Mushroom Soup Veloute (French style)

By John, 5 February, 2024

Region

Description

"French Mushroom Soup" This is a tasty soup with few ingredients. The veloute technique is easy, just like making a roux-thickened sauce, so if you find that easy then the whole thing is easy.

The French name for this fall and winter warmer is Potage Veloute aux Champignons. The French classify soups in three broad ways: a potage is a thick soup, a soupe is a thin soup with veggies and whatever else in it, and a consomme is a perfectly translucent broth clarified from an excellent stock. This potage can be made with chicken, beef, ham, or vegetable stock, or if you use dried mushrooms then the strained mushroom soaking liquid can be used for some or all of the stock.

For the dinner at which this was served, it was followed by the fish course and one of our diners is vegetarian, so I made a veggie stock from the trimmings of the vegetable course and added the mushroom soaking liquid from some dried wild mushrooms.

Yield

4 Servings

Preparation time

10 minutes

Cooking time

40 minutes

Total time

50 minutes

Ingredients

1 yellow onion (small, chopped)

4 T Butter (Unsalted)

2 T All Purpose Flour

3 c Boiling stock (See description)

1 sprigs flat leaf parsley

1 pn Dried Thyme

1 Bay Leaf

8 oz Fresh Mushrooms (stems separated, caps sliced)

1 pn Salt

1 t Lemon Juice

1 Egg Yolk

1⁄2 c Heavy Cream

Instructions

Cook the onions in 2 tablespoons of the butter over low-moderate heat until soft but not browned, 8-10 minutes.
Add the flour and stir for 3 more minutes.
Whisk in the stock to make the veloute.
Add to the veloute the mushroom stems, parsley, thyme, and bay leaf. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-3 minutes.
While the veloute simmers, in another pan melt the other 2 tablespoons of butter and cook the sliced mushroom caps with the salt and lemon juice for about 5 minutes.
When the caps are cooked, set aside 4 of the prettiest ones and add the rest to the simmering veloute for the rest of the simmering period.
At this point you can stop and finish it later, or keep going. If you keep going, or when you are ready to finish the potage,
Mix together the egg yolk with the cream.
Mix some of the hot soup into the egg-cream mixture, then some more, then some more, then finally dump it all into the soup pot to finish. Check for salt and pepper and adjust as needed. Bring just to the simmer and serve, garnished with those 4 reserved mushroom slices, or with parsley or snipped chives.

Notes