It dawned on me that I hadn’t had mushroom soup in ages when I chanced upon this recipe from COOK’S ILLUSTRATED on my IG feed. It promised a rich, silky bisque via the use of a liaison (essentially egg yolk whisked into heavy cream whisked into the soup). VERDICT: I wouldn’t necessarily say the bisque was ultra-silky (creamy, yes) but it was chock full of mushroomy umami which really hit the spot.

This was divine, albeit a lotta work, and it completely transformed my impression of lobster bisque which I’d had maybe once or twice in my lifetime at a restaurant (or a cruise?) and for good reason because I’d always considered them overrated: nondescript yet overpriced. The lobsters were as fresh as they could get and I’d like to think that at least made a difference.