Porcini Consommé

Porcini is famous for its complicated meaty fragrance and the smooth texture. Some people call it as 'the meat of mushrooms'. It is one of the most expensive mushrooms because of its superior taste. I cooked this porcini consommé with Italian porcini as the smell is stronger than the produce from Yunnan.

The ingredients are just simple:
1. Dried Italian porcini
2. White peppercorns from Thailand
3. Fleur de sel (sea salt)

Dried Italian porcini
White peppercorns from Thailand

Like all other mushrooms, the mud and sand must be carefully removed when you process the the porcini.
Soak the porcini in hot water, and use the remained liquid at a later stage. The white peppercorns are used to spice up the consommé slightly.

As the creamy texture of porcini makes the soup spills out very easily, it is suggested to look at the stockpot from time to time to see how things are going. And since consommé should look crystal clear and light in texture, the soup needs to be filtered (I did it twice).
Lastly, sprinkle fleur de sel, and add a couple of large porcini slices.

I think it's nice to have a porcini consommé in cold days - the consommé is strong but nice to smell, the texture is slightly thick and the peppercorns give you some hotness. It's easy to make some.