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Potage velouté aux champignons
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This is my take on the Julia Child classic “Cream of Mushroom Soup” recipe[1]. It’s fantastic. Three important things to know: first, its fantastickness depends on the stock. Second, it’s highly caloric, in the most voluptuous way. Three, it is absolutely sensational.
Ingredients for 6 servings:
6 Tbs butter, divided
1/4 cup minced onion
1½-2 lbs button mushrooms
3 Tbs flour
6 cups chicken stock
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt, plus more, to taste
Pepper
1/2 cup of heavy cream, plus more as needed
2 egg yolks
How to do it:
- Melt 3 Tbs butter in a casserole pot. Add the onions, turn the heat to low, and cook until the onions are very soft, about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, pluck all the stems off of the mushrooms. Thinly slice the stems. Keep them separate from the caps, and set the mushrooms aside.
Of course you can use whatever kind of mushroom you like, I suppose. I’ve used baby bellas; they’re fantastic.
- Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, stopping before the flour browns, about 2 minutes.
- Off heat. Add stock and mushroom stems. Partially cover the pot, bring to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, choose the best-looking dozen mushroom caps, and reserve them. Thinly slice the remaining caps and cook them over medium heat in 2 Tbs butter, lemon juice, and salt, until they soften, about 2 minutes.
The quality of the stock will make the difference between a good soup, and an outstanding one, in terms of both taste and texture. I had a very crude stock that I’d made from a rotisserie chicken carcass (Spanglish Enchilada Casserole), and the water I’d used to cook beans (Eyebrow-Raising Baked Beans), in the freezer. They were perfect for this soup, augmented by a little bit of store-bought stock reduction paste.
If you’re going to use 100% store-bought stock, check Julia’s book, because she gives some advice about how to gussy one up. Also, consider increasing the flour by a tablespoon.
In Julia’s recipe, the onions and mushroom stems are strained out after the 20-minute cook time. I get that, but I like rustic cuisine, so I left them in.
- Transfer the sliced mushroom caps and their juices into the soup, and simmer for 10 minutes. Off heat. Add salt and pepper, to taste. If not serving immediately, layer a spoonful of cream over the soup, and leave the pot covered.
- Flute 12 mushroom caps and brown them in 1 Tbs butter. Set aside.
I tried to do this the way that Jacques Pepin does, but I was largely unsuccessful. If you simply brown some plain old unfluted mushroom caps and use them to garnish the soup, it will still look quite nice if you float them in the soup – which is what I did for this post.
- Reheat the soup, if necessary. Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and ½-cup of cream together in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Ladle about ½-cup of the hot soup into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Add two more half-cups of soup, one at a time, in a similar manner, then pour the egg mixture into the soup pot and stir thoroughly. Continue to heat the soup over lowest flame for a minute or two, to let the eggs cook, but don’t let the soup come to a simmer. Serve hot, garnished with fluted mushrooms.
If you’ve kept the fluted mushrooms at room temperature, there’s no need to reheat them before garnishing the soup. A minute in the hot soup will do the trick.
Crusty bread is the perfect accompaniment to this soup. I suggest a sourdough baguette. Precede the soup with an Irish Rose cocktail, then a delicious green salad, and follow it up with some excellent cheese and a bottle of wine. You’ll have one hell of a wonderful meal.
The soup is excellent leftover, but you have to heat it gently, stirring constantly – even over a double boiler if need be. (I don’t recommend a microwave.) If you’re not careful, you’ll break the emulsion and wind up with little droplets of oil floating in the soup. It will still taste great, but it won’t be as pretty and the texture will not be as luxurious as it was when the soup was freshly made.
[1] Child, Julia, Louisette Bertholli, and Simone Beck. 1967. “Potage veloute aux chamignons (Cream of Mushroom Soup).” In Mastering the Art of French Cooking, 40. New York, NY: Knoph.
Sensational Cream of Mushroom Soup
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I have never made Julia’s recipe but I know enough to trust her implicitly, and you as well. Looks stunning. And I love that you referred to its caloric nature as voluptuous. Words I can understand.
Hahah! Me too.
This recipe sounds fantastic, and I’m sure the flavor of the broth or stock makes a huge difference. I should re-read my Julia Child cookbooks some time. I guess that gal knew what she was doing! 🤣🤣🤣
Mimi recently posted…How I Met Yotam Ottolenghi
She sure did. It definitely a book from another era.
I love when the simplest of ingredients transform into something truly exceptional! This looks so worth the time and calories!
Laura recently posted…Za’atar Orange Salmon
Very much worth it!
Looks incredibly creamy, rich and so tasty! I love mine with some crusty garlic bread :-))
angiesrecipes recently posted…Sourdough Chinese Crullers and Jian Bing Guo Zi – Pancake Rolled With Yau Char Kwai
That would be a delicious combination.
There isn’t anything we like more than a sensational cream of mushroom soup! Have you tried dry-roasting the shrooms? It actually caramelizes the shrooms so they are even more intensely flavoured.
Eva Taylor recently posted…Mediterranean Tuna Casserole
NO! But I will definitely try it!
Ok, I’m on board here! I do love soups, and we’re still pretty chilly here – a good Spring soup would be welcome for lunches. I have to admit that reheating this soup using a double boiler is a great idea. It might take longer, but hey we have the time these days, right? Sounds delicious, Jeff!
David @ Spiced recently posted…Homemade Italian Bread
It’s 28°F this morning! Anything requiring a double boiler usually leaves me wanting to call it quits, but the emulsion is delicate. Importantly, even if it breaks, the soup is still delicious.
This soup looks wonderful Jeff !! I love soups !!
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Talk about luscious! So rich and creamy! Love the floating mushrooms on top. Super cool garnish. 🙂 ~Valentina
Thank you!
Not only does this Mushroom Soup sound scrumptious, it looks beautiful as well. I love the caps floating on top. Who cares about the calories when you can indulge in something so lovely. Thanks for sharing. Hope you are safe and healthy.
Thank you! I’m OK with the calories so long as I can get some exercise, but that’s been challenging in our current world-pandemic situation.
Now this is some REAL cream of mushroom soup! I love the big chunks of mushroom
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I love creamy mushroom soup, so yum! And Julia was such a great cook☺
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I do love her cookbooks.
Mmm… I love a hot bowl of soup no matter what time of year it is. This looks like a straightforward recipe that wouldn’t be much trouble to make. Thanks for sharing! Looks good.
For as good as it is, it’s surprisingly not that complicated.
Soup is a good lunch when you are locked down and eating lunch at home every day.
You asked if things were really bad in Michigan — the infection rate and the death rate are higher than elsewhere, but if you are locked in and isolated, it’s the same everywhere. Getting groceries is the same as in most urban areas, if I read the reports, and the well-developed farmers’ market system in Michigan, though not allowed to open as stalls, is still finding ways to offer local produce through other outlets.
be well… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I’m glad to hear that you’re well. Yes, here too in Chicago, there are delivery services filling in the gap in terms of fresh produce. Curiously, the stores do seem to be chock full of it. (I suppose it would take a lot of work to hoard fresh produce.) But I notice that what’s in the stores, in terms of produce, is significantly lower in quality.
Just the kind of dish I love. Simple but really tasty and satisfying. In fact, this might be dinner tonight!
You’re in for a treat if it is!
I thought I left a comment here earlier. Maybe I decided against it because my comment could have been interpreted as R rated. So I probably chickened out. I can be downright juvenile when faced with creamy concoctions like this. GREG
Haha! Nope, this is your first comment. I understand you sentiment.
I love a cream of mushroom soup. And using a good home stock like you did definitely makes all the difference!
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Talk about a classic wow! This soup is calling my name. Add a crusty bread to the meal as you suggest, and I probably wouldn’t be able to stop eating. 😆 Absolutely delicious!
Thanks, Shannon!
I LOVE homemade cream of mushroom soup! Not the quickest dish to make, but so worth it. Your version looks sensational. Thanks. And thanks for the cocktail link love!
John / Kitchen Riffs recently posted…The Penicillin Cocktail
You’re welcome. I had some friends over, and made this soup for them. We started with that cocktail, and they all loved it.
delicious soup
Thank you!
Jeff, I have a cream of mushroom soup recipe that I’m planning to share soon too, but I learned to make mine from an old Better Homes and Garden cookbook! 🙂 The recipe I use doesn’t call for egg yolks, but I’m sure that adds a bit of body to this gorgeous soup. I’m going to have to try Julia’s recipe now that you have shared it. It really does look sensational 🙂
I’ll be interested to see the one you post! The yolks do add body, for sure – but they also make the soup difficult to reheat. All in all, though, a really tasty soup.
Jeff, your soup looks amazing. I have never heard of whisking egg yolks into a mushroom soup, but it sounds lovely! I will have to try it soon!
I hadn’t heard of it, either. It made the soup luxurious.
I can only imagine how good that creamy mushroom soup tastes. It does sound sensational and the egg yolks are unique! Julia would be proud of you! Thanks.
Thanks, Judee!
I love a cream of mushroom soup – and this looks delish! The styling is pretty ace too! You so clever. shrooms to buy
Thank you so much!
Oh, come on. I´m a beginner, more or less, in cooking but you fill my fav list on that too quickly!
iris Flavia recently posted…(In The) Summertime?
This is a very special soup, especially if you use the rotisserie stock trick. You’ll love it!
I remember cream of mushroom soup when I was young and it was always a comfort soup. Your recipe looks outstanding, creamy, and delicious.
Thank you, Judee.