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Creamy Mushroom Soup




Source of Recipe


Cooks Illustrated


Recipe Introduction


GOAL: Mushroom soup recipes often turn out milky and watery with hardly any mushroom flavor. We wanted a creamy, mushroom-y soup—a more flavorful version of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup—without having to forage for fancy wild mushrooms in the gourmet foods aisle. The goal was to use supermarket mushrooms and find a technique to deepen their flavor. We started by cooking mushrooms and leeks (preferred to onion for their flavor and silky texture they added to the pureed soup) in brown butter. After reserving some of the browned mushrooms for a garnish, we added aromatics and simmered the mushrooms and leeks in chicken broth (enriched with a touch of soy sauce to bring out the earthy quality of the mushrooms) and Madeira wine. After pureeing the soup until it was silky smooth, we returned the browned mushrooms to the pot, added a bit of cream, and finished the lot with lemon juice and an additional splash of Madeira.


List of Ingredients




Serves 6 to 8
Since this soup is ultimately pureed, there’s no need to waste your time carefully slicing the mushrooms. Instead, just break them into rough pieces with your hands. Brandy or dry sherry can be substituted for the Madeira.

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 pounds white or cremini mushrooms, broken into rough pieces (see note above)
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and chopped
Salt and pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ cup Madeira, plus additional for serving
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Recipe



1. COOK MUSHROOMS Melt butter in large Dutch oven over medium-high, stirring constantly, until butter is golden brown and has a nutty aroma, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, leeks, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, covered, until mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Remove lid and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Remove 2/3 cup mushroom mixture, chop fine, and reserve.
2. SIMMER SOUP Add garlic and thyme to pot with remaining mushroom mixture and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, soy sauce, and Madeira and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until mushrooms and leeks are completely tender, about 20 minutes.
3. FINISH SOUP Puree soup in blender in batches until completely smooth. Return pureed soup to pot, stir in cream, lemon juice, and reserved mushroom mixture and return to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Serve, drizzling individual portions with additional Madeira.