Creamy mushroom & sherry soup is both rustic & decadent. Any recipe is elevated with the addition of cream making it something a little special…even the humblest of mushroom soups.
If you can locate any more exotic mushrooms than the Swiss brown mushrooms I used – go right ahead. My mushroom soup craving took me to a small store in the next town. I bought what was available, pleased the store sold brown mushrooms.
As the recipe title implies, this soup is flavored with sherry. If you’ve not cooked with sherry, you must. I keep a bottle in my pantry always. Sherry is a fortified wine & imparts a subtle smokiness, maybe even some would suggest, a nutty flavor to a recipe. I find the nuances of sherry more complex than wine with a lingering flavor. Sherry is magnificent in cream soups & sauces, gravy, stir-fries, risotto & desserts – if you opt for sweet sherry. For savory recipes I stick to dry or medium-dry sherry.
As I sit in my office writing this, I look out over our expanse of green lawn & fields, barren of any crops since being harvested weeks ago. The sun is sitting low in the sky but the sky is a gorgeous blue. It’s deceiving for it looks warm, apart from the yellowing leaves skipping past the windows. The temperature is sitting at freezing, below that if you count the windchill & snow is in the forecast. Step outside & it’s bone-chillingly cold. Could there be a more perfect night for a steaming bowl of creamy mushroom & sherry soup? I think not. As I head back into the kitchen to test a recipe for low carb garlic bread to accompany the soup. Along with a nice Californian red, of course. Have a wonderful evening all. Cheers, Lovoni xo
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 lbs (907) mushrooms, sliced (about 10 cups)
- 1 cup sliced green onions
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup dry sherry
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
- 4 cups (1 quart/1 liter)chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Heat butter and oil in large pot over high heat. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until mushrooms are softened.
- Stir in sherry, salt and pepper and cook, for 1 minute to cook off alcohol a little.
- Add broth & bring to boil then reduce heat to medium low. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes for flavors to mingle. Add cream.
- Spoon soup into a blender in 2 or 3 batches & blitz until silky smooth. Return mixture to the same pot.
- Stir over medium heat until hot. Combine cornstarch & 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl; add to soup, stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes or until soup is thickened slightly.
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