Magnificent Mushroom Soup

I created this lighter version of cream of mushroom soup in hope to be kinder to my waistline. I found that the use of cream really isn’t necessary to create a flavorful mushroom soup with a velvety texture. There are plenty of good recipes out there that include heavy cream, milk or half and half. That’s fine, but I am a food lover and blogger that not only has my health in mind, but yours as well. I'm not without sin, as there is butter involved here, although not too much! Trust me; the flavor is not compromised.

The secret ingredient here is the use of black truffle butter. I buy the D’ARTAGNAN black truffle butter in the 3-ounce container. It can be purchased at most upscale supermarkets and specialty markets alike. Trader Joes carries their version, and there are many online options as well. The use of truffle butter intensifies and awakens the mushroom flavor of this soup.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

8 cups sliced baby Bella mushrooms

1 ½ cups chopped sweet onion (such as Vidalia)

1 ½ ounce of truffle butter ( 2 ½ tablespoons)

½ cup of sherry or marsala wine

4 cups of chicken broth or stock

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon of pepper

4 teaspoons of chopped thyme, divided

Directions:

Heat the truffle butter in a large pot on medium heat until melted. Saute’ onion for 3 minutes until softened.

Add the mushrooms and sprinkle in two teaspoons of thyme — Cook for ten minutes.  Then pour in the sherry and cook for 5 minutes.

Add stock, mix and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, season with salt and pepper. Cover and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool down for 10 minutes. Puree with a hand Immersion blender until the soup is creamy in consistency. If you do not have an Immersion blender, allow soup to cool completely and use a blender to puree in batches.

Inspirations:

a.       Serve the soup with a dollop of crème Fraiche or sour cream and fresh thyme

b.      Yes, if you feel naughty, you can blend in some heavy cream. Just be careful not to over boil, the soup could curdle.

c.       Fresh cracked black pepper