cream soup Archives - CIA Foodies

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Mike — Mon, 20 Apr 2020 18:58:14 +0000

Makes 8 servings

More “exotic” varieties of mushrooms, such as cremini and oyster, work well in this soup, as do regular white mushrooms. Use a combination or a single variety, depending on your taste and what’s available. You may also opt to season the soup with a touch of sherry instead of the lemon juice.

Ingredients

7 tablespoons butter
8 cups chopped mushrooms (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2/3 cup finely chopped celery
1 1/4 cups thinly sliced leek (white part only)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
5 cups Chicken Broth
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, heated
Fresh lemon juice, to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground white or black pepper, to taste

Directions

Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the chopped mushrooms, celery, and leek. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes.
Whisk in the broth gradually. Add the thyme sprig, bring to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a skillet. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and reserve.
Remove and discard the thyme. Purée the soup, then strain through cheesecloth or a fine sieve. Return the soup to the soup pot and place over low heat. Add the heavy cream and season to taste with the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Heat the soup, but do not boil.
Serve in heated bowls, garnished with the reserved cooked mushrooms.

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New England Clam Chowder

Mike — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 15:13:04 +0000

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

3 dozen chowder clams
2 1/2 cups bottled clam juice, or as needed
2 slices bacon, minced
1 1/4 cups diced onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups diced yellow or white potatoes
3 cups heavy cream or half and half
6 tablespoons dry sherry, or as needed
Kosher salt, as needed
Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
Tabasco sauce, as needed
Worcestershire sauce, as needed
Oyster or saltine crackers, as needed

Directions

Scrub the clams well under running water. Shuck the clams, reserving the juices. Cut the larger clams in half. Mix the reserved juices with enough bottled clam juice to equal 3 cups.
Cook the bacon slowly in a soup pot over medium heat until lightly crisp, about 7 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 4 to 6 minutes. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 2 to 3 minutes.
Whisk in the clam juice, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The liquid should be the consistency of heavy cream. If it is too thick, add more clam juice to adjust the consistency. Add the potatoes and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the clams and cream or half and half in a saucepan and simmer together until the clams are cooked, 5 to 8 minutes.
When the potatoes are tender, add the clams and cream to the soup base. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the sherry. Season to taste with salt, pepper, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce. Serve in heated bowls with crackers on the side.

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