How to Make Creamy Mushroom and Brie Soup

Jul 24, 2011
Larry Ervin

Wedge of Brie - Jon Sullivan-wikiMedia Commsn-CC

For a memorable luncheon or an elegant soup course for dinner, a modest amount of effort will have your guests calling you a gourmet.

The general rule with cheese is to let it come to room temperature before serving. For this recipe, however, the creamy, sometimes runny texture of Brie means that slicing and cubing the cheese will be easier if it’s quite cold.

Brie’s Edible Rind

The powdery rind of Brie is entirely edible and usually quite mild. You can leave the rind on for this recipe unless the rind’s flovor is more assertive than you like.

Creamy Mushroom and Brie Soup Recipe

Yield: 6-8 servings

You will need:

Wire Whisk
6-8 individual, oven-proof soup bowls

Ingredients:

12 ounces Brie cheese
1/3 cup butter (1 4-ounce stick)
3 Tbsp minced shallots
2 Tbsp minced garlic
8 ounces button mushrooms, finely chopped
6 cups (48 ounces) chicken broth or veal stock
1/3 cup dry white wine or dry Sherry
Salt and white pepper to taste
Baguette, thinly sliced and toasted

Method:

Thinly slice half of the Brie (2 slices for each serving). Cut the rest in half-inch cubes and reserve both.
In a large saucepan over medium flame, melt butter and sauté shallots until just golden, not brown, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, rosemary and thyme and sauté just another 30 seconds before adding the mushrooms. Turn up the flame to medium-high and sauté the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until they are quite soft, 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan over low flame, heat the broth to lukewarm.
Stir the flour into the mushroom mixture to make a roux. Add the wine and heated broth, whisking constantly to make sure the mixture doesn’t stick to the pan as it thickens. Taste and adjust the seasoning, as necessary, with a bit of salt and white pepper.
Stir in the cream and reduce the flame to low. At this point you may optionally strain the soup and return it to the heat. Otherwise, leave it unstrained and simply remove the bay leaf if a more rustic texture is desired.
Add the cubed cheese a few at a time, blending with a wire whisk between additions. Continue until all of the cheese is incorporated.
Preheat the broiler
Use half of the cheese slices to line the bottom of the serving bowls. Pour soup over the cheese. Top each bowl with a slice of toast and then the remaining slices of Brie.
Run the bowls under the broiler just until the Brie is melted. Serve garnished with a sprig of fresh rosemary or thyme.