Cream of Mushroom Soup, Escoffier Style

Ingredients

• 500 g button mushrooms (Finely chopped)
• 40 g butter (For cooking the mushrooms)
• 3 shallots (Medium, finely chopped)
• salt (To season the mushrooms)
• black pepper (To season the mushrooms)
• 200 ml crème fraîche (Heavy whipping cream may be used instead)
• 50 ml milk (Added to adjust the soup's consistency)
• 40 g butter (For the béchamel base)
• 40 g all-purpose flour (Plain flour)
• 0.5 onion (Pricked with 4 cloves)
• 4 whole cloves (Prick into the onion)
• 2 bay leaves (Small)
• salt (A pinch for the béchamel base)
• black pepper (A pinch for the béchamel base)
• 800 ml whole milk (Full-cream milk)
• nutmeg (A little, freshly grated into the milk; the written ingredient list does not specify an amount)
• fresh parsley (Chopped; for serving)
• 2 tbsp port wine or sherry (Optional; stir in at the end)
• croutons (For serving; amount not specified)

Steps

1. 1

   Finely chop the shallots and mushrooms. Prepare the béchamel flavorings by pricking the half onion with the cloves; set aside the bay leaves, salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg.

2. 2

   Make the roux: melt the 40 g of béchamel butter in a saucepan. Add the 40 g flour and mix thoroughly. Cook over medium-low heat for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and set the roux aside to cool.

3. 3

   In a large pan, melt the 40 g butter for the mushrooms. Add the chopped shallots and sweat them gently without browning.

4. 4

   Add the chopped mushrooms and stir to coat them in the butter. Let them sit for 1–2 minutes, then season with salt and pepper.

5. 5

   Cook the mushrooms over medium heat until they release their liquid. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking gently until almost all the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the mushrooms to rest.

6. 6

   In a separate saucepan, combine the 800 ml whole milk with the clove-studded half onion, bay leaves, a little salt and pepper, and grated nutmeg. Bring the milk gently to a boil over medium to medium-high heat, then turn off the heat and leave it to infuse for 5 minutes.

7. 7

   Strain the infused milk to remove the onion, cloves, and bay leaves. Pour a little of the warm milk into the cooled roux and stir to loosen it, then return the roux mixture to the pan with the remaining milk.

8. 8

   Warm the béchamel gently, stirring continuously, and bring it back to a gentle boil. Strain it through a sieve to make a smooth, clear sauce.

9. 9

   Combine the cooked mushrooms with the strained béchamel. Blend until smooth using an immersion blender, or pass through a vegetable mill.

10. 10

    Pass the blended soup through a sieve, pressing with a spoon to extract the smooth mushroom cream and leave behind the mushroom pieces.

11. 11

    Return the soup to a clean pan and warm it over medium heat. Add the 50 ml milk to loosen the consistency.

12. 12

    Add the crème fraîche and warm the soup slowly, stirring it in until incorporated. Do not add extra milk or cream, as this can dilute the mushroom flavor.

13. 13

    Cook the soup for 5 minutes over very low heat.

14. 14

    If using, stir in 2 tablespoons of port or sherry at the end.

15. 15

    Ladle into bowls and serve with chopped parsley and croutons. The video also shows a little butter added to the serving bowl, but no amount is specified in the written ingredient list.

Notes

The description lists chopped parsley and croutons for serving and notes that port or sherry may be added at the end. The transcript also demonstrates adding a little butter to the serving bowl, but gives no amount. The video describes other vegetable variations, but this recipe is specifically for mushrooms.

Nutrition per serving

• soup
• side
• French
• vegetarian
• contains dairy
• contains gluten
• stovetop
• classic