Golden Cream Of Mushroom Soup With Crispy Shallots & Creme Fraiche

Photo: Foodiewife (Debby)

Ingredients

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced

3 smalls shallots, sliced thin

1 teaspoon dried thyme (or fresh)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

4 cups chicken stock (or you could use mushroom or vegetable stock)

kosher salt & pepper

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup heavy cream or half and half (used a combo of each)

3 tablespoons Golden Sherry (optional, but makes this taste fantastic) or dry white wine

Optional:

creme fraiche (for garnish)

Preparation

To make crispy shallots, cook in a thin layer of olive oil until golden (not too high of a heat, or they can easily burn). Set aside, on a paper towel.

For the soup:

In a Dutch Oven, heat a little bit of olive oil and butter-- just enough for a thin coating. Cook the mushrooms for about 3-5 minutes, until golden. Set aside.

Using the same pot, add a little more olive oil and saute the sliced shallots until tender.

Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute.

Season with a little kosher salt, pepper and dried thyme.

Add the flour, stir and cook for about one minute.

Return the mushrooms to the cooked shallots, add tomato paste and about 1 cup of the chicken stock. Stir to combine.

All the remaining chicken stock and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Puree the soup in batches, carefully, in a blender. I prefer to use an immersion blender right into the pot, which is so much simpler!

Puree to your liking-- I leave small chunks of mushroom.

Add the heavy cream/half & half.

Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche and the crispy shallots on top.

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About

Golden Sherry is what gives this soup a grownup taste. You can leave it out, and the soup will be just fine. Cremini mushrooms are baby portobellos, and they have a nuttier taste compared to white button mushrooms. That is why I call this recipe "Golden Cream of Mushroom Soup". The creminis developed a beautiful color to this flavorful soup. This soup was ready to eat in under 30 minutes.

As a garnish, crispy shallots are served with a dollop of creme fraiche. Fantastic!

For a tutorial on how I made this, visit my food blog at:
http://foodiewife-kitchen.blogspot.com/2009/10/golden-mushroom-soup-with-creme-fraiche.html