Mushroom Bisque

On a recent visit to Johns Hopkins University where I presented my current research, I had the most amazing bowl of mushroom bisque soup in their cafeteria and knew when I got home, I had to replicate the recipe. Bisque is traditionally a rich creamy soup made from shellfish and thickened with the shells. That means our mushroom bisque is not really a traditional French soup, but qui se soucie de ce que les Français ont à dire à ce sujet (who cares what the French have to say on the matter). At least I use Sherry wine, oh wait, Sherry’s Spanish…but at least I start by making a Roux, and you can’t get more French than that.

Ingredients

  • 1 Bottle of dry sherry
  • 2 oz assorted dried mushrooms – wild are best ala Amazon
  • 16 oz fresh mushrooms – coarsely chopped, your choice: button, shiitake, or porcini
  • 12 oz Chicken stock
  • 8 oz Heavy cream – it is a French soup ya know
  • 2 shallots – finely chopped
  • 3 TBL Butter
  • 3 TBL Flour
  • 1 tsp dry Thyme or 1 TBL finely chopped thyme
  • 1 TBL Kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • Optional dollop of crème fraîche, for serving – can use sour cream

Process

  1. Mise en Place: Measure and prepare your ingredients.
  2. Re-hydrate the dried mushrooms
    1. Put dried mushrooms in a strainer and throurghly rinse to remove dirt and sand.
    2. In a small pot over Med heat, bring 0.5 cups of the sherry to a simmer.
      • Pour 4 oz into a glass and cover. Refrigerate left over Sherry…or drink it while you cook, you can always open another bottle.
    3. When Sherry starts to simmer, remove from the heat and stir in the dried mushrooms.
    4. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
    5. Spoon mushrooms into a strainer, then rinse to remove any remaining sand or dirt.
    6. Strain warm sherry through a coffee filter or cheesecloth and set aside.
  3. Cook fresh mushrooms
    1. Heat a saucepan on Med-High and spread half the fresh mushrooms with the shallots. Stir occasionally as shrooms cook to prevent burning. Cook ~5 mins.
    2. Add the remaining mushrooms and chopped thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook ~5 mins or until the shallots are translucent.
  4. Make Roux
    • Melt butter in a sauce pan.
    • Add flour and toast until nutty, ~3 mins.
    • In repeated stages, add ~1 oz of chicken stock to the roux stirring until the lumps are smooth and then repeat until all the stock has been added.
  5. Make Bisque
    1. Add the rehydrated mushrooms and the strained Sherry to the Roux.
    2. Bring to a vigorous simmer, then reduce heat to slow simmer for ~15 mins.
    3. Stir in the half-and-half.
    4. Purée the bisque with an immersion blender or bar blender.
    5. Reheat soup over Med until hot.
  6. Serve
    1. Ladel bisque into a bowl
    2. Carefully place a dollop of crème fraîche on top of the bisque.
    3. Splash some sherry on top of the soup.
    4. You can optionally garnish with a green herb like parsley or chives.
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