Balthazar’s Cream of Mushroom Soup
So last week when it was all chilly and brrrrrrr, I saw this vegan mushroom soup and knew I would be making mushroom soup to warm my bones. And it seemed perfect because having a new labmate who is vegan made me realize that my blog is not vegan friendly. In fact, I struggled to recall a single recipe admist all the POUNDS of butter, dairy, eggs, and cheese that is vegan. My tumblr is actually vegan-hostile. What better way to remedy this than by making something deliciously vegan?
Except then, of course due to my perfectionist nature, I had to hunt around for other mushroom soup recipes to see how the ingredients and ratios compare, which of course led me to this cream of mushroom soup which is decidedly not so vegan friendly. Well, this soup, with its hefty 2 (TWO!!!!) pounds of fungi, won me over and all thoughts of my first vegan tumblr recipe went flying out the window.
I know I could have made the vegan cashew cream to be the “cream” in my mushroom soup but…. I figured if I am going to try Balthazar’s Cream of Mushroom soup, I have to try it as written. And of course, it was delicious. Creamy and so very earthy, really the only way 2 pounds of mushed up cooked mushrooms can be earthy. Next time can be cashew cream vegan time.
Balthazar’s Cream of Mushroom Soup
adapted from Smitten Kitchen
makes 6 cups
1 ounce dried mushrooms (porcini, morels, or shitakes)
1/2 cup olive oil (I used 2-3 tablespoons)
2 sprigs of rosemary (I substituted with thyme)
4 sprigs of sage
1 large yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground white pepper
1 pound white button mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 pound shitake mushrooms stemmed, cleaned and thinly sliced
6 cups chicken stock or water (I used 4 cups of beef stock and 2 cups of water)
1 cup heavy cream (I used about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Soak the dry mushrooms in 1 cup of warm water for 20 to 30 minutes, until plump.
- Strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter to remove grit and reserve, along with the reconstituted mushrooms, until needed.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over a medium flame. Bundle the rosemary (thyme) and sage together and tie with kitchen twine. When the oil is hot, add the herb bundle and sizzle for a few minutes on both sides to infuse the oil.
- Add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent but not brown.
- Turn the flame to high and add the white mushrooms and shitakes.
- Cook for 10 minutes, during which the mushrooms will give off their liquid (which should evaporate quickly due to the high heat) and deflate significantly. Stir occasionally.
- Add the stock and the dried mushrooms along with the soaking water.
- Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the herbs, then add the cream and butter.
- Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return to the pot and keep at a very low simmer until ready to serve.
