove particles of pulp.
Slightly opaque, it is highly perishable because of this, but it is also very delicious.
It is perfect for drinking fresh out of the refrigerator (it must be kept refrigerated) and it is lovely served warm and mulled with spices as a hot drink.
It is beautiful in baked goods as well. Delicious things such as cakes, muffins and these baked Apple Cider Donuts I am sharing today.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE BAKED APPLE CIDER DONUTS
Other than apple cider there is nothing very much out of the ordinary here.
- apple cider (in the UK use pressed apple juice, not alcoholic sparkling cider)
- all purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- light brown sugar
- vanilla
- salt, cinnamon, nutmeg
- eggs
- butter
HOW TO MAKE BAKED APPLE CIDER DONUTS
One of the things I love most about these donuts is that they are not fried. This means I don't have to feel overly guilty in indulging.
I hate the fuss and muss of deep frying. It makes your house smell. I don't like it when my house smells like a fat fryer.
When I was a very young bride we lived over top of a cafe and bush stop. Our apartment always smelled like deep fried foods. That gets old really quickly.
To start off with, I like to have my butter and egg at room temperature for these donuts. Some of the butter will be creamed to make the batter and some of the butter will be melted to finish them off.
You will need a donut pan to bake these in. I use a six hole Wilton one which I bought on Amazon. It makes medium sized donuts, not small ones.
The butter for the batter needs to be creamed together with both white and brown sugars until light and fluffy. I use my electric hand mixer for this.
Once it is light and fluffy, I beat in the egg and the vanilla. Again with the electric mixer.
I always like to sift my flour, spices and leavenings together.
Baking powder and soda are known as leavenings. Leavenings are ingredients which are used in baked goods to give them lift and make them rise.
By sifting the dry ingredients together you ensure that the leavening and spices are evenly mixed throughout the flour.
I use a large sieve for this. In the old days they would have used a flour sifter, which was a jug shaped thing with several layers of wire mesh in the bottom. Both do the same thing, with the same results.
The dry ingredients get beaten into the creamed mixture until thoroughly combined. You then beat the apple cider in slowly so that it also gets combined and the cake mixture doesn't curdle.
Once you have a smooth homogenous batter, I pop it into a zip lock baggie. This makes it easy to pip the dough into the buttered/sprayed donut pan.
Just clip off a corner with some kitchen scissors (1/2-inch opening) and start piping. Try to get them as even as you can so that your donuts are all the same size.
These only need to bake in the oven for about 12 to 15 minutes to perfection. You will know they are done when they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the thickest portion comes out clean.
Once baked you leave them to cool in the pan for about five minutes before tipping them out onto a wire rack.
Once you can handle them it is an easy job to brush the rounded tops and sides with melted butter and then to dredge the still warm and butter covered donuts in cinnamon sugar to coat.
I used a bit more cinnamon in the dough than the original recipe. These smell and taste AMAZING!!
I enjoyed one of these warm for my lunch with a cup of hot spiced apple drink/tea. Oh my but it was some good.
I could have easily eaten another one, but I need to exercise some self control. These are the perfect autumn treat!
Quick and easy to make. Cakey, moist and dense textured, with a lovely cinnamon sugar crunch. These baked apple cider donuts are quite simply fabulous!
I am now wishing I had baked the full recipe and made an even dozen. In retrospect, however, its probably a good thing for my waistline that I did not.
Baked Apple Cider Donuts
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min
These delicious baked doughnuts are a real autumnal treat. You do need a doughnut baking pan to make them the right shape. Alternately you can bake in a medium muffin tin. Delicious any shape you decide to bake them!
Ingredients
For the donuts:
- 3/4 cup plus 2 TBS (115g) all purpose plain flour
- 1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 5 TBS butter, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup (80g) soft light brown sugar, packed
- 2 TBS granulated sugar
- 1 large free range egg, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 fluid ounces (60ml) apple cider
To finish:
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Lightly spray a 6 cavity non-stick doughnut baking pan with cooking spray. Alternately spray a 6-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a bowl. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and then the vanilla, scraping the bowl as necessary.
- Stir in the flour mixture, making sure it is thoroughly combined. Drizzle in the apple cider beating it in thoroughly as you go. The batter should be smooth.
- Spoon or pipe the batter into the prepared tin. For doughnuts bake 12 to 15 minutes. For muffins 15 to 20 minutes.
- Leave to cool in the pan for a few minutes before tipping out.
- Melt the butter in a bowl. Whisk the cinnamon and sugar for the topping together in another bowl. Brush the surface of each doughnut with some of the melted butter and then dredge/roll in the cinnamon sugar.
- For muffins, dip the tops in the melted butter and then in the cinnamon sugar.
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