posted by SandyOH 11-30-102 6:15 AM
Triple Mushroom Soup with Brie
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1/2 pound sliced shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
1/2 pound sliced button mushrooms
1/2 pound sliced crimini mushrooms
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons sherry (optional)
1 cup heavy cream
Snipped chives
1/3 pound Brie, cut into thin slices, rind on (see Note)
In a 3-quart saucepan, melt the butter and add the shallots, stirring for 2-3 minutes. Do not brown. Add the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for 5 minutes, until the mushroom liquid has begun to evaporate.
Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms, and stir until the flour begins to cook. All white must disappear from the flour, then cook 2-3 minutes to get rid of flour taste. Gradually add the chicken broth, whisking until the soup is smooth. Season again with salt and pepper and bring back to boil. Add the sherry and heavy cream, bringing the soup to a boil.
Ladle soup into bowls; top with 2 thin slices of Brie and garnish with chives.
To Do Ahead: Make the soup two or three days ahead of time and refrigerate. The soup can be frozen without the additions of heavy cream and sherry, but the mushrooms will not be as crisp as they are with the freshly made soup.
If frozen, defrost overnight in refrigerator. Bring the soup to a boil, then add the cream and sherry, keeping the soup warm on a very low heat.
Note: Room-temperature Brie may be too soft to slice, so make sure the Brie is cold when you cut it.
Makes 8 servings.