Cream of Mushroom Soup

Reader Contribution by Sue Van Slooten
article image

This winter I find I have been making a lot of soup for dinner. Soup is very satisfying, and when served with a salad and bread, creates a healthy meal. I had read where you take a variety of mushrooms, and create a Cream of Mushroom soup with them. Of course, by the time I actually decided to try this, I couldn’t find the original recipe, after having bought a mixture of so-called wild mushrooms in a package. There were cremini, oyster, king, but in reality, any mushroom is fine. So then started the hunt for a good recipe.

I turned to an ancient set of cookbooks given to my by my mother when I was first married, called the Doubleday Cookbook by Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna, but in reality is a two book set. Just about anything you could ever ask for is in this two volume set. I’ve never seen it for sale anywhere, and suspect my mother got them through one of the popular book clubs available at the time. Of course, there was a recipe for “Deluxe Cream of Mushroom Soup,” with the recipe itself being the essence of ease. Believe me, after trying this, you will never open a can of Campbell’s again. Here’s what the company of Anderson and Hanna came up with, with embellishments by Sue.

(Anderson’s and Hanna’s) Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe

¾ lb of mushrooms, wiped clean and minced (feel free to use 1 lb, I did)
2 tbsp butter (no substitute)
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 ½ cups chicken broth, preferably homemade. A veggie broth can also be used.
1½ cups light cream (or half and half)
½ tsp salt or to taste
1/8 tsp white pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp sherry (I think it adds a good flavor), but optional

Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368