French Cream of Mushroom Soup (Potage Velouté aux Champignons)

By á-708

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) finely chopped onion
• 4 Tbs (60 ml) butter
• 3 Tbs (45 ml) flour
• 6 cups (1.5 L) chicken stock
• 2 sprigs parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) dried thyme
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• The stems from 1 lb (500 g) mushrooms, chopped
• The caps from 1 lb (500 g) mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) whipping cream

Preparation

Step 1

Cook the onions in 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the butter in a large soup pot over moderate heat until tender but not browned. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, and mushroom stems and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Strain the soup through a fine strainer, pressing the mushroom stems to extract as much moisture as possible. Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the butter in a separate saucepan and cook the sliced mushroom caps, covered, over low heat for 5 minutes. Add the mushroom caps and their cooking juices to the strained broth and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Beat the egg yolks and the cream together in a small bowl. Add a little of the simmering broth to the egg mixture and stir well. Add the egg mixture to the soup and stir over moderate heat for a minute or two, being careful not to let the soup come to a boil. Serves 6 to 8.