Olla-Podrida: Mushroom and Brie Soup

There is an area eatery that is rapidly becoming one of our casual favorites. It's called Edgewild Bistro and they have a wonderful Mushroom and Brie soup. The trouble is, I want the soup more often than we go to the restaurant, so I decided to come up with one on my own. As it turns out, Kevin at Closet Cooking has a marvelous recipe, so I used his, BUT I used the mushroom broth that I made last week instead of the called for chicken or vegetable (that, honestly, never made sense to me because mushrooms are more meaty than chicken-y). The result is a soup that is so intensely flavorful and delicious that it is almost intoxicating. If you truly like mushrooms and want your soup to have a deep, rich, woodsy mushroom flavor, you need look no further.

Mushroom and Brie Soup

Slightly adapted from Closet Cooking

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 pounds crimini mushrooms, quartered

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup dry white wine (pinot grigio)

4 cups homemade mushroom broth

4 ounces brie, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup heavy cream

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Toss the mushrooms in the oil, place on a foil-lined baking sheet in a single layer and roast until they start to caramelize, about 20-30 minutes, mixing them up once midway through roasting.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium stock pot over medium heat, add the onions and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine and deglaze the pan.

Add the broth and mushrooms, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cream and brie, let the brie melt, fish out the rinds and season with salt and pepper to taste before pureeing to the desired consistency and enjoy!