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Cream of Mushroom Soup - Birdseye View

Julia Child's Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe

Daryl and Mindi Hirsch
This recipe, from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, is a simple yet luxurious starter that's ideal to serve at dinner celebrations. It's also easier to make than you may expect.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Soup
Cuisine French
Servings 6
Calories 374 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the Roux

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour (all-purpose)
  • 1/4 cup onion (minced)

For the Base Broth

  • 1/3 bay leaf
  • 6 cups chicken stock (or low-sodium chicken broth)
  • 1 pound white button or cremini mushrooms (caps and stems separated, stems to be used for the initial broth)
  • 2 sprigs parsley
  • 1/8 teaspoon thyme (chopped)
  • pepper (to taste)
  • salt (to taste)

For the Mushroom Cap Sauté

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • mushroom caps (from the previous pound of whole mushrooms)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Finished Soup

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons butter (softened)
  • parsley ( chopped)

Equipment

Instructions
 

Making the Roux

  • Cook the onions and butter over low to medium heat in a 3 to 4 quart saucepan until the onions are just softened. Do not let the onion brown. In the meantime, bring the stock to a boil.
  • Once the onions are softened, evenly pour in the flour. Cook until the ingredients incorporate into a white roux . Don't let the mixture turn brown. Once the mixture is incorporated, add the chicken stock, the parsley sprigs, the mushroom stems, the bay leaf and the thyme. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Simmer the mixture, partially covered, for 20 minutes, skimming occasionally.

Mushroom Cap Steam Sauté

  • Meanwhile. about halfway through the cooking of the broth, sauté the mushroom caps in 2 tablespoons of butter along with the lemon juice and salt. Keep the pan covered until the mushrooms are soft and have given up their liquid (about 5 minutes).

Cooking the Soup

  • Once the mixture is cooked, strain the entire mixture, pressing the mushroom stems, and place the strained mixture back into the pot. Pour in the sautéed mushroom caps along with the mushroom cap cooking liquid. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Finishing the Soup

  • Beat the egg yolks and heavy cream in a mixing bowl. Once incorporated, temper the mixture by pouring in the hot soup one spoon at a time until about six spoons are mixed in. Pour the rest of the yolk/cream mixture into the soup and cook just under a simmer for about 2 minutes until the entire yolk mixture is incorporated.
  • Add 1 to 3 tablespoons of softened butter to finish the soup. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve.

Notes

If you plan to serve the soup later, Julia recommends making the soup until the finishing step and then covering it with a spoonful of cream. Another option is to do the same thing but cover the soup with plastic wrap. When you reheat the soup, heat it for a couple of minutes until it's hot, but not boiling (a bare simmer). Temper it with the egg yolk/cream mixture and, of course, the butter finish.

Nutrition

Calories: 374kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 11gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 146mgSodium: 575mgPotassium: 548mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 1028IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 44mgIron: 1mg
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