pat's Recipe

The Feed Store's Mushroom Bisque Soup

Category: SOUPS/STEWS

5 cups chicken broth
1 medium yellow onion
1 pound fresh mushrooms
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup butter
1/2 to 3/4 cup flour
1 quart whole milk
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons sherry (optional)

Instructions:

Wash the mushrooms carefully, trim the stems and thinly slice (a food processor works well for this). Peel and finely dice the onion.

Bring the chicken broth to a boil, add the mushrooms and onion. Return to a boil, then turn down the fire to maintain a steady slow simmer. Add the salt, pepper and Tabasco. Allow the mushroom mixture to simmer 30 to 40 minutes.

Slowly melt the butter, using a pan large enough to also hold the flour and milk. As soon as the butter is melted, beat the flour into it with a wire whip, a little at at time. Leave the fire on, as you want to gently cook the flour and butter together for about 2 minutes. This is called a roux.

As you're making the roux, bring the milk to a boil in another pan. As soon as the milk reaches a boil, pour it all at once into the roux.

Immediately begin beating the milk/roux with the wire whip. Steady consistent strokes are more important than speed or force. The sauce will at first look curdled, then lumpy, but the longer you beat it, the smoother it will get. It will take 2 to 4 minutes of steady beating to produce a creamy white sauce.

Combine the smooth white sauce with the mushroom broth and then add the cream. Add sherry if you wish, but not until just before serving.

Makes 3 quarts or 12 "cup of soup" size servings.