A silky smooth creamed mushroom soup adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook. Garnish with a sprinkling of fresh thyme, a dollop of mascarpone cheese and a pinch of Maldon salt.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces dried wild mushrooms (such as porcini, chanterelles and morels)
- 1 cup Madeira wine
- 1 T unsalted butter
- 2 cups onions, chopped (about 1.5 large onions)
- 4 t fresh thyme, stemmed and chopped, divided
- 2 pounds fresh white mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed and roughly chopped
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 cup heavy cream (optional)
- Maldon salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- 6 T mascarpone cheese (optional)
Directions
- 1Rinse the dried mushrooms in a colander to remove any debris. Put the mushrooms in a bowl just large enough to hold them. Pour Madeira over the mushrooms and allow to soak and reconstitute for about an hour. Turn the mushrooms occasionally.
- 2Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven, and add the onions and stir to coat in the melted butter. Cover and sauté the onions on low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to change color. Stir in 2 t chopped thyme.
- 3Add the chopped mushrooms to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
- 4Lift the reconstituted dried mushrooms out of the bowl, reserving the liquid. Chop the mushrooms into ½" pieces and add to the soup pot. Line a cup with a coffee filter and pour the residual liquid through the cup to strain out any debris. Add the liquid to the soup pot.
- 5Add the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for about 45 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- 6Working in batches, fill a blender to 60% of its volume, hold the lid down tightly and puree the soup beginning with a medium speed and then taking it up to high. Pour the pureed soup into a holding bowl and continue until all the soup is pureed.
- 7Return the pureed soup to the pot and season with salt and pepper to taste. If you are using cream stir it in. Check seasoning again.
- 8Serve in individual bowls or mugs. Garnish each bowl with a pinch of chopped thyme, a T of mascarpone cheese and a sprinkling of Maldon salt.
