I chose to blend the soup, but was not happy with the results. The color was unappealing. It tasted "OK", and lessons were learned, but I won't likely be making it that way again.

I'm roasting prime rib for the first time, but would like to also serve this soup as an appetizer. Is it ok to make this one day in advance? If so, what is the best method to reheat?

Arianna,

The short answer to you question is 'Yes, the mushroom soup keeps well in the fridge overnight'.

However...somehow the idea of a mushroom soup as an appetizer to a prime rib dinner just feels wrong to me. I know that with every spoonful of the soup, I'd be wishing I was enjoying those mushrooms on the prime rib instead!

I might suggest French Onion Soup (recipe at http://rouxbe.com/recipes/2370-french-onion-soup/text ) and a Caesar Salad. Instead of making soup with the mushrooms, saute them in butter and garlic, and serve as a side with the prime rib. Don't forget to have some Horseradish available as well.

The French Onion soup can also be made a day ahead of time, and then reheated, and grilled with the baguettes and cheese just before serving. The extra time in the fridge allows the flavours in the soup to blend marvelously. That is true with almost any soup.

Just my 2cents worth. :)

Fantastic!!!

Does deglazing with white wine cause a bitter flavour to be produced?

Deglazing with white wine shouldn't cause a bitter flavour. If anything gets burnt, you will get a bitter flavour upon deglazing. Lower your heat a little to prevent burning of the onions or mushrooms. Be sure to add the garlic just before deglazing, or the garlic will also become bitter.

This seems like a good place to say that my favourite side dish is button mushrooms, sauted in butter and a splash of white or red wine, (depending upon the meat being served) to deglaze the pan. So, your choice of white wine, red wine, sherry, or whatever.. is really up to your flavour preferences. I am a non-drinker, and don't even like the smell of wine, but the flavour it adds to gravies, sauces and soups is incredible. Most of my friends are also non-drinkers so I just call it my 'secret ingredient' and keep them guessing as to why my food tastes so good.

Yum!

One of the instructions in the recipe instructed us to "singer" ("Next, singer with the flour and stir to combine."). What is this? Was this described in another lesson, and I missed it, or is it a typo?

Thanks!

Singer means to sprinkle with flour. Here is a drill-down that called "What is Singer?" that goes into a bit more detail. Cheer!

Thanks, Dawn!

Sorry about that - I don't know why I couldn't find it on the site!

I have tried making cream of mushroom soup using a different recipe and it always somehow lacks that earthy mushroom flavour. Maybe I''ll have better luck with this one.
But there's a small question.
I have some very nice wild dried mushrooms. It's a local variety similar to porcini. Can I make this soup using those? How do I go about this?

Certainly you can use the dried wild mushrooms you have. As for how to use them, simply follow the recipe, but instead of using dried porcini mushrooms, re-hydrate your wild mushrooms instead. Depending on how many and which kinds of wild mushrooms you have, you may not need the Chanterelle mushrooms in the recipe. Cheers!