Golden Cream of Mushroom Soup with Creme Fraiche and Crispy Shallots

This Cream of mushroom soup recipe highlights the flavor of cremini mushroom, with a slight addition of sherry. For a garnish I added some crispy shallots and drizzled creme fraiche. This looks fancy, but can be on the table in 45 minutes!

 

Last week,  I impulsively bought large Portobello mushrooms,(which became a delicious Mushroom Bourguignon), and a package of pre-sliced cremini mushrooms.

Did you know that pre-sliced mushrooms cost the same as whole mushrooms? For the longest time, I  never noticed that. Now, I’ll gladly skip doing the work, if I can! The only challenge with pre-sliced mushrooms is that you need to use them pretty quickly– or they’ll start to go south.

I created this soup by foraging through the vegetable pantry, and realizing I’d better make use of these creminis (which are baby portobellos) before they expired.  Dinner was ready in less than 45 minutes, and I had to write down how I created this soup right away. If I do say so, myself– this was an excellent soup!  Let’s begin, shall we?

Ah, shallots! I love them. Shallots aren’t as overpowering as onion. I just think they’re a pretty color.
Slice three smallish shallots. 1/3 of the shallots are cooked in a little olive oil until crispy, and then set on a paper towel. Easy enough?

In a pot, add a little olive oil and a small pat of unsalted butter and cook the cremini mushrooms for a few minutes– until slightly golden brown. Remove the cooked mushrooms into a bowl, and set aside.

In the same pot, add a little more olive oil (just enough to coat the pan) and cook the shallots until just tender. Add the garlic and cooked for about a minute– just until fragrant. Next,  add some dried thyme (my thyme plant is looking very pitiful right now), a little kosher salt & pepper and then about 2 tablespoons of flour– cook for about a minute.

Add some tomato paste (about 1 Tbsp.), some Golden Sherry (you could use white wine…or no booze at all), and a splash of the chicken stock and stir. Yes, it was looking nice a thick and it smelled so promising. I added the last of the chicken stock (32 oz total). You could use a mushroom or vegetable stock, if you want to go completely vegetarian.

I am so thankful for my immersion blender. I think it’s so much easier to puree soups in the pot– but, you can puree this in batches in a blender. Knock yourself out! If you don’t own an immersion blender, and you like making soups as much as I do… it’s a great investment.
Puree the mushrooms to leave small chunks. If you want it super creamy, that’s okay too.
Add some heavy cream. I didn’t measure, but I’d guess I added 1/4 cup of heavy cream and 1/4 cup of half and half.   Dinner’ ready!  Soup, salad & bread…

TASTING NOTES: Craig and two helpings of this soup and said it was excellent.  I was pleased to hear that, because Cream of Mushroom soup is one of my very favorites– if it’s homemade. That stuff that falls out of can in a glop… no, that I don’t like at all.

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Golden Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cream of mushroom soup ranks #1 as my favorite. This recipe highlights the flavor of cremini mushroom, with a slight addition of sherry. For a garnish I added some crispy shallots and drizzled creme fraiche. This looks fancy, but can be on the table in 45 minutes!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cream of Mushroom Soup

Servings: 4

Author: Debby – www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Ingredients

• 6 to 8 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
• 3 small shallots sliced thin
• 1 teaspoon thyme dried or fresh
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 4 cups chicken stock or vegetable or mushroom stock
• Kosher salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
• 2 to 3 tablespoons Golden Sherry optional, but makes this taste fantastic or dry white wine
• Creme fraîche for garnish

Instructions

• To make crispy shallots, cook in a thin layer of olive oil until golden (not too high of a heat, or they can easily burn). Remove when almost golden brown—they will carry over. Set aside to drain on a paper towel.

SOUP:

• In a Dutch Oven, heat a little bit of olive oil and butter, just enough for a thin coating. Cook the mushrooms for about 3 to 5 minutes, until golden. Set aside.
• Using the same pot, add a little more olive oil and sauté the sliced shallots until tender. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Season with a little kosher salt, pepper and dried thyme.
• Add the flour, stir and cook for about one minute.
• Return the mushrooms to the cooked shallots, add tomato paste, the sherry or wine (if using) and about 1 cup of the chicken stock. Stir to combine.
• All the remaining chicken stock and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Purée the soup in batches, carefully, in a blender. I prefer to use an immersion blender right into the pot, which is so much simpler!
• Purée to your liking, I leave small chunks of mushroom.
• Add the heavy cream/half-and-half.
• Serve with a dollop of creme fraîche and the crispy shallots on top.Edit my recipe

Tried this recipe?Mention @afeastfortheeyes or tag #afeastfortheeyesblog!

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