Creamy Mushroom Soup
I realize it’s almost the middle of March and that I posted a milkshake recipe on Wednesday, but in Michigan it is definitely still Winter. It snowed today, which makes this the perfect time to share this soup with you. It’s warm and comforting, and yet it’s a little bit lighter than your traditional winter soup. It’s creamy and not too thick and perfect for the “I can’t wait for spring” weather we’ve been having.
I was leafing through a friend’s cookbook when this recipe jumped out at me. I’ve been semi-obsessed with mushrooms recently and this did not disappoint. Mike and I both loved this soup. It has a deep mushroom flavor that was exactly what I was hoping for. As I mentioned above it’s not overly thick, but after some time with the immersion blender it was perfectly smooth and creamy. The sherry and cream added the perfect finishing touch to the soup, giving it an additional depth of flavor. It’s safe to say this is another soup that will be added to the Winter rotation.
Creamy Mushroom Soup
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 large shallots , minced (about 3/4 cup)
2 small cloves garlic , minced (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg , freshly grated
2 pounds white button mushrooms , wiped clean and sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups hot water
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms , rinsed well
1/3 cup dry sherry or Madeira
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons lemon juice from 1 lemon
Directions:
Melt butter in large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-low heat. When the foaming subsides, add shallots and saute, stirring frequently, until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and nutmeg and cook about 1 minute longer, or until fragrant. Increase heat to medium and add the sliced mushrooms. Stir to coat with butter. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release liquid, about 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released all their liquid, about 20 minutes. Add chicken stock, water, and porcini mushrooms. Cover and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and simmer until mushrooms are fully tender, about 20 minutes longer.
Puree soup using an immersion blender or in batches in the blender until smooth. If using a blender, be sure to fill the blender jar only halfway for each batch. Return soup to Dutch oven; stir in Madeira and bring to simmer over low heat. Add lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir a Tablespoon of cream (or less) into each bowl before serving.