I was agonizing over what to make my mom for an early birthday dinner celebration. She is the most gracious guest and always says she likes everything she is served- but I wanted to make sure that she was truly pleased. Finally, I just asked her what she would like! (That was simple enough.) “Soup and salad. Perfect in the colder weather. Mushroom soup would be wonderful,” she said. I was happy to find this fabulous recipe from the Balthazar. We ate it with a sourdough baguette and green salad- of course! A Birthday pear and apple galette was our celebratory dessert. Perfect. 🙂
This recipe was adapted from The Balthazar Cookbook via Smitten Kitchen. I decreased the amount of sage, olive oil, and cream, increased the garlic, and modified the amount of each type of mushroom. Earthy and special. Happy Birthday, Mom!! ❤
- 1 ounce dried mushrooms (porcini, morels, or shiitakes)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 2 large sprigs of sage
- 1 large yellow or sweet onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 6 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 20 oz white button mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
- 12 oz shiitake mushrooms stemmed, cleaned and thinly sliced
- 6 cups organic chicken stock
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 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 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 3 to 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent but not brown.
- Turn the flame to medium high to high and add the white mushrooms and shiitakes.
- 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 chicken 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. (I used an immersion blender.) Return to the pot and keep at a very low simmer until ready to serve.
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