Cream of Chanterelle Soup

Tis the season for shrooming...and no I do not mean the psychedelic kind!!!  I'm talking about chanterelles!  In the great Pacific Northwest we are blessed with a perfect climate for the proliferation of mushrooms.  Though I would love to take advantage of this bounty our environment provides, I simply do not have the knowledge to safely pick my own mushrooms.  This is where my wonderful brother-in-law (Scott) steps in...he has been picking chanterelles since he was a little lad and has his super secret spot that he returns to yearly...every year he shares his generous bounty with us...this year it was 3 pounds of freshly picked chanterelles!!!
Over the years Scott has shared his harvest with us and every year my mom and I have been diligently perfecting our Cream of Chanterelle Soup recipe...Recently I've made this soup for some friends and family who requested I share the recipe with them.  Today is your luck day, as this is the BEST SOUP YOU'VE EVER TRIED!

Cream of Chanterelle Soup:

5 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 pound freshly picked chanterelle mushrooms roughly chopped
5 tablespoons of flour
2 teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base dissolved in 2 cups of warm water
***or you can use your favorite chicken broth***
2 cups half and half
2 tablespoons sherry
A couple dashes of cayenne pepper
A hint of freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 cup parsley (just for fun and color)

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan (I use my dutch oven) over medium heat.  After foam from butter subsides, add onions and saute until translucent.  Add freshly chopped chanterelles and saute for 5 minutes.

Add flour and cook for 1 minute stirring often to make sure both onions and mushrooms are thoroughly coated with flour.  Add Better Than Bouillon that has been dissolved into 2 cups of warm water to dutch oven, bring to a boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add half and half, cayenne pepper and freshly ground nutmeg and heat until just below a simmer for 10 minutes.  Add sherry, stir, sprinkle with parsley, enjoy!

I top my soup with homemade croutons for an added crunch.

For more information on when and where to pick chanterelles visit In Search of Chanterelles.

***Disclaimer:  this soup isn't the most heart healthy or kid friendly; however, with so many requests for the recipe I wanted to share.***  

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