Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup
This restaurant-quality cream of mushroom soup features a luxurious, velvety texture and deep, earthy flavors thanks to a combination of wild mushrooms, leeks, and a hint of Cognac.
Ingredients
- 2 leeks · cleaned
- 1 lb mixed mushrooms · cremini, shiitake, maitake, oyster
- 4 garlic cloves · minced
- 1 large shallot · minced
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter · divided
- 2 tsp fresh thyme · divided
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup Cognac
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 cup arborio rice
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Avocado oil
- Fresh chives · finely chopped
Preparation
- 1
Clean and chop the leeks. Prep the mushrooms by brushing them clean (do not submerge in water), remove stems where necessary, and slice or tear them into bite-sized pieces.
- 2
Mince the garlic and shallot. Heat two pans over medium heat, add half the butter, and sauté the mushrooms with thyme and salt until tender. Add a splash of avocado oil if the pans seem dry.
- 3
In a 6-quart pot, melt the remaining butter over medium heat. Sauté the leeks with salt and pepper until caramelized.
- 4
Add the shallots and garlic to the pans with the mushrooms. Add the flour to the mushroom pans and stir, then deglaze with Cognac, carefully igniting it to flame off the alcohol.
- 5
Pour a little chicken stock into the mushroom pans to scrape up the browned bits (fond), then transfer the mushroom mixture to the main pot with the leeks.
- 6
Add the remaining chicken stock to the pot and season. Wrap the arborio rice in a piece of cheesecloth tied into a purse, add it to the soup, and simmer for 25 minutes.
- 7
Remove the rice purse and squeeze the contents into the soup to release the starch. Stir in the heavy cream and warm through before serving with fresh chives.
