About this recipe

A rich, velvety cream of mushroom soup made with a generous pound of fresh mushrooms, aromatic shallots and garlic, a splash of white wine, and a silky finish of heavy cream. This is the homemade version that puts the canned stuff to shame — deeply savory, warmly herbed, and ready in under an hour. Perfect with crusty bread for dunking.

Instructions

1. 1

   Melt the butter in a large pot over ^[medium-high heat]. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3–4 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.

2. 2

   Add the sliced cremini mushrooms to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes until the mushrooms have released their liquid and are deeply golden brown.

3. 3

   Sprinkle the all-purpose flour over the mushrooms and stir to coat evenly. Cook for 1–2 minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste. Pour in the white wine (if using) and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let it bubble for 1 minute.

4. 4

   Pour in the vegetable broth and add the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to ^[medium-low] and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.

5. 5

   Use an immersion blender (or carefully transfer half the soup to a blender) and blend about half the soup until smooth, leaving the rest chunky for texture. Return everything to the pot.

6. 6

   Stir in the heavy cream and warm over ^[medium-low heat] for 3–5 minutes — do not boil. Taste and adjust salt and black pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley and an extra crack of black pepper. Serve with crusty bread.