Mushroom Velouté

The word velouté comes from a French term for velvet, the desired texture of the finished velouté sauce or soup is smooth and rich. A classic velouté soup was thickened with flour and finished with egg yolks, butter, and cream, though it is now used to refer to thicker soups such as vegetable purees as well as the more traditional style which are now normally just finished with cream. In this tasty recipe for mushroom soup, the mushroom flavour is boosted with the addition of the dried mushrooms, nutmeg and thyme, and finished not with the classic cream but with a more modern lighter, slightly tangy crème fraîche.

Mushroom Soup made with Veloute

Mushroom Velouté       serves 4

500 gr Button Mushrooms, wiped

500 gr Chestnut Mushrooms, wiped

150 gr dried mixed Mushrooms

1 litre Quality Chicken or Vegetable Stock

125 ml Dry Sherry

200 ml Crème fraîche

40 gr Plain Flour

50 gr Butter

Juice of half a fresh Lemon

2 large Garlic cloves, peeled and finely crushed

2 sprigs of fresh Thyme

A generous pinch of freshly grated Nutmeg

Fine Sea Salt and freshly ground White Pepper

To Garnish

Chives, washed, drained and finely chopped

First steep the dried mushrooms for at least two hours, by placing in a heatproof bowl and covering in freshly boiled water. Roughly chop four hundred grammes each of the Button and Chestnut mushrooms and place into a second bowl with the lemon juice, and thoroughly mix. Place the chopped mushrooms into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the stock, soaked dried mushrooms, garlic, thyme, sherry, and nutmeg and bring to a boil then simmer over moderately low heat for five minutes.

Remove the soup from the heat, and slate the flour with a little cold water to make a smooth paste, pour slowly into the soup stirring continuously. Return to the heat and cook out the flour at a gentle simmer for fifteen minutes until the mushrooms are tender. Remove the soup from the heat and allow to cool a little, then using a food processor blitz until very smooth. Slice the remaining Button and Chestnut mushrooms and heat the butter in a medium-sized frying pan and cook the mushrooms over a medium heat until golden brown. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.

Pour the soup into a fresh saucepan and whisk in the crème fraîche. Thoroughly reheat but do not allow to boil. Season with salt and pepper and pour the soup into bowls. Garnish with the sautéed mushrooms and chives. You can make the soup ahead and chill before adding the crème fraîche and reheating.

Allergens in this recipe are;

   

Please see the Allergens Page