Cream of mushroom soup

Method

1. 1

   Clean and weigh

   Clean mushrooms with a damp cloth or brief rinse and dry them. Weigh 500 g edible portion and slice. Chop 100 g peeled onion. Weigh 20 g butter,100 g unsweetened cream,600 g water,3 g salt and 0.5 g pepper. Use water without added stock.

   
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   Cream of mushroom soup: Clean and weigh

2. 2

   Soften the onion

   Melt butter in a saucepan about 2 litres over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes, stirring, until soft but not toasted. Reduce heat if it colours too much. Do not add more fat, as it changes the recipe calculation.

   
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   Cream of mushroom soup: Soften the onion

3. 3

   Cook the mushrooms

   Add all mushrooms. Cook 8 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring, until they release liquid and much of it evaporates. Do not reserve slices for garnish: all are incorporated into the soup. Their volume reduces as they cook.

   
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   Cream of mushroom soup: Cook the mushrooms

4. 4

   Add water and simmer

   Add 600 g water, salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered 10 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally until mushrooms are tender. Avoid a vigorous boil that reduces the quantity too much.

   
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   Cream of mushroom soup: Add water and simmer

5. 5

   Blend and add cream

   Take off the heat. Carefully use an immersion blender with the head always submerged until smooth; do not tilt the pan or splash. Stir in 100 g cream. Return to low heat for 2 minutes, stirring, without boiling hard. Do not add flour.

   
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   Cream of mushroom soup: Blend and add cream

6. 6

   Serve and store

   Divide all soup between four bowls. Bread, croutons and toppings are excluded. The 40-minute total is 15 preparation and 25 cooking. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow containers at 4 °C or below; use within 3–4 days and reheat to 74 °C while stirring.

   
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   Cream of mushroom soup: Serve and store

The step photos are illustrative.