DigiBites: Potage Velouté Aux Champignons

Good Saturday, News24/680.com followers:
Well, another week has ended and here at Epicurean Exchange we have been busy feeding the family and many of our neighbors and friends from Lamorinda to the South Bay!

This soup was featured in our take away menus and was enjoyed by many. Thought I’d share this recipe to share with your families. Ingredients are easy to find (which is becoming an issue in some markets), and the recipe includes a common French cooking technique called an “enrichment.” Add the egg yolks, cream and butter at the end adds richness and thickens the soup. If you’d like to leave this out, just whisk 1/4 cup of a slurry (2 tablespoons cornstarch and 3 tablespoons water). This will do the trick and is more stable.

Selecting Mushrooms: You can use white button or brown crimini mushrooms in this recipe. Choose mushrooms that are firm, and the caps are closed around the stem. You should not be able to see the gills. If so, this means they are older. If the mushrooms are slightly dirty, you can rinse them with water. It is OK, despite what you may have read.
Enjoy this recipe. It appears we are still in for some cooler weather over the weekend.
Bon Appetit!
– Chef Charlie

Potage Velouté Aux Champignons

(Cream of Mushroom Soup)

1/2 medium onion, cut into a 1/4-inch dice

8 tablespoons butter, divided

3 tablespoons flour

6 cups chicken broth, heated

1 – pound white mushrooms, sliced

Kosher salt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 scallions, green tops thinly sliced
•     In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of the butter. When frothy, add the diced onions, and cook slowly for 6 – 8 minutes, until they are tender, but not browned.

•     Sprinkle the onions with the flour, and stir constantly over medium heat for 3 minutes without browning.

•     Using a whisk, add the heated stock and blend it thoroughly with the flour. Season to taste with kosher salt. Return heat to a low simmer.
•     In a separate skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the remaining butter. When it is foaming, add the sliced mushrooms, salt, and lemon juice. Cover and cook slowly for 5 minutes. Pour the cooked mushrooms and the juices into the soup base.

•     Beat the egg yolks and cream in a mixing bowl. Slowly add (whisking in) 1 cup of the hot soup base to the egg and cream mixture (called tempering), and then add to the soup base and whisk to combine. Adjust seasoning. Return the soup to the pan and stir over medium heat for a minute or two to “poach” the egg yolks, but do not let the soup come near the simmer. Add the scallion tops.

•     Off heat, stir in the remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Serve.

Serves 6 – 8

Inspired by Julia Child’s recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking