A couple months ago, I briefly mentioned making a wild mushroom soup from Gourmet magazine that was, you know, good, but also, eh. But shame on me, really, because last year we found the perfect, best-ever, fail-proof, tastiest recipe so why did I fall for the shiny new thing? Isn’t that the point of all this trial-and-error, anyway? I’m always trying to catalogue Recipes That Work, also called Recipes to Share you know, the ones that you try and you think “This is it. This is everything I have ever wanted from a [insert beloved grub here],” even if yes, I know, most people probably do not share my fanaticism about beloved grub. Lemon cake? Done. Banana bread? Found that too. Easy-peasy rustic loaf? Yup, and hooray for that. Chocolate cookies so good, it may bring tears to your eyes? That’s for tomorrow, because I am a tease, and also because I think about them again, I might eat five. Best-ever mushroom soup? I will never doubt you again.
What was missing from the bland mushroom soup was bulk. So many varied soup recipes come down to a similar process: a sauté of onions, leeks or garlic and herbs, a pile of vegetables simmered in stock until soft, then pureed and topped with cream, grated cheese or a splash of booze or if you’re super-lucky, all three. But if you want to make it taste like more than watery vegetables, you’re going to need some volume. Balthazar’s cream of mushroom soup has over two pounds of sliced mushrooms with a relatively small volume of broth coaxing it gently into soup form — there’s nothing more worthy of your spoon. You might, ahem, even determine that it tastes so good, that no, you will not share it and will instead eat it standing over the pot, hungry husbands be damned, even when they catch your selfishness on film. But then again maybe not, as you’re probably a nicer person than me. One can only hope.
[Note: This recipe got fresh photos in 2018.]
Balthazar's Mushroom Soup
- 1 ounce dried mushrooms (porcini, morels, or shitakes)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 fresh sprigs of rosemary
- 4 fresh sprigs of sage
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
- 1 pound white button or cremini mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
- 1 pound shitake mushrooms stemmed, cleaned and thinly sliced
- 6 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Prepare your dried mushrooms: Soak them in 1 cup of boiling water for 20 to 30 minutes, until plump. Remove them from the liquid and mince the mushrooms, setting them aside. Strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter to remove grit and reserve this too.
Make the soup: Bundle your sage and rosemary together with kitchen twine. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over a medium flame. 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 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent but not brown. Turn the flame 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 (or, if you have an immersion blender, it makes this much easier; you can work right inside your pot) until your desired consistency, or fully smooth. Return to the pot and keep at a very low simmer until ready to serve.
Okay…you cookie tease! The soup looks awesome btw…ANOTHER thing added to my list to cook in Houston. I’m not going to have enough days in the year with all the cooking blogs I’ve been reading (yes, Deb, I’ve strayed). Do you think you could substitute the cream for half/half or milk?
Now, I’m going to sit in the corner and pout until I get the cookie recipe!
What do you think about coconut milk for my vegan friends?
The coconut milk would work, but I plan to make my own cashew cream. Use lightly soaked raw cashews, water, and a buzz in the blender. Yummy cream that blends beautifully.
HURRAY for mushroom soup! I am SO making it, my best ever Christmas gift was an immersion blender and I am addicted to it; your soup gives me another excuse to whir away. Actually, I adore finding those tried and true recipes, just like you. Thank you for sharing them; especially this most recent one.
Happy New Year!
So soup is my favorite food ever, and I’ve been dying for good mushroom soup since I quit working at the restaurant that made what was simply the best.mushroom.soup.ever. I will have to try this soon.
Jenifer: one of my favorite substitutions ever is milk for half and half or cream… not because it works (much of the time it doesn’t, and I end up with a curdled mess), but because I am so enthusiastic about using it. My suggestion would be this: make a roux out of equal parts butter and flour (say 1tbsp butter to 1tbsp flour) and cook it under very gentle heat. Be careful not to brown it, just melt the butter and let it go for a few more minutes. Then slowly whisk in milk, being careful of lumps, and heat gently until the mixture thickens (a few minutes)… The ratio is 1 cup milk to each tbsp butter, or 1 cup to 0.5 tbsp to keep it from thickening too much. The roux helps keep the mixture from curdling. It’s the flour or the fat molecules interfereing with the protein and keeping it from denaturing? I can’t remember exactly which one does it or if it’s both. Alton Brown would know!
Deb: yum! I was about to go home and make some mushroom risotto that I’ve been craving for about a week. It didn’t even occur to me to make soup, but this looks absolutely delicious! Mmmmmm
Rachael – You absolutely rock. One of my hopes for this site was that if someone asked a question that I couldn’t answer, or could answer only partially, that I’d have the kind of smart readers who could fill in my blanks. Keep it coming!
Jenifer – I noted that I cut the cream to half a cup, but I bet you could cut it even further, too. Cream is so heavy, I often find that just a couple tablespoons can help bring a soup together. Another idea would be to leave it out entirely, or just serve the soup with a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche on top.
What do you think about yogurt instead of heavy cream? I put soy yogurt in my butternut squash soup and it gives a subtle creaminess.
It can, but it can also curdle a bit if cooked in. If yogurt, I dollop it on while serving rather than cooking into the soup.
Made the soup tonight – it’s delicious but it’s very watery. Any ideas on how to thicken a little?
You can reduce it and it should increase the body
Reduce whAt? You mean just cook it longer so liquid itself reduces? Don’t add flour or other thickening agent?
Yes, simmering it until it reduces a little will give it more body.
God, that looks good!
The Balthazar Cookbook is one of my favorites! It’s good to know that this soup recipe is so great. I have not tried it yet, but I have not been let down by anything I’ve made from it so far. A favorite is the recipe for their lentils with bacon. LOVE. I once made a very nice mushroom soup from Ruth Reichl’s book “Comfort Me With Apples.” Very woodsey and creamy. I’ll have to try this one to compare. Thank you so much.
Also, where is that bread in the photo from? Did you make it? Is it the easy-peasy rustic loaf?
Wow, that looks amazing. I’m still eating mushroom gravy and um… *shamface* I’ve eaten a few spoonfuls alone, to my boyfriend’s horror. I am not so nice… I’d do the same and just eat it over the stove, he’d never know! He never goes in the kitchen! Muhahahahah! Lovely picture of you, btw. :)
Super cute haircut!
Were you cooking soup naked?!
I say someone should take on the food blogosphere project of compiling the best recipe for the basics that we all make over and over. The other day I made disappointing brownies and thought “How can it be that I do not have one brownie recipe that just doesn’t fail me?”
Years ago, there was an excellent restaurant in Reading, PA, owned by the Czarnecki family. They were reknown for their mushroom dishes and published a cookbook all about mushrooms. In Joe Czarnecki’s recipe for mushroom soup, he solved the thickness problem by reserving the mushroom stems He cooked then pureed them and added them back to the soup, which became thick and hearty. I have this cookbook, and I’ve made this soup before. It was excellent.
Sounds delicious. I especially like the addition of the beef stock, for all the same reasons you do. For a little added textural interest, have you ever considered reserving some of the mushrooms before pureeing the soup, then returning them to the finished soup–maybe just spooning a few on top of each bowl? Or perhaps just one uncooked slice of white button mushroom floating in the middle of each bowl. Could be very nice visually–which we know is a big part of cooking and eating.
Today I made a bowl of cereal. Just add milk!
Grant – That was indeed the No-Knead Bread. I made a loaf last week and we keep it sliced in the freezer for when we want it. However, we were hungry and lazy, so it was only half-toasted by the time it became our crouton.
Tree – Thank you.
Lee – No I was not naked! I was wearing a sketchy, ten-year old, spaghetti-strapped tank top and short yoga pants, as it is 65 freaking degrees in January, and about ten more in our top-floor apartment. I know Denver is miserable these day, but I have complete blizzard-envy.
Alto2 – That sounds delicious! I am always torn about what to do with discarded mushroom stems. Lately, I’ve been trying to create a “stock bag” in the freezer, with vegetable odds and ends for when I make a batch, and the shitake stems are in there now. What kind of mushrooms does Czarnecki recommend?
Terry B – I haven’t but I like the idea a lot. We went to the new Klee Brasserie in our neighborhood a few weeks ago (and again for New Years) and they make an awesome porcini bisque which, the first time we went, they topped with slightly cooked mousseron mushrooms. It was really great, as they’re small, cute and have a great porcini/cepe-like flavor.
I’d like to come live at your house. I’ll even wait patiently outside, in the hallway, just for the food. It looks amazing.
So- I discovered you last week with one of those random Yahoo things that pop up on your home page (“Do you want to add Nascar Digest”? not) and have been hooked ever since. I’ve copied every recipe you’ve discussed. I’m eyeballing my cast iron dutch oven as a home for the No Knead Bread I’m planning to do this weekend. Now you’ve thrown in chocolate cookies and an obviously divine mushroom soup….. you’re wrecking my diet and I don’t care! :-)
Hi, I was wondering if I could use a different type of mushroom. The shiitake are about $4 for 3 ounces so if I did the math right… Lol, that would make a very pricey soup. Thank you
I just started reading your blog last week (Tammi introduced me *waves*) and I think it’s safe to say that you have the best taste ever in food. And I say that because it seems to be almost exactly the same as mine. ;-) Last week I made the french onion soup and tonight I made the mushroom soup – and oh my god – I think I’ve died and gone to heaven. My family was literally licking their bowls clean and I had to make sure I hid some leftovers for myself before they gulped it all down. Now I know that when I’m looking for something out-of-this-world to eat, I never have to look farther than your blog! :D
People always rave about chicken noodle soup being the comfort of all time but for me it’s mushroom soup. This looks so wonderful, rich but sometimes we need rich! I’m still making the no knead from time to time, I think sometimes I do it just to hear it sing but then the entire loaf is gone by the second meal, well OK there maybe some snacking slices in there also with this soup. Lovely.
Thank you for such a glorious mushroom soup recipe (or the notification thereof)! I ran home and made this soup on the night of it’s posting to your blog! Deeeelicious!
I’ll be bringing the soup to Thanksgiving Dinner for twelve at a friend’s home. Do you think doubling the recipe will make enough?
I plan to make it the day before and gently heat it just before it’s needed. I’ll bring it just to the simmer and leave it there for a few minutes. Does this sound right?
I just made this soup in preparation for Thanksgiving Dinner and it is tasty!!!
I love the flavor of the sage and rosemary! It should be noted that I used soy milk instead of cream because this is going to be a kosher Thanksgiving… I think it came out great, though. So, if you are kosher or if you just want to be a little bit healthier, try soy milk.
I just made this last weekend and it came out great! I did some of the same substitutions you did — thyme rather than rosemary, half as much oil, and half as much cream. I also did not puree the soup as my husband hates the consistency of pureed soup. It was a great fall dinner along with the quicker version of the no knead bread that mark bittman wrote about just last week.
I’m thinking of making this for Thanksgiving. How many does this recipe serve? Would doubling it be enough for 12 people? Thanks!
I think that doubling it should be just fine, tripling would play it extra-safe. (I don’t know how big your bowls are, but I know that once you try it, you’ll hope for leftovers!)
Also:I know that the price of shiitakes can add up, especially if making a double or triple batch. I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t swap at least half of them for creminis/brown mushrooms.
Made the soup last night and it is a winner. Only used 1/4 cup oil, all the cream, and a variety of dried mushrooms. Actually tastes like mushrooms! Prior to adding the creme, I removed half of the soup to freeze and will add the remaining creme once it is heated through.
I just made this soup and it is delicious!! Thanks, Deb. I love how often this blog enlightens me to delicious, impressive recipe ideas that are super-easy… For this recipe I used skim milk instead of cream, but I didn’t skimp on the rich, locally made butter from the farmer’s market (which is also where I got the shitake mushrooms.) YUM!
I’ve been on quite a SmittenKitchen-recipe-cooking spree lately and I have to tell you, this is another winner. I made it with a couple of minor changes. Used dried thyme instead of fresh rosemary and sage. I also subsituted half and half for the cream. My husband thought it was a little heavy on the thyme so I may tone that down next time. It makes a nice big batch too.
Epicurious.com has been a favorite cooking website for a long time. But nowadays this is the one I check every day and always find inspiration. Thanks again.
I decided on this recipe after searching for something closest to what I had available in the house…and it’s delicious sounding description as well :)
Because we were out of stock, I decided to add chorizo sausage for a little flavor. It was so delicious! Highly recommended.
Freaking awesome. I finally got a stick blender after wanting one for ages, and this marvelous soup was its maiden voyage. I used only about a tablespoon of oil, and half a cup of skim milk instead of cream. I also used less salt than the stated amount and never missed it. Delicious, flavorful and, if you don’t go nuts with the oil and cream, not terribly calorie-dense. I left mine slightly coarse as I love to chew up the little bits of mushroom, and I loved LOVED it. I can’t wait to have some for dinner tomorrow night after it has had a chance to settle in the fridge. After wading through many C of M recipies which used powdered milk, cream cheese and various other oddities, I am finally calling a halt. This is a perfect, rational, healthy, delectable cream of mushroom soup recipe. Thanks a mil, Deb.
P.S. Your little boy is lovely, and what a truckload of hair!
I agree with everyone else that this soup is fantastic! The only unfortunate thing about it is the price of the mushrooms. I left out the dried mushroom step because I forgot to buy them, and next time I might try making it with mushroom broth. Perfect for a cold winter night.
Somebody mentioned sour cream / creme fraiche…. here’s something to try: heat a cup of cream until warm, add a little salt and 1/8 cup buttermilk, and let it rest overnight wrapped in a warm (not hot) heating pad. Turns out a wonderful sour cream-like velvety smooth treat, perfect for dolloping soup or as a sauce for meats or other savories. The fresh sourness works a little like lemon juice, brightens heavy flavors.
Made this today. It’s a cold winter day in Utah and this soup was perfect! I served it to my husband with a crusty rosemary and olive oil bread. Mmmmmm! Thanks so much! I’ve been lurking for quite a while but just had to come out of the woodwork to thank you.
This is “burbling” on the stove-my dad’s word for when soup is cooking!! Yum. I bought the stuff to make this a week ago, and the mushrooms have been staring me down as I’ve gotten Jimmy John’s 3 days in a row. I can’t believe it myself. SO tonight, we’re remembering what dinner is for a change…:) Smells and tastes great.
I worked at a restaurant where they used evaporated skim milk as replacement for cream. It was quite stable under heat, no curdling action.
i made this last night for some friends, one of whom was allergic to dairy, so i replaced the heavy cream in the recipe with ‘vegan double cream’ – made from blended tofu, vegetable oil and soy milk. sounds just wrong, right? but to my surprise it didn’t make the soup any less delicious! it seems not even soy milk and tofu can detract from the ferociously flavoursome combo of porcini and shitake mushrooms – thank goodness!
I just made it this evening. You’re probably wondering: “Soup?!? In this hot weather?”. De*Li*Cious. I omitted the cream altogether for a lighter version, and used a mixture of fresh brown/oyster/shitake mushrooms along with the white. It’s perfect, fills you up, and it’s not heavy. I can’t wait to make another batch in the fall!
my mum is allergic to mushrooms so whenever she leaves the house to me i hustle every single mushroom within the city’s radius and make something delicious and polluted with the deliciousness that is mushies!
was thinking of making portobello burgers for this round but this recipe just sounds all too enticing.
blog love :)
I made this delicious soup tonight… Used Veg. Broth and No Cream and it still turned out great – I did add a little sherry as well. Yumma! Thanks for posting, as always…
Very nice! Replaced the 1 cup heavy cream with 1 cup low-fat evaporated milk to make it a bit lighter and the chicken broth with vegetable stock to make it vegetarian. My boyfriend was incredulous as to how many mushrooms went into the pot and LOVED what came out. Thanks!
Does anyone know how this freezes? Thank you!
Ours didn’t quite look that way. And we didn’t like it so much. I don’t know if we messed something up. Oh. well. I do love the way you write so excitedly about food. It matches up to some of my own passions. I also loved the apple latkehs you made Channukah. Superb! Just my two cents.
Just made this tonight. So lovely! Meaty and Creamy. I used Debs suggestion of less olive oil, 1/2 cream, beef broth, but kept the rosemary and sage. I also used truffle salt, though it may or may not have made a discernible difference. Speaking to comments above, I could see how a slug of sherry or marsala would have been a nice addition. My first impression of the soup when done, was that it needed something (possibly sherry or marsala, neither of which I had on hand) but I think that in the end that something was sitting on the stove more. The 2nd bowl was improved and tomorrows soup will be even more delicious.
I just made the soup and it has a lovely flavor – but it’s rather watery/thin. Any suggestions for thickening it up easily and without many elaborate steps? Thanks!
You can simmer it down so that it reduces and is thicker, but it will also have less volume/servings.
The only dried mushrooms in my local corner market were Chilean mushrooms. Can I use these or will the flavor be bad? Can’t wait to make this, yay! Thanks Deb!
Sorry, I’m totally unfamiliar with them but if they smell good to you, go ahead and use them.
Well, the Chilean mushrooms were just fine. This was deeeeeelicious!
Just made this in prep for Mother’s Day… I cannot stop dipping my spoon into it. I deglazed with some Marsala after the mushroom liquid had evaporated, which added a lovely background note. Next up, Quiche Lorraine! All I will have to do Sunday is toss a green salad and pop the bubbly.
I made this last night and it was very delicious. I just ate the last bowl of it for lunch today with some chewy sesame bread. So yummy. Thank you for sharing!
A question about cream. I have often seen heavy cream as an ingredient. I assumed it was the same thing as whipping cream, which his the “heaviest” fat-wise, at 35%. But then I saw a recipe in my book that called for heavy cream in a cake, and then whipping cream in the frosting, leading me to believe they are not the same thing at all. I have searched my grocery store high and low looking for heavy cream, and I can’t find any. Would you please be able to tell me what it is?
Thanks!
Emilie — You can usually use them interchangeably. Both whip! It’s often just the difference of a couple percentage points of butterfat.
Mmmmm, mushroom soup – up there with pumpkin in ‘Greatest Soup of All Time’ surely? I wonder does this recipe come out too badly if you just bung everything in the pot together and simmer till the mushrooms et al are cooked? This is how my Mum makes hers and it’s always super tasty! Might be an option if you’re really in a rush…?
Can someone please tell me how many servings this soup yields? Thanks!
I’m with Vanessa, what’s the yield on this? I’ve got to make a “teacher appreciation” soup on Friday and need to know if I should double this dreamy-looking recipe or not. Thanks!
I can’t remember the exact amount (I have to dig up the book) but I’d estimate 6 to 8.
So glad to have at last found a mushroom soup recipe that I actually like! Made this last night and it was delicious.
how many people does this serve?
So, I just made this for the first time (I see that I’m about 4 years late, but better late then never, no?) and boy is it delicious! I’m vegetarian, so I opted for veggie broth instead of chicken or beef and found that as a result, I needed to add a touch more salt, but nothing major. I also added about 50% more cream because I needed to have a higher yield. But heres the thing… I only blended up about 75% of the soup, and mixed it in with the unblended stuff to serve. It made for a few delightful chunks – I highly recommend it!
Thank you so much for such a delightful blog! I am forever checking what you’re making and happily emulating!
Incredible recipe… I added leeks for the onions and almond milk instead of the cream. It turned out great!
Well, so far I have made 4 of your recipes this week…Potato Leek Soup, Crispy Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies, your Mom’s Chocolate Chip Meringues and today, the Baltazaar Cream of Mushroom Soup…I am in love with your website…these recipes are truly delectable…Thank you for sharing!
D… vine!
This is a terrific recipe. I made it last night, using most of your suggestions (less oil, half the cream), and a wide variety of mushrooms. I cheated and subbed dried sage and rosemary. True comfort food on a chilly fall day.
Hi! I was wondering about removing the mushroom stems… it’s not mentioned in the recipe but seems to be taken for granted in the comments section – is this really necessary and why? Do they taste all that different from the buds?
Thanks for a yummy looking recipe!
Hi Isabella — It will depend on the mushroom. If white or cremeni, no reason not to use the stem, though it might take a few extra minutes cooking time. The shiitake stems are very tough and rope-like. They may not be as pleasant in the soup.
This was super helpful, thanks!
I made this soup tonight. It was delicious! Even my husband, who doesn’t like soup, raved about it! I used rosemary, sage & thyme. I added black pepper as well & 1/2 cup of sherry before I added the mushrooms. Also I used Cremini mushrooms instead of button mushrooms. Yummy! I will be making this again, but I will half the recipe because it is a LOT for 2 ????
My family is not very keen on mushrooms but this soup made them go ooohhh!!! aaahhh!!! mmmm!!!! I made this soup last night with portobello mushrooms only and added some pine nuts, and deleted the cream and the cream, but added fresh goat’s milk.
It was the best soup I have tried, and so comforting… loved the earthiness and tender taste of the herbs and the mushroom combination!
You are my hero!!!
Delish!!! Made it twice now, and expect it to show up at dinner for a long time to come. Since we keep kosher, we omit the beef broth and split the 6 cups between organic vegetable broth and mushroom stock – and a hand emulsifier is soooo much easier than a blender: worth the purchase if you don’t already have one. Thanks for the new “family recipe!”
Omg! This soup is amazing! This is a keeper for the family recipe book. I sautéed the mushrooms in cooking sherry first, and then reduced and added broth – no one is waiting for the dinner table, but scooping cups off the stove top! Yummmm thank you!
what to do if i can’t get the dried mushrooms? add more fresh mushrooms or just omit? will it still come out well?
It will still come out well without them. They’re less about adding more mushroom bulk and more about adding a deep flavor. You’ll have great flavor either way.
Such a yummy recipe! I made it today, but started with rendering Bacon in the pot, using the bacon fat to sweat the onions, and reserving the bacon for a topping at the end. Very Very Yummy! Thanks.
Hi everyone,
Excellent recipe!
I just used 1/2 and 1/2 milk and added a pinch of nutmeg.
Delicious!!
Regards
Great recipe. I”v found only a couple that can come close to it. IT’S the best. I also like crusty bread with most any soup. I would appreciate the name of the bread shone in the recipe or where it can be purchased. Thanks, Johnny
I actually think it might have been a leftover slice of this bread.
Great recipe. Sooo good. So much umami goodness. My one-year old can’t get enough of it even! I used the olive oil and cream amounts called for and IMO it wasn’t too heavy or thick. I also followed the suggestion to use 1/2 beef stock abs 1/2 chicken (Better Than Bullion). One change I made was I took out only half of the volume and blended it. That way I had lots of intact mushrooms, onions, and garlic in the smooth and creamy mushroom blend.
@pandaxpress, I used fresh shiitake and brown mushrooms (1 lb and 2 lbs respectively), no dried ones.
thought i would float a few drops of truffle oil on the surface before serving…”umamilicous”
The best mushroom soup I’ve ever had was one made by an obscure relative from Poland. She used dried Polish mushrooms so redolent that smelling them straight out of the bag alone made your mouth water! They should be easy to find in NYC…!
This soup is absolutely delicious! N.B. It is expensive to make.
Any advice on using fresh porcini with this? I’m stuck with what to do and I want to highlight them given how infrequently I can find them and how expensive they are. Many recipes for porcini are for saucifying it for a pasta- but this soup looks incredible. Do you know the dried>>fresh mass equivalent? I have nearly a pound of porcini… OR any other recipe you’d suggest instead? Really appreciate your wise advice!
I love this recipe! Even my husband and son who are not mushroom fans love this soup! I keep it vegan and use vegetable broth (better than bullion) and almond milk.
I just made this, used all shitake mushrooms and Italian porcini stock (with a little chicken stock), and half and half. Also used a bit of thyme. It is good, {I think, I can never tell after smelling it so long} so should be even better tomorrow after a night in the fridge. Oh, I also used sea salt with black truffle to season, love truffle with mushrooms.
I just made this soup only substituting beef stock for chicken. It…..was…..OUTSTANDING! I used the shitake mushrooms stem and all. After a whiz in my ninja blender there was no discernable woody stems to speak of. It is so hardy, woodsy-tasting, and beefy. Yummy!
Just used this to make a luscious soup on a sub-zero January day in the Upper Midwest. Highly recommended! When I saw the beef broth substitution suggestion, the lightbulb went on to use some of the pheasant stock I had in the fridge post-Christmas. If you have game bird leftovers, I’d recommend using their stock, too. Also, I like mushroom bits in the finished soup, so set aside perhaps 1/3 of a pound of the fresh mushrooms to slice, saut, and also added about 1/2 cup of dry sherry at the end. Lots of ways to customize. Thanks for the original!
Just made this. Amazing! Thank you.
Absolutely delicious even after I bungled some of the instructions (less oil, when to remove the herbs). This soup makes me seem like a much better cook than I really am.
this sounds perfect. Think I will add some hungarian paprika with the herbs.
So good! I cooked up some farro separately and added it at the end.
Jeanne — What a great idea. I haven’t made this in years and it might be just the refresh it needs for me.
I have made this soup about once a year since you first published it (varying herbs and types of mushrooms, but always superb!). Today is the day for 2016 and I cannot wait for dinner to be here…
this recipe is excellent and unfussy. i’ll make it again!
added a parmesan rind and few drops of worcestershire sauce to my porcini juice/chicken stock broth.
Could I substitute yogurt for the heavy cream?
If you are dairy-free, could you sub canned coconut milk for the heavy cream?
I think it would be just fine.
Should have read back before I asked the same question! Michelle, did you try it?
Yes to the thyme! As I was reading the ingredients, I was wondering where it was… And then I saw your endnote. Delicious.
My only adjustments were the addition of chanterelles (which I bought at Costco) and then the final garnish of Aleppo pepper (for those who wanted it) at the table. Divine, just divine.
How many chanterelles did you use? In place of shiitake or added? Thank you!
Any idea if this will freeze?
Yet another comfort recipe that I needed this week. Thank you for the therapy.
What do you think about adding sherry or wine to this? Making for thanksgiving! Can’t wait, thanks!
Definitely sherry, maybe wine, possibly marsala.
I just made this last night after drooling over the recipe for far too long. AMAZING. I can’t wait to enjoy the leftovers! I followed the recipe pretty exactly, but halved the butter and cream at the end and didn’t miss it at all. Such a silky, earthy treat on a cold day.
The cafe where I used to enjoy the most awesome mushroom soup has a new chef. When I ordered the old fave, it was thin and disappointing. I’ve been craving a good hearty mushroom soup ever since – and as my husband doesn’t like mushrooms, I WILL be consuming this all, myself. Can. Not. Wait. to make this!
Does anyone know if this will freeze? (I’ve got a chest freezer where I stash my excess food treasures, to extend the joy).
I made this, added another pound of mushroom. The smell is the most amazing thing I’ve had on my stove in a long while. Served with a slice of sourdough smothered with cheyvre. Great dinner for a windy, damp day
Made this tonight! Am in love. Deb, I so appreciate all the testing and perfection that goes into your recipes. You are like no other. I made this vegan with silken tofu instead of cream and Earth Balance butter. Just amazing!
Deb, sage doesn’t come in “sprigs”! Leaves, yes, some of them pretty big, but not sprigs; oregano and thyme come in sprigs, sage and tarragon come in leaves.
Loved seeing you in Chicago. You gave everyone there your time and attention. It felt just like your blog does: we’re hanging out in wash other’s kitchens, cooking and talking about our kids.
Each other’s, for goodness sake!
So I printed this recipe in January 2016 and kept meaning to get around to it. Yeah…I like to cook and have lots of recipes waiting around. Anyway… it’s COLD here in Virginia so of course that means soup time and I remembered I had this. Made exactly as written except I couldn’t find good rosemary, and my sage was wilted, so I just added 1t dried rosemary to the oil and left it in. Absolutely wonderful!! Nothing like the canned cream of chemicals soups. A total keeper!
I’d like to make this for Thanksgiving but I’m confused by “Deb’s Adjustments” – you made those adjustments in addition to your “adapted from The Balthazar Cookbook” recipe?
What do you think about deglazing with a bit of dry vermouth before adding chicken stock?
It is very rare that I am disappointed by a Smitten Kitchen recipe, but this was one of those occasions. I had high hopes because there were so many rave reviews, but I found this soup to be watery and bland. Not the kind of creamy mushroom soup I was hoping for!
What would happen, do you suppose, if you made this with full fat coconut milk instead of cream?
What can i substitute with the heavy cream? Tq
You are such a delight to read, and it doesn’t hurt that your recipes are pretty much fantastic. You have found the perfect mixture of personality and great food thoughts, in a world where we are inundated with food blogs and recipes. I follow you, and Heidi Swanson and I love David Lebovitz. that is darn close to perfect for my life these days. thank you, and keep them coming!
ps we were just at Balthazar and I wish now I’d ordered the soup!
This is by far the best mushroom soup I’ve ever had. The prep is a bit time consuming, but fortunately I like slicing mushrooms. I made it exactly as written and it was perfect. The mushroom flavour shines through, and although it’s a cream soup, it’s not the least bit heavy. I may try stirring in a little sherry next time. Or I might just drink the sherry while I make it.
Made this last night and it was excellent. I didn’t have fresh rosemary or sage, but dried worked fine. I have a lactose sensitivity but was short on non-dairy substitutes for the cream, so I melted a couple tablespoons of vegan butter (the artist formerly known as margarine) and then stirred a couple tablespoons of goat cheese into that. Let it get all melty and creamy and added it to the soup. Worked great. I also subbed oyster mushrooms for the shiitakes and skipped the dried mushrooms altogether; gotta love a forgiving recipe. This one’s definitely a keeper. Thanks, Deb, as always!
I love mushrooms and this seemed so delicious, but I definitely took a wrong turn somewhere. My soup ended up tasting strangely earthy…and not very palatable. Maybe it was the quality of my mushrooms? :(
I’ve made this a few times and found it to be excellent; it’s definitely not your dense, heavy-on-the-alfredolike-cream soup that some of us may remember from childhood can openings, and rather is its own delightful, lighter and gently herby but still very substantial soup.
But for those who have been asking: I froze half of mine. It had about a cup of cream in it, maybe a little less. It reheated (in the microwave, as I took it to work) even more brilliantly than I was expecting. I would say to freeze away, and allow it to completely thaw prior to a reheat. Give it a good stir, and if some of your dairy fat has stuck to the lid during cooling, ensure that gets reincorporated.
I’ve made this so many times, it’s one of my very favorite recipes. Usually I sub out the sage for thyme, but the most recent change I’ve made is this–replace the cream with brie. Two wedges of brie (~400g), rind cut off and cut into chunks, stirred slowly into the soup when you’d normally add the cream. It’s so good.
Oh wow. I love the way you think.
I made this a few days ago, it was perfect. Except i did add a little more mushrooms, not because it doesn’t have plenty already, just I am a mushroom fanatic. I recently ate a can of condensed soup and the heretics at Campbell Soup Company maybe only put a single mushroom in there. Thanks a bunch for sharing this recipe.
I made this tonight. I used beef stock. I bought a poultry herb bundle with sage, rosemary and thyme. I used 2 pounds of white mushrooms, the dried mushrooms, 8 oz of mini Portobello and 7 oz shiitake mushrooms. Chopped in good processor but still somewhat chunky. Used the recipe amount of butter and heavy cream and during the last couple of minutes chopped up about a 1/2 tsp of the fresh herbs to give it punch. I served with warm Le Bus sourdough rolls and some fresh brie and Vermont white cheddar. Rave reviews . Another huge hit. I recommend your recipes to everyone. Thank you so much.
This soup is amazing! I only had cremini mushrooms for the fresh part and it still turned out great, but I’ll definitely be trying this mixed with shiitake next time. One thing that wasn’t blatant in the directions was how far to let the mushrooms cook – I let all of the liquid cook off and then sautéed them for about 5 more minutes to give the mushrooms some color and toasty flavor. All in all they had to cook down for over 20 minutes.
I also followed the notes and only used half the amount of heavy cream and it was delicious – I think using the full cup would have been too much.
Will definitely make this again!
I needed something to keep my hands and brain busy today and this fit the bill nicely. I didn’t expect it to be so spectacular but wow what a showstopper! My husband and I had it for dinner with green salad and topped both with home made croutons. What a lovely bowl of comfort to make a hard day feel special instead!
Look at that white Staub pot. Yum. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
This soup + sautéed bellas finished in courvesier as a topping. I then added some arugula for some crunch. And the piece de resistance- roasted cauliflowers with browned butter and pepitas on top. Complete meal that complements perfectly!
Do you think I could use Trader Joe’s frozen mushroom blend? It’s really good!
Have you made this using half-and-half instead of cream? If so, how did it turn out? Thanks.
This soup looks so wonderful, but I cannot eat dairy. Any thoughts on a substitution for the cream? Would oat milk work, or cashew milk which is a little thicker?
This recipe is INCREDIBLE – the rosemary is just lovely in it. I could eat this every day. Definitely agree on not needing all the oil or cream…
I don’t have dried mushrooms. But I’m making it anyway.
I’m thinking of adding a little red wine along with the broth to add a little bit of flavor to make up for the dried mush. Is there something else that I should be considering?
(Making tonight – I’ll let you know how it goes.)
P.S. you are the best. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
How did it turn out? I wanna make this for Thanksgiving yumminess, but I’m also lazy and don’t wanna deal with dried mushrooms. I got a lot of things to do this week.
Not sure if you get notified when a reader leaves a comment almost 12 years after the initial blog post, but I have to ask which Staub pot you are using. I have a way-too-large Le Creuset dutch oven so I am looking to get a more standard size and I love the look of Staub. I would be grateful to know what size this pot is, but also if you have a variety of sizes and for what. If you don’t already have one, I’d be excited to see a post about your must-have (or most preferred) kitchen tools, although I’m sure my bank account would not!
Thanks!
It’s a 5-quart Staub cocotte. I find this to be a great size for most things. The only pot I use more is their 4-quart braiser. I talk about it here. It’s not the most organized but I have some kitchen favorites listed over these gift guides.
Love love love love! Became an instant staple in my kitchen!
This soup sounds AMAZING! but I need to make it dairy-free. Any advise? Thank you
Use oil and a non-dairy milk.
coconut oil and coconut milk work well for vegan version
This looks so delicious. I always shy away from recipes with cream though. Do you think that a full cup is necessary? Do you think I would ruin the perfection without the full cream amount?
The mushroom soup looks delicious!
Website messed up. Recipe doesn’t show, just comments
Oh no! I don’t see a problem — is it still happening?
It looks fine to me. Maybe it went away? Or a browser error?
Deb ,
Thank you so much for this lovely recipe. I am making it as a starter for Thanksgiving . Do you think I can make it on Tuesday or Wednesday and maybe add the cream on Thanksgiving while it’s reheating?
All the best,
Ann
Ever smoke your mushrooms? Smoked mushroom soup is wonderful. I have cooktop smoker & Smoking Gun (NOT so impressed w that device, got it for cocktails originally). I also add Spice House’s Porcini powder for even more of a mushroom umph. We eat a lot of mushrooms so I freeze all the stems for mushroom stock too. I find adding creme fraiche instead of cream gives a little more body too.
Hi Deb, could I sub coconut cream for heavy cream in your Balthazar mushroom soup? I need to make it dairy free. I’ve subbed coconut cream in other dishes and you don’t taste coconut flavor. Thanks!
Yes, I don’t see why not.
Can I use fresh mushrooms instead of the dried ones? If so, how many pounds??
No need to replace the dried; they’re for flavor, not bulk.
Yowza! Where do I start? That I kept “testing” it after it was done….testing to the tune of about a bowlful? Or that my hubby kept “testing” it after I had tested it for the umpteenth time? Or that we were both silent as we hungrily snarfed our bowls down? Or that I called my neighbor moaning, and though at first she thought hubby and I accidently pocket dialed her in the middle of…well…you know, and croaked out a “come over NOW to taste this….and she did?
Deb, this was perfection! Super, super, super mushroomy and rich, and hearty. And, well, Deb-tastic! Hubby had bought some mushroom stock pots that I was trying to figure out when to use, and this was the time. It was a breeze to make, and I followed your suggestions about cutting down on the olive oil and a bit on the cream. And I halved the butter. 1 T doesn’t sound decadent at all, but it did smooth things out. I pureed in batches as you said. First whiz was a full on puree. Second was about 10 seconds long and the third was a pulse or two. This gave creaminess and loads of texture and pieces of shroom heaven.
Thank you Deb!
I very much enjoyed reading this comment.
Hi, I’ve followed this recipe in the past and loved it! I want to make it again, but I want to freeze it to give away a several days later. Does this recipe thaw and reheat well?
Thanks,
-Rich
I made this without heavy cream (I didn’t have any in the fridge) and it is lovely and amazing. Thank you Deb – for sharing this recipe! The dried porcini mushrooms really add a ‘meatiness’ to this soup…
Super easy to make and turned out great. All I had on hand was a dry pinot noir rosé but it really did the trick. That squeeze of lemon juice really wakes the whole thing up, so in my notes I’ve crossed out the word ‘optional’. Also, thank you for giving me the courage to spend more time cooking down the mushrooms to brown them well. Fully worth it, and again, I’ve learned something new.
A nice snow day lunch! This turned out exactly how I expected it to-delicious. I used 1/2 chicken & half beef stock, but with the following exception, otherwise stuck to the recipe. I knew I wouldn’t use up cream, so I stirred in some whole milk yogurt into my bowl before serving & topped it with chives. I’m freezing a bunch, but will bring a dollop if yogurt separately.
This was delicious. I added a generous splash of dry white wine with the broth. Served with toasted rosemary bread.
I hope to do much of the cooking a day ahead…I’m thinking I could I could do it through adding the stock, refrigerate, and then gently reheat and add cream. Does this seem right?
I can’t believe I waited ten years to try this recipe. It is everything you would ever want in a mushroom soup. Teenagers in my house asked for seconds and guests asked to take some home. This is a winner!
Looks fabulous. I’m wondering what the benefit is of using a combo of dried and fresh mushrooms? Could I use all fresh? What would be different? Thanks!
Dried porcini and other mushrooms have a lot more flavor than fresh, and fresh porcini can be rare and expensive. It absolutely transforms the soup for me.
Made this the other night, and it was delicious! I do wish that I had taken her advice and used a little bit less cream (I eyeballed it like I do most things and just wish I had poured lighter). I also wish that I had used some more onion for a little bit more bite. The aromatics fill your house and make things smell of home and fall. This will be on a regular rotation.
I found this soup a little blah, possible too much stock?? So I added some sherry to it for a little punch. I did not add a half cup of oil either and used Half and Half instead of cream. Delicious though!
Wow! I made this tonight (my first ever mushroom soup) and it is fabulous. I have to laugh though—-after all those steps (and pricey ingredients…) I forgot to take out the twine bound spices and so blended them right up in the soup. More fiber I guess. I don’t THINK anyone has every died from twine…..
I have a stove top smoker that I smoke the mushrooms for about 20 minutes–and am careful to collect the liquid (not this time though). I also used 4 cups mushroom stock, 2 cups chicken stock,which I added all the stems & white wine, bay leaf, simmer 30 min, steep & strain for 1 hour. No dried porcini on hand but I had Porcini powder. I don’t care for Rosemary so I just added a bunch of herbs from the garden–savory, chervil, marjoram, thyme & sage.
I’ll go in the other direction–creme fraiche for us!
Love the restaurant and their dishes. I’m so glad you shared the Mushroom Soup recipe as it’s been on my mind for a while and you just gave me a reminder.
Have you ever tried their Goat Cheese Tart with Carmelized Onions? It a delicious appetizer that you’ll swoon over.
Can we replace cream with milk?
Aastha
Wow, this soup is fabulous …
I laugh while reading you, because defending your soup tooth and nail out, it’s hilarious hi hi. I’m sharing, so I would taste your soup with pleasure. Which will not prevent you from savoring each spoon.
I love your recipe and at home everyone says thank you …
Is there any point you could freeze this soup?
The end, even. It freezes well.
Made this soup today just as written. At the end I blended the whole thing and omitted the cream altogether (I didn’t forget the butter, though!). Really amazing – worth the time and effort. None of my tasters could believe there was no cream in the soup! Thank you for another great recipe!
Hi Deb and happy new year. This sounds like a wonderful soup. My question to you is how does this compare to the mushroom soup in the original Silver Palate cookbook. As you can see from the ingredients—
2 ounces dried cèpes, morels, or chanterelles
¼ cup Madeira
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cups finely chopped yellow onions
2 pounds fresh mushrooms
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 cups Chicken Stock
1 pint heavy cream (optional)
There are similarities but the use of more dried mushrooms and the Madeira will give a different flavor profile.
Have you made the Silver Palate soup?
Steve
I haven’t made the Silver Palate one so I cannot say but it could be similar.
I have to try your recipe. The Silver Palate recipe is great and is easy to make with excellent results every time but the optional cream makes it a little rich (not that that’s such a terrible thing). A wonderful mushroom soup is the perfect antidote for cold winter days. I look forward to trying the Balthazar soup. As always thanks for your continued great work.
What could I substitute for non dairy
I haven’t read ALL the comments so maybe someone has already asked this. But as my soup simmered some of the rosemary and sage leaves fell away from the ‘bundle’. Should these be removed or blended into the soup with the blender.
It’s totally up to you — whatever you’d prefer.
Holy moly! I made this soup last weekend with dried chanterelles, plus cremini and shiitake mushrooms and beef stock (from better than bouillon) and I LOVED it. Really deep flavor that is perfect for the winter months especially. Thank you for posting this recipe (and for re-posting recently on twitter where I saw it!).
This is absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe closely, and had great results. I’ve struggled to find a good cream of mushroom soup recipe, but this seems like a winner.
Really good and rich! Used less oil and cream, as Deb suggested, but it needed much more salt (as expected) so will add more in with the mushrooms next time. Before pureeing, I removed a bunch of mushrooms then added them back in in batches and pureed again to get variation in mushroom size (no need to leave any whole next time). It was nice to serve with cream on top and along with something acidic and/or fresh to balance out the earthy and creamy.
This was excellent! Next time I will puree the entire soup, as I would have preferred that texture better. I added a little garlic powder and a splash of sherry vinegar. I also omitted the cream altogether and simply served each bowl with a dollop of vegan sour cream. so yummy! I’m freezing leftovers. Thank you!
Amazing recipe – made this today. Substituted cream for full fat coconut milk, and butter for butter alternative making this fully dairy-free. Absolutely delicious (although I would agree it needs a tad bit more salt).
Oh Deb,
Even though it’s not mushroom season I had a ‘hankering’ for mushroom soup. I love all things mushroom and this soup was ah-maz-ing! I added sour cream at the last [skipped adding the heavy cream] and it’s a good thing there are leftovers! I can’t wait to taste is this afternoon after it’s had a chance to meld. YUMMY! Thanks so much!
Just made this soup and the first recipe from your blog. This soup is very good n flavourful. I am glad I made it. Thanks for the recipes n will try more your blog.
Just made this as written and the flavor is AMAZING, but despite what seemed like a long time with the immersion blender I can’t get it down to creamy and pretty texture like the picture…it looks a little like wet cement. Definitely won’t keep me from eating it, but any suggestions on how to fix this? Currently simmering it a bit more then going to blend again in case my mushrooms just weren’t soft enough. Thanks!
Do you have a blender? It might be easier. Or you can try removing the mushrooms with a slotted spoon and then some of the broth to get a thick puree and add the rest of the liquid, a little at a time.
Wow. I just made this, and it was delicious! I’m grateful I’ve learned to enjoy mushrooms over the last few years, it was a perfect fall smell in my apartment. My tiny mods were to add thyme because I had it fresh and like it with mushrooms, and to effectively double the onion and garlic (I halved the recipe but forgot with those two; thankfully it didn’t hurt anything!)
Two tweaks I made to this — I used an entire bulb of garlic and substituted 2 cups of sherry for broth, so 4 C broth, 2 C sherry. Yum.
Can I reheat it?
Yes, absolutely.
This recipe popped up today, and looks delicious. Since the hubster doesn’t care for shitakes, what would be a good substitute? More creminis (kind of one dimensional)? What do you think about some chanterelles, which are in season right now, and maybe some oyster mushrooms?
Thanks
Yes, you can use any mushroom you prefer or can get in the same weight.
Should the pot be covered while simmering?
I don’t but you can
I cook a lot, and was very excited to make this since I love Balthazar and have been craving mushroom soup. I made it exactly as written, and It was just OK. It lacked depth of flavor – and as some other reviewers said, it was bland, and too thin. If I made it again, I would use half the stock – 3 cups instead of 6 (could always add more stock at the end if it too thick). I would caramelize the onions to add depth to the flavor, plus use more garlic. I would keep the cup of cream, as it needs the silliness that the fat brings, and just cutting the amount of stock, the soup would automatically be creamier.
Great recipe. Added a glug of bourbon, a dash of Worcestershire, and some hot pepper flakes. Took your advice and used less fat at the beginning and a 1/2 cup or so of cream. Super good. Served with pita crisps and a spinach salad with pistachios and apples. Hooray! Great meal the night before Thanksgiving. You’re the best!
Made it for the first time last night and it was delish! Used low sodium veggie stock, and even with LS, I really didn’t need the salt. And I’m wondering if I can swap out cashew milk for the cream and add a bit of sherry?
My wonderful cousin just gave me almost two pounds of very fresh chanterelles. Will they work in Balthazar’s Mushroom Soup? Thanks!
Oh my! THIS is the best mushroom soup I’ve ever made / had… period.
Just so flavorful and hearty. One bowl with some crusty bread and I was SO full. Very satisfying. Thank you for this recipe!
Love the thought of creamy mushroom soup (and Balthazar’s). Is the soup, made up to the addition of cream and butter, freezable? Thanks.
This would not work for us as my husband can’t tolerate dairy, or any of the common substitutes. In any case, I think I would prefer the flavors of your Mushroom Farro soup. It somewhat resembles my favorite mushroom barley soup, by Crescent Dragonwagon, from her long out-of-print “Soup and Bread.” (Her cornbread recipes are excellent, and authentically Southern, too.)
Just made this soup! Just amazing! Thank you! This will get me through the winter!
This soup has been on my list for literally years and I’m just now getting around it. I loved it at Balthazar quite a few years ago and was very excited to see it here. Thank you so much because it is delicious. My husband took care of the chopping and I did the rest and we couldn’t have been happier. We pureed about half of the soup and left the other half as it was since DH insisted on a chunkier soup. 4 stars!!!
I’ve made this a couple of times and the first time found it fine but not great – felt the flavor could be bumped up and wanted to modify the texture for my personal preference. The second time I added celery to my onions, some red pepper flakes, more dried mushrooms, and less stock (about 4-5 cups – I eyeballed it). I also added mushroom powder which really amped up the flavor (however, slightly oversalted as I didn’t see that the mushroom powder salt in it until after I seasoned – I added extra cream to help dilute/compensate, which really helped). I used an immersion blender to blend it enough to still leave some good size mushroom chunks. I froze a big part of it and assume it’ll defrost just fine but will report back.
WOW! This is amazing!
Used the available white and baby bella mushrooms, sage and thyme… Otherwise as written.
Almost too good to share!
Thank you, Deb!!
Do you buy the mushrooms dried or fresh?
Here I use some dried and some fresh.
Ok but if using dried mushrooms, how much? Is it still 2 pounds or?
I’m going to repost this question because I haven’t seen it answered yet and I have just cooked a giant double batch. Can you freeze this soup?
Do you remove the herb bundle?
This soup is one of my favorites. I’ve made it often and have enjoyed it each time. Any leftovers are gobbled up quickly. I’ve even used the leftovers as a mushroom sauce to fancy up potatoes or chicken.
To cut the amount of fat, I have replaced the heavy cream with fat-free half and half without any discernible difference.
Vegan options? I saw something about silken tofu, but not specific. Thanks!!
Can the finished soup be frozen?
Yes
Does this freeze well?
I haven’t frozen it, but I bet it will.
Fri sat sun cream of mushroom. I had been looking for this recipe since 96 and I was afraid it wouldn’t stand up. Married for 5 together for another 7 and hubs said this is the best soup I’ve ever made. It’s insane 32 oz broth and 32 oz heavy cream but omfg is it good.
When you cook the mushrooms, do you do it until all the liquid is gone and they’re starting to brown? Or, just 10 minutes regardless. I’m making it now. Going to browning — but wondering what you do. Thank you.
I just look for the liquid to be gone, but if they brown, I don’t think anything bad will come of it.
I made this when you first posted it back in the day, and today did a quick and dirty reinactment-complete with Target delivery of button mushrooms, no twine, no dried mushrooms…and it was so great. Made it while working at home and fed myself a real lunch. Such a forgiving recipe and very therapeutic.
My old reliable Good Housekeeping mushroom soup recipe always gets raves. I’m sure the reason is the effort it takes to make is obvious to the eater. That doesn’t stop me from wanting to try a new one. A variety of mushrooms is calling my name. I’ll let you know what I think.
My hack here is to leave out the cup of heavy cream as I have a daughter who is highly allergic to dairy. Its fine that way but I put all the options on the table and everyone adds the amount of milk/cream/alternative milks/etc as they want or don’t want.
Can this soup be frozen, either at the very end or, perhaps, at the stage before the cream and butter are added?
To make this lovely-looking cream of mushroom soup for someone who can’t eat dairy, could one use lactose-free yogurt or sour cream?
Oh, my goodness! This soup is absolutely delicious. And the recipe serves many more than six. After my husband and I each had a large bowl for dinner, I’m guessing I have enough for a soup course for eight.
One question: Have you ever tried using plant-based milk and butter? We are reducing our dairy intake where we can, and I suspect full-fat coconut milk and a non-dairy buttery spread *might* work.
I just bought the mushrooms to make the soup. Question, after you add the stock, mushroom liquid and minced re-hydrated mushrooms and simmer for 30 minutes – should the pot be covered or uncovered?
My husband had been making this recipe for years! So comfy and super delicious :)
OMG!!!
I found this recipe in last weeks email at the very end of the page. I had to rush out and buy the ingredients and make it the next day.
NO ONE WILL EVER NEED ANOTHER MUSHROOM SOUP RECIPE EVER. This made my tongue & tastebuds go into sensory overload.
The only changes I made was to add fresh thyme, because let’s be honest, mushrooms mush have thyme, & I used 1/2 n 1/2 because I prefer it over cream. I urge you all to try this.
We had this for dinner last night and it was delicious. My husband had to have seconds. He asked who’s recipe it was and I said once again Deb’s from the smitten kitchen. We have had so many of your recipes and love them all. Thank you for sharing this with us
I love mushroom soup and look forward to trying this recipe for Thanksgiving this year. Can this be made a few days ahead and reheated on Thanksgiving? If it can be , do I need to do anything different to the recipe.
Thanks for your help!
Yum! I shopped my refrigerator, and used 1 lb of white mushrooms, beef bone broth, and porcini powder. Seasoned aggressively, semi-pureed with my trusty immersion blender, a little cream and butter, and THEN – – – a splash of dark balsamic and a bit of chèvre!
Made this yesterday. Its okay. I added more garlic, used 3 tablespoons of bacon drippings/olive oil, a rich homemade chix stock, white wine, 2.5 lbs of various shrooms (including local dried porcinis), parm rind, soy sauce, lemon juice, French herbs (my preference), bay leaf, Trader Joes mushroom umami, creme fraiche–1/2 cup–& even a little whey. While its good, I’d hoped for a more, well, mushroom flavor. Next time I’ll brown the mushrooms FIRST, then adding onions, etc. would help–mine still had too much liquid. Also will make a mushroom stock instead of chicken for more intense flavor.
I’m definitely in the minority here but I wasn’t crazy about this soup. I love Balthazar and, of course, Deb’s recipes, but this was a disappointment. It was thin and for some reason I could really taste the dried mushrooms. It was extremely expensive to make also, but I wouldn’t have cared if I liked it. Sadly, just not for me.