Cream of mushroom soup

Master mushroom cream soup making with this recipe. the cream soups in french cuisine are similar to veloute soup but use a light bechamel sauce as a base. Learning the fundamental technique of making cream soups will allow to experience with many other vegetables and make dozens of other cream soups.

Cream of mushroom soup

Ingredients/Shopping List (makes 3-4 servings) 

Page Break 

Directions 

Abbreviations – C – Cup, TB – Tablespoon, tsp – teaspoon, oz – ounce 

Prep Work (Before Starting to Cook) 

Hint – Cooking goes much smoother if you measure out and cut ingredients before starting to cook. 

• Mushroom – trim off hard base of stalk and finely chop. 
• Shallot – peel and finely chop. 
• Onion – cut peeled onion in half and stick cloves (4) into onion. 
• Parsley – finely chop. 

Making Cream of Mushroom Soup (French) 

See Prep Work (Before Starting to Cook) above for how to prepare ingredients. 

Sauteing Mushrooms for Soup 

1. Into a large, high-sided saucepan over Medium heat, add butter (4 TB). 

1. When butter melts, add finely chopped shallots (3 medium). Gently cook (sweat) shallots for 2-3 minutes while stirring. 

1. Cook shallots without developing any color/no browning. 

1. When shallots sweat, add chopped mushrooms (1 lb) and stir to combine. Heat mushrooms for 2-3 minutes.  

1. When moisture starts to release from mushrooms, season with sea salt (1 tsp) and fresh black pepper (½ tsp). Mix to combine. 

1. Continue cooking over Medium-Low heat and stirring until mushrooms release most of their moisture (about 10 minutes). 

1. Turn off heat when mushrooms just begin to dry and set aside. 

Making Béchamel Sauce 

Part 1 – Making Roux (Soup Base) 

1. Add butter (3 TB) to a small saucepan over Medium-Low heat. 

1. When butter melts, add all-purpose flour (3 TB) and mix to combine. 

1. Cook butter-flour mixture (roux) for two minutes while stirring occasionally. 

1. Turn off heat and set saucepan aside to cool. 

Part 2 – Making Flavored Milk for Béchamel 

1. In another saucepan, add whole milk (3 ⅓ C), bay leaves (2 small), ½ onion with cloves, sea salt, fresh black pepper and freshly grated nutmeg (a pinch). 

1. Place saucepan over Medium-High heat and bring to a gentle boil/simmer while stirring. 

1. Flavored milk is ready when “onion starts dancing” or bobbing around. 

1. Remove flavored milk from heat and let it rest/infuse for 5 minutes. 

1. Remove onion, cloves and bay leaves after infusing. 

Part 3 – Combing Roux & Flavored Milk for Béchamel 

1. Add roux into flavored milk and whisk to combine. 

1. Place saucepan over Medium heat and, while whisking constantly, bring Béchamel to a simmer.  

1. The sauce should start to thicken slightly when ready. 

Adding Béchamel Sauce to Cooked Mushrooms  

1. Place a fine mesh strainer over pot of cooked mushrooms and slowly pour in Béchamel. Use a rubber spatula to help clean any sauce stuck to saucepan. 

1. Mix to combine. For additional “smoothness” to soup: 

1. Use a sticker blender to further break down mushrooms and help extract more flavor. 

1. Another round of straining and pressing mushrooms through wire mesh sieve adds more flavor and smoothness. 

Finishing Cream of Mushroom Soup 

1. Add whole milk (3 oz) and whipping cream (1 C) to mushrooms and mix well to combine. 

1. Gently heat to a simmer over Medium heat. 

1. Taste test for seasoning and adjust (if needed). 

Serving Cream of Mushroom Soup 

1. Serve each bowl of soup with a few croutons, a small nob of butter and chopped parsley (1 tsp). 

1. A drizzle of dry sherry or port wine can further enhance flavor of soup.  

Recipe written by Greg Hanlon

Stephane