Jack Burke

Module 2: Week of August 24-30, 2025

This week, we are learning about and cooking advanced soups (i.e. bisque) as well as vegetable puree. The primary ingredient for the week we are discussing is trumpet mushrooms.

I am eager to learn and discuss more unique methods to cook and prepare soup, as it is seemingly a traditional dish that warrants not a lot of creativity for the most part. I am also eager to use trumpet mushrooms, as they are an ingredient that I use sparingly but have enjoyed preparing before.

I have made numerous soups in the past, as well as vegetable purees, but I have sparingly used trumpet mushrooms as they can be hard to find.

Soups & Purees

Soups and Vegetable Purees are two simple and delicious dishes to prepare when wanting to use a surplus of vegetables, meats, stocks, and more. According to The Culinary Pro, soups can be divided into two units: “clear varieties based on broths and prepared stocks, or thick soups which are emulsified with starches and dairy products to give them more body,” (John Reiss 2025).

This week, we are preparing a thick soup, Butternut Squash Bisque. The process of the recipe is roasting the squash until cooked completely, and then pureeing it with a simmered onion-cream mixture.

Trumpet Mushrooms

Trumpet Mushrooms are known for their meat-like texture, as well as their nutty flavor (Mushroom Council 2025). These mushrooms can be prepared many different ways, particularly like a scallop since their texture is very similar to such. This can be done by slicing the stem of the mushroom into discs, similar to the shape of a scallop, and cooking just like you would a scallop (seared, grilled, etc.).

When choosing these mushrooms at the store, you should look for ones that are firm, dried on the exterior (but not dried out), and have a smooth appearance to them (Mushroom Council 2025).

This week, my group will try preparing the mushrooms like scallops, and serving them with an Onion & Parsnip Soubise and a Parsnip Crisp.

This Week’s Recipes

The recipes I will be providing this week are for the Onion & Parsnip Soubise as well as the Parsnip Crisp. Both recipes I will be taking pieces from two separate recipes from The New York Times Cooking. I appreciated both recipes, because each were simple enough to change around seasonings to prepare something slightly different.

For the recipes provided by Chef Traynor and Rivera, I am excited to take the Butternut Squash Bisque and have fun with the plating, such as a creme fraiche drizzle, toasted seeds, and possibly olive oil.

Works Cited

King Trumpet Mushrooms — Mushroom Council
Mushroom Council. (n.d.). King trumpet mushrooms | Mushroom varieties 101. Retrieved August 26, 2025, from Mushroom Council website: https://www.mushroomcouncil.com/mushroom-101/varieties/king-trumpet/

Soups — The Culinary Pro
The Culinary Pro. (n.d.). Soups. Retrieved August 26, 2025, from The Culinary Pro website: https://www.theculinarypro.com/soups