BALTHAZAR’S MUSHROOM SOUP

Balthazar's Mushroom Soup

• PREP: 30 mins

• COOK: 30 mins

• READY IN: 1 hr 15 mins

from: www.smittenkitchen

Ingredients

• 1 ounce mushrooms dried, porcini, morels, or shitakes

• 1/2 cup Olive Oil

• 2 sprigs Rosemary fresh

• 4 sprigs sage fresh

• 1 large yellow onion peeled, thinly sliced

• 3 garlic cloves peeled and thinly sliced

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper freshly ground

• 1 pound mushrooms button or cremini, cleaned, thinly sliced

• 1 pound shitake mushrooms cleaned, thinly sliced

• 6 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock, or water

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 2 tablespoons Butter unsalted

Instructions

1. Prepare your dried mushrooms: soak them in 1 cup boiling water for 20 to 30 minutes, until plump.
   

2. Remove them from the liquid and mince the mushrooms, setting them aside.
   

3. Strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter to remove grit and reserve liquid.
   

4. Make the soup: bundle your sage and rosemary together with kitchen twine. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the herb bundle and sizzle for a few minutes on all sides to infuse the oil.
   

5. Add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent, but not brown.
   

6. Turn heat to high and add the white mushrooms and shitakes. Cook for 10 minutes, letting the mushrooms give off their liquid, (which should evaporate quickly due to the high heat), and deflate significantly.
   

7. Stir occasionally.
   

8. Add the chicken stock and the dried mushrooms along with the soaking liquid. Simmer for 30 minutes.
   

9. Remove the herbs, then add the cream and butter.
   

10. Puree the soup until desired consistency. (If you want more texture, do not fully puree.)