A Recipe with a Story

Last night, I made a golden mushroom bisque for dinner. As I was cooking, I started thinking about the story behind the recipe and realized that it was something to blog about. ("Let's give 'em somethin to blog about," now there's a new song!) Anyway, not only is the bisque very tasty but how I acquired the recipe is really quite interesting. If you love mushrooms, you'll love this hearty bisque. So, on to the story....when Colin and I were dating, we went to eat with his family one summer at a place in Brookhaven called Gnome DeLights at the home of Bob and Tollie Jones. Being that it was at someone's home, obviously it was an off-the-beaten path-type place and not your typical restaurant. The Jones' family loved to cook and entertain, so they opened a business where they could serve a four-course meal on the weekends to the first 20 people who called for reservations. When we called the first time to make reservations for a Saturday night, we were given the menu and were told to arrive at 6:30 and that dinner would be served promptly at 7. We arrived at 6:30 and were served peach tea out on the front porch and were given a brief tour of the grounds. At 7 p.m., the dinner bell rang and we were escorted into their home where we had a delicious meal complete with homemade pecan cheesecake. However, the piece de la resistance was the mushroom bisque that was served as the second course. It was divine and everyone in the family loved it, especially Colin's grandmother and me. We went back to Gnome DeLights a few months later and requested the bisque, and once again it was wonderful. Gnome DeLights closed a year or so later and since then I have tried every recipe on the Internet trying to duplicate that bisque, but none tasted as good. After Colin's grandmother was diagnosed with cancer last year, I got a wild hair and sent Bob and Tollie Jones a letter asking for the recipe. I explained in my letter that Granny had cancer and wasn't feeling too well and that I would like to make some bisque for her. I had no idea if Bob and Tollie were even at the same address, so imagine my surprise when I got a letter back in the mail two weeks later from Mrs. Tollie. She thanked me for writing her and said that her husband had died a few years ago of lung cancer (the same kind of cancer Granny has) and that she had also lost a son to cancer soon after. Since both Bob and her two sons helped her do the cooking for the restaurant, they had to close soon after Bob got sick. She also told me that it warmed her heart to get such a nice letter and that she was happy to share her son's bisque recipe with me and hoped that we would enjoy it. I was so tickled when I saw the recipe and couldn't wait to make it. Although I am sure Bob and Tollie made it much better, it was just as good as I remember and I certainly won't ever forget where the recipe came from. Here it is if you want to give it a shot as well:

Gnome DeLights Mushroom Bisque
1/2 cup butter
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1/3 cup onions, finely chopped
1 tsp. fresh garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans chicken broth
1 cup (two medium) carrots, shredded
2 cups half-and-half
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce
chopped fresh parsley

In a 4-quart saucepan, melt butter. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms and onions are tender (4-5 minutes). Stir in flour and pepper until smooth and bubbly (1 minute). Add chicken broth and carrots. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until carrots are crisply tender (8-10 minutes). Add half-and-half and hot pepper sauce; continue cooking, stirring occasionally until heated through (7-9 minutes). Sprinkle with parsley. Total prep and cooking time: 45 minutes.