Wild Mushroom Chowder with Leeks & Spinach

Ingredients:

Buttermilk Infused Wild Mushroom Chowder with Leeks and Spinach

Here I wanted to do just a simple chowder with a bit of the tanginess that buttermilk has to offer. I wanted to also add some smokiness to the dish, which is where the gouda came in. Also the reason that there's bacon and pancetta included is that the bacon provided a bit more grease for the roux and is more for a background flavor (its cheaper and purees up better as well).

Garnish:

Ingredients:

1 Leek (very finely sliced)
2 cloves Garlic (sliced and roasted)
1 oz Pancetta (diced, crisped)
1 oz Spinach (julienned)
to taste Salt/Pepper
Olive Oil

Step 1:

Wash Leeks.

Saute all garnish ingredients in olive oil until thoroughly heated. Season.

Step 2:

The Chowder:

Ingredients:

2oz Wild Mushrooms (reconstituted and sliced)
2 cups Criminis (sliced)
1 Leek (whites, sliced)
3-4 cloves Garlic (diced)
6 strips Bacon (diced)
1/3 cup flour
5 oz Spinach (roughly chopped, blanched, and squeezed dry)
1/2 cup Cream
1 cup Buttermilk
3 cups Chicken Stock
4 sprigs Thyme
1 cup Sherry
5 oz Pancetta (diced, crisped)
1 lb Smoked Gouda (shredded)
to taste Pepper
Truffle Oil

Step 3:

Render off the bacon with the thyme – add the garlic, leeks, and criminis and saute until colored.

Step 4:

Has color:

Step 5:

Dust with flour.

Step 6:

Deglaze with the sherry. Add the stock and reduce.

Step 7:

Add the cream - reduce. Add the buttermilk and bring back up to a simmer.

Step 8:

Add shredded gouda cheese to the pot and Puree.

Step 9:

Strain. Return to heat.

Step 10:

Take your cooked pancetta...

Step 11:

And blanched spinach...

Step 12:

And cleaned wild mushrroms...

Step 13:

And add them to the pot and finish with a splash more of sherry.

Step 14:

Plate and mound the leek garnish in the center, drizzle with a few drops of truffle oil. (I also had a little bulls blood left lying around that I used to add a bit more color).