The classic French cream of mushroom soup, a velouté. Mushroom stems simmer in a light roux and chicken stock, the sautéed caps go in at the end, and the soup is finished with an egg-yolk-and-cream liaison and a last knob of butter. It is richer and silkier than anything in a can.
Untested: I have not cooked this one yet. It is here because the Mushrooms dive needed it, and it is adapted from the source named in the Notes.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1/3 bay leaf
- 2 parsley sprigs
- 1/8 teaspoon thyme
- 1 lb mushrooms, stems and caps separated
- For the caps
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- To finish
- 2 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons softened butter
Directions
- The base. Cook the onion in the 3 tablespoons of butter until soft. Stir in the flour and cook without browning. Whisk in the hot stock, add the herbs and the chopped mushroom stems, and simmer about 20 minutes. Strain.
- The caps. Slice or dice the caps and cook them in the 2 tablespoons of butter with the lemon juice and salt until tender. Add them to the soup and simmer briefly.
- The liaison. Whisk the yolks with the cream. Whisk a ladle of hot soup into the yolks, then pour the mixture back into the pot. Heat gently, stirring, without letting it boil, or the yolks will curdle.
- Finish. Off the heat, swirl in the softened butter. Season and serve.
Notes
Where this recipe came from Julia Child’s “Potage Velouté aux Champignons” from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I (1961). The quantities here come from a published transcription (2foodtrippers.com) and were not checked against the book itself. Verify them against a copy before relying on them.
A bowl of mushroom history The collection’s quicker soups: Easy Vegan Mushroom Soup, Kulajda – Czech Mushroom Soup.