Equipment
Ingredients
Vegetables & Aromatics
- 600 g mixed mushrooms (cremini, shiitake, oyster), cleaned and sliced
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 g fresh thyme, leaves picked
Base & Thickener
- 45 g unsalted butter
- 30 g all-purpose flour
- 30 ml dry sherry or dry white wine
- 750 ml low-sodium vegetable stock
- 120 ml whole milk
- salt
- black pepper
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 199 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbohydrates
- 19 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 8 g
- Sodium
- 1212 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 6 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 27 mg
- Potassium
- 656 mg
- Calcium
- 66 mg
- Iron
- 1.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 27 mg
- Phosphorus
- 188 mg
- Zinc
- 1.0 mg
- Vitamin A
- 141 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 8 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.7 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.17 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.67 mg
- Niacin
- 5.6 mg
- Folate
- 37 mcg
- Water
- 202 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Melt the butter in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms.
Cook the mushrooms undisturbed for 4-5 minutes until browned, then stir and cook another 3-4 minutes. Proper browning is essential for flavor.
Reduce heat to medium. Add the diced onion, garlic, and thyme. Cook until onions are soft and translucent.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Stir constantly for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.
Pour in the sherry (if using) to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits. Slowly whisk in the vegetable stock to prevent lumps.
Bring to a simmer, then lower heat. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes to marry flavors and thicken.
Remove from heat. Use an immersion blender to puree about half of the soup, leaving some mushroom chunks for texture. Stir in the milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Chef's Notes
- Don't crowd the mushrooms in step 1. If your pot is small, brown them in two batches to ensure they sear rather than steam.
- The flour and butter create a 'singer' method (dusting ingredients with flour), which is easier than making a separate roux for this type of rustic soup.
- For a deeper color and flavor, use dark vegetable stock or mushroom soaking liquid if using dried mushrooms.
- This recipe is intentionally thick (a Velouté). If you prefer a thinner soup, warm an extra 100ml of stock or milk and whisk it in at the end.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Thickeness increases when chilled; thin with a splash of water or stock when reheating.
Freezer: 2 months — Texture may separate slightly upon thawing; blend briefly to emulsify.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stove over medium-low heat, whisking frequently.
Troubleshooting
Soup tastes bland
Cause: Mushrooms were not browned sufficiently or under-salted
Fix: Add a teaspoon of soy sauce or a drop of vinegar to wake up the flavors.
Prevention: Ensure mushrooms get deep golden brown in step 2 before adding onions.
Texture is lumpy or floury
Cause: Flour clumped when stock was added
Fix: Puree the entire batch until completely smooth, then add sautéed fresh mushrooms back in if texture is desired.
Prevention: Add stock slowly while stirring the flour-coated vegetables.
Cultural Context
This soup is based on the French 'Velouté' mother sauce technique, where a light stock is thickened with a blond roux. While modern 'Cream of Mushroom' soups often rely heavily on heavy cream, traditional farmhouse French cookery often utilized the thickening power of flour and the richness of butter to create substantial textures with economical ingredients.
