Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Yield: 2 quarts

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

We are nearing the end of winter and with a possible snow storm coming, Repair my Recipe received many emails asking about a hearty soup that differs from the traditional stew. Our cream of mushroom soup is heavy on flavor but light on the wallet. This soup is also perfect to bring out if you cook vegetarian because the chicken stock can easily be changed out for vegetable stock. This simple yet sophisticated soup will keep you warm and leave your dining room feeling more like a restaurant.

Ingredients

6 cups Crimini mushrooms

1 cup diced shallot

1 Tbsp chopped garlic

½ cup sherry

1 quart chicken stock

1 Tbsp thyme

2 cups heavy cream

1 package (1 oz) dried porcini mushrooms

1 Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp pepper

Procedure

  1. First prepare the mushrooms by de-stemming all of them, save the stems, and then dividing the mushrooms into two groups, one measuring 4 cups and the other 2 cups.

  2. Prepare all of the vegetables and aromatics by chopping the large group of mushrooms, shallots, and garlic. (don’t worry about the size of the cuts because it will be pureed later)

  3. In a large pot heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil and sauté the mushrooms, garlic, and shallots over medium heat. Cook for five minutes until the vegetables gain a little color and soften up.

  4. Deglaze the pot by pouring in the sherry and stir to make sure you release all the browned vegetable stuck to the bottom. Then add the chicken stock, salt and pepper, and chopped thyme leaves. Lower the heat and simmer  for half an hour.

  5. In a separate small sauce pot add the heavy cream, mushroom stems, dried porcinis, and leftover thyme stems.  Simmer this mixture over low heat for half an hour.

  6. Once the mushroom stems and dried mushrooms have steeped in the cream strain the cream into the stock. Combine the cream and stock mixture and then use either a counter blender or hand blender to puree the soup.  (If transferring the mixture to a counter top blender use a large ladle instead of trying to pour it from the pot.) Blend the soup until it has a very smooth consistency.

  7. Transfer the pureed soup back into the large pot and continue to simmer over low heat for ten minutes.

  8. While the soup is simmering slice the remaining group of mushrooms and sauté over high heat in a separate pan. (Make sure to season the mushrooms with salt and pepper.)

  9. Now add the sautéed mushrooms to the soup and serve

The soup can be served with fresh bread or crostini, and the earthiness works well with a blue cheese such as Gorgonzola.

Chef’s note:

This soup is best made with a higher quality mushroom but if you cannot find Crimini substitute them with a mixture of white button mushrooms and Portobello.


To have your recipe repaired visit our website www.repairmyrecipe.com . Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to receive updates on new recipes and chef tips.