Golden Cream Of Mushroom Soup With Crispy Shallots & Creme Fraiche

Ingredients

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 smalls shallots, sliced thin
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or fresh)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups chicken stock (or you could use mushroom or vegetable stock)
kosher salt & pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup heavy cream or half and half (used a combo of each)
3 tablespoons Golden Sherry (optional, but makes this taste fantastic) or dry white wine
Optional:
creme fraiche (for garnish)

Preparation

1
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). Set aside, on a paper towel.
2
For the soup:
3
In a Dutch Oven, heat a little bit of olive oil and butter-- just enough for a thin coating. Cook the mushrooms for about 3-5 minutes, until golden. Set aside.
4
Using the same pot, add a little more olive oil and saute the sliced shallots until tender.
5
Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
6
Season with a little kosher salt, pepper and dried thyme.
7
Add the flour, stir and cook for about one minute.
8
Return the mushrooms to the cooked shallots, add tomato paste and about 1 cup of the chicken stock. Stir to combine.
9
All the remaining chicken stock and simmer for about 10 minutes.
10
Puree the soup in batches, carefully, in a blender. I prefer to use an immersion blender right into the pot, which is so much simpler!
11
Puree to your liking-- I leave small chunks of mushroom.
12
Add the heavy cream/half & half.
13
Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche and the crispy shallots on top.

Tools

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About

Golden Sherry is what gives this soup a grownup taste. You can leave it out, and the soup will be just fine. Cremini mushrooms are baby portobellos, and they have a nuttier taste compared to white button mushrooms. That is why I call this recipe "Golden Cream of Mushroom Soup". The creminis developed a beautiful color to this flavorful soup. This soup was ready to eat in under 30 minutes.

As a garnish, crispy shallots are served with a dollop of creme fraiche. Fantastic!

For a tutorial on how I made this, visit my food blog at:
http://foodiewife-kitchen.blogspot.com/2009/10/golden-mushroom-soup-with-creme-fraiche.html

Yield:

6

Added:

Saturday, December 5, 2009 - 11:25pm

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