Turning these gorgeous shiitakes, picked fresh the morning I purchased them, into a silky mushroom soup may have been the highlight of my week. We are working through the mother sauces in Culinary 101 right now, so I'm becoming well-versed in the six fundamental sauces and their derivatives. Have you ever made a mac-and-cheese? You've made a béchamel first and turned into a delicious cheese sauce based on a mornay. Ever had turkey or roast beef with gravy? That's a velouté in its most basic iteration. Enjoyed Eggs Benedict one weekend? That's topped almost always with a hollandaise, a lemony buttery bit of heaven brought together by egg yolks and the magic of emulsification.
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Adapted from On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals
Makes 1 quart (approximately 4 servings)
1 ½ tablespoon of whole butter
3 ounces of onion, medium dice
1 ounce of celery, medium dice
½ pound of mushrooms, sliced, a few reserved for garnish
1 cup of chicken stock (if needed)
1 quart of chicken velouté (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons of heavy cream
1 fresh thyme stem
salt, to taste
white pepper, to taste
dried shallots, for garnish
Sweat the onions, celery, and mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of the butter and add the thyme stem. Add the velouté and bring to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables are tender, approximately 15 minutes and remove the thyme stem. Purée the soup. Return the soup to a simmer and thin if necessary with the chicken stock. While the soup is coming up to temperature, sauté the remaining mushroom slices in the remaining butter, adding a splash of stock if necessary. Season the soup with salt and white pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with a few mushroom slices and the dried shallots.
Chicken Velouté
Adapted from On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals
Makes 1 quart
1.25 quarts of chicken stock
2 ounces of butter
2 ounces of flour
Heat butter in heavy saucepan. Add the flour to make a blond roux. Gradually add stock to the roux, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil. Reduce the sauce to a simmer and continue cooking for thirty minutes. Sauce should reduce a bit. Cool and refrigerate or use in your cream of mushroom soup.
