Mushroom Bisque

Why this recipe works:

Too often the abundance of dairy that gives a mushroom bisque its trademark richness obscures the flavor of the mushrooms. We wanted a silky texture, but we wanted deep, earthy flavor, too. To achieve these goals, we used three kinds of mushrooms—white, cremini, and shiitake. Because mushrooms will exude moisture even without being cut, we cooked them whole in the microwave until they had released most of their liquid. The dehydrated mushrooms browned more efficiently in the pot, which we then deglazed with the reserved mushroom liquid. We kept additional ingredients to a minimum so as not to distract from the mushrooms’ flavor. A liaison of egg yolks and cream whisked in at the end gives the soup a texture that is luxurious without being cloying.

Serves 6 to 10

Tying the thyme sprig with twine makes it easier to remove from the pot. For the smoothest result, use a conventional blender rather than an immersion blender. Our Fried Shallots (see related content) can replace the garnish of cream and chopped chives.

Ingredients

• 1 pound white mushrooms, trimmed
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed
• 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, chopped fine
• 1 sprig fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 4 cups water
• 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2/3 cup heavy cream, plus extra for serving
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Chopped fresh chives

Instructions

1. 
   
   1. Toss white mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and 1 tablespoon salt together in large bowl. Cover with large plate and microwave, stirring every 4 minutes, until mushrooms have released their liquid and reduced to about one-third their original volume, about 12 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to colander set in second large bowl and drain well. Reserve liquid.
   2. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are browned and fond has formed on bottom of pot, about 8 minutes. Add onion, thyme sprig, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is just softened, about 2 minutes. Add sherry and cook until evaporated. Stir in reserved mushroom liquid and cook, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in water and broth and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
   3. Discard thyme sprig. Working in batches, process soup in blender until very smooth, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per batch. Return soup to now-empty pot. (Soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Warm to 150 degrees before proceeding with recipe.)
   4. Whisk cream and egg yolks together in medium bowl. Stirring slowly and constantly, add 2 cups soup to cream mixture. Stirring constantly, slowly pour cream mixture into simmering soup. Heat gently, stirring constantly, until soup registers 165 degrees (do not overheat). Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, garnishing each serving with 1 teaspoon extra cream and sprinkle of chives.
   
   
   

Technique

Lots of Mushrooms, Little Work

Our bisque contains a full 2 pounds of mushrooms, but we found that there’s no need to slice or chop them. Because mushrooms lack a thick outer layer, they give up moisture readily even when left whole. We simply toss them with salt and microwave them until most of their liquid is released. Then we brown the shriveled mushrooms to deepen their flavor and use the reserved mushroom liquid to help form the base of the soup.

MEGA MUSHROOMS: A mix of white button, cremini, and shiitake mushrooms gives our soup woodsy depth.

Technique

Yoking Together Yolks for Silky—and Flavorful—Bisque

The abundance of cream in bisques gives them their lush consistency, but it also makes most versions taste flat. While the fat droplets in cream thicken a liquid by getting in the way of water molecules, slowing their movement, they also mute flavor by coating the tongue and preventing flavor molecules from reaching taste receptors.
For a bisque with both pleasing body and a more pronounced mushroom flavor, we turned instead to an old-school French thickener—a so-called liaison, which replaces a large portion of the cream with egg yolks. As the bisque heats, proteins in the yolks unfold and bond together into long, tangled strands that, like the fat in cream, interfere with the movement of water molecules. Egg yolks also contain the powerful emulsifier lecithin, which has a twofold effect: It breaks up the fat droplets into smaller particles that disperse more completely throughout the liquid, obstructing more water molecules, for an even thicker consistency. It also keeps the bisque smooth by holding the fat droplets suspended in the liquid so they don’t separate out.
If yolks can do all this, why even use cream? Because the fat it contains provides an appealing mouthfeel that yolks alone can’t match.

JUST CREAM

• Tan dots represent fat droplets
• Grey dots represent water molecules

CREAM + YOLKS

• Tan dots represent fat droplets
• Grey dots represent water molecules
• Bands represent protein molecules

Technique

What is Bisque?

Consult a tome on classic French cookery and you'll learn that "bisque" traditionally refers to a rich, creamy coup made with shellfish. Nowadays, the word is used to describe any creamy soup, shellfish-based or not, that's a step up in flavor and refinement from plainer creamed soups.