The rains have come back to the Pacific Northwest and it is delightfully fresh, damp and cool in the forest. You can hear the earth and animals breathe a sigh of relief. The hot, dry summer is over and fall is in full swing.
The wild mushrooms are starting to pop, so it’s time to wander into the woods looking for these little treasures. One of the easiest wild mushrooms to hunt for is the chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius). Chanterelles are a beautiful orange-ish yellow mushroom, shaped like a trumpet with a smooth wavy cap. They can typically be found under conifer or oak trees after a good fall rain (late-September to late-October) in the Pacific Northwest. The timing and growing preference may be slightly different depending on the part of the country you live in, so consult your local guide books for details.
Chanterelles are fun to pick and a delight to eat. As discussed in David Arora’s book, All That the Rain Promises, and More…, chanterelles can be a little tricky to clean and usually require soaking and scrubbing. This can cause the mushrooms to take on water, potentially compromising the texture of the mushroom. In this recipe however, the mushroom liquor is welcomed and helps add to the flavor of the soup. So, go ahead and use water to clean your chanterelles. The liquid will get extracted as we cook the mushrooms down.
I use a combination of chanterelle and cremini mushrooms in this recipe, but feel free to use your favorite mushrooms or whatever you have on hand. Just be sure to use at least two different varieties. This will give your soup a more complex mushroom flavor.
To make this soup, melt 1 tablespoon of olive oil and two tablespoons of butter in a large pot or enameled dutch oven. Add 1 cup of shallots and sauté until the shallots are soft. Next, add 4 cups of roughly chopped mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms are soft and have released their juices. Add 1 ½ teaspoons of dried thyme and 2 teaspoons of salt. Sauté for an additional minute, then add 16 ounces of chicken stock. (You can use vegetable broth instead if you want to keep this dish vegetarian.) Cover your pot and simmer for 20 minutes.
After simmering the mushrooms for 20 minutes, take the lid off of your pot and stir in 6 ounces of cream cheese. Keep stirring until the cheese has completely melted. Next, add 16 ounces of heavy cream and ½ teaspoon of nutmeg. Bring the soup up to a very low simmer, but do not boil. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until mostly smooth. I like to leave a few pieces of mushroom intact for texture. Once the soup is blended, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon of pepper and another ½ teaspoon of salt. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning, as necessary.
Serve this soup with a chunk of crusty bread and enjoy.
Creamy Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup shallots, chopped finely
- 4 cups assorted mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 1 ½ tsp dried thyme
- 2 ½ tsp salt
- 16 oz low sodium chicken stock (or vegetable broth)
- 6 oz cream cheese
- 16 oz heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Heat butter and olive oil in large pot or enameled Dutch oven.
- Add shallots and sauté until the shallots are soft.
- Add mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms are soft and have released their juices.
- Add dried thyme and salt. Sauté for an additional minute.
- Add chicken stock (or vegetable broth if you want to keep this dish vegetarian).
- Cover pot and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Stir in cream cheese, heavy cream and nutmeg. Bring the soup to a very low simmer, but do not boil.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until mostly smooth. Leave a few mushrooms intact for texture.
- Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
- Serve this soup with a chunk of crusty bread and enjoy.
2 thoughts on “Creamy Mushroom Soup”
Looks fantastic! Al I need to do is search the woods for the mushrooms.
Mushrooms from the grocery store work too! I recommend checking out Treebird Farms Market in Hood River, Oregon. They carry Columbia River Mushroom Company mushrooms, with varieties including Blue, Golden or Black Oyster, Shiitake, Lion’s Mane Chestnut or Pioppino mushrooms, depending on the week.