Cream of Mushroom Soup
A silky, deeply savory French-style soup made from browned mushrooms, aromatics and cream. Far richer than any canned version, and simple to make. The French original is a velouté: a good stock thickened with a butter and flour roux, then finished with cream. Almost all of its flavour comes from how far you take the mushrooms — brown them properly and the soup tastes meaty, rush them and it tastes of very little.
Prep time10 min
Cook time25 min
Total time35 min
Servings4 servings
DifficultyEasy
Ingredients
- 500 g mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp flour
- 750 ml chicken or vegetable stock
- 150 ml heavy cream
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and black pepper
Instructions
- 1Slice the mushrooms into even 5mm pieces so they cook at the same rate. Wipe them with a damp cloth rather than rinsing them under the tap, because washed mushrooms soak up water and then steam instead of browning.
- 2Melt the butter in a pot over medium-high heat, add the mushrooms and cook for about 8 minutes. Resist stirring too often — let them sit in a single layer against the hot base and brown.
- 3Once the liquid they have released has evaporated and the slices are deeply golden, add the onion and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened.
- 4Sprinkle over the flour and stir constantly for a full minute, until it coats the mushrooms and the raw floury smell has gone.
- 5Whisk in the stock a ladleful at a time so no lumps can form, then add the thyme and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
- 6Blend the soup until smooth with an immersion blender, stopping while a few mushroom pieces remain if you like some texture.
- 7Stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper. Warm it through over low heat without letting it boil, which can split the cream.
- 8Serve hot, with a few of the reserved mushroom slices floated on top and a final grind of pepper.
Tips
- Browning the mushrooms well is the key to a rich flavor — don't rush this step.
- Save a few sautéed mushroom slices to garnish each bowl.
- Blend only part of the soup if you prefer a chunkier texture.
- Dried mushrooms are a shortcut worth knowing. Soak a small handful for 20 minutes and add the soaking liquid along with the stock for a much deeper, earthier soup.
- The soup thickens a lot as it cools. Loosen it with a splash of stock or milk when you reheat it, and keep it below a boil.
