Wild Mushroom Bisque Soup: Where To Find the Best Mushrooms For Soup

La Cuisinière

9 years ago

Wild Mushroom Bisque Soup – The temperatures may not be representative of the season but it’s soup time regardless.

I thought it would be fun to cook my way through an old cookbook I found at home in France while visiting earlier this month.

The 200 plus page cookbook has an entire chapter on mushroom recipes! Everything from a quiche type “cake” to grilled mushrooms, a mushroom filled omelette, a pâté, sautéed mushrooms in cream sauce and a salad.

Mushroom Bisque Soup Recipe: Variety Is Key

The first recipe is for what has to be the best mushroom bisque – one made with a variety of wild mushrooms found in the woods near home.

Or, as they say at home une Mitonée de Champignons Sauvages.

But it takes an expert to locate edible wild mushrooms on the forest floor. Don’t do it unless you are familiar with or bring along an expert to correctly identify all edible wild mushrooms.

Soup can be right out of the Campbell’s® can (and doctored up of course) or completely from scratch. But I’ve never prepared this version. It’s also obvious that I am not going to find wild mushrooms.

Here is one recipe I will never be able to prepare to the letter unless I forage for wild mushrooms in neighborhood parks

Stay safe! Be sure you know how to recognize edible mushrooms!

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Short of making a quick run to scour the woodlands behind our property in northern France, I must find my mushroom soup ingredients in a local supermarket.

Where To Find Unusual Mushrooms

So… Wegmans® market it is because i know they have the best selection of fresh mushrooms – even if I do nothing else than pick several packs of what they have labeled as their mushroom blend.

Read all about foraging at your local Wegmans® market.

Their mushroom blend is my favorite combination of mushrooms to sauté with crushed garlic as a grilled steak topping.

Which Mushrooms Do I Use For Max Flavor?

What you want in this soup is an intense “woodsy” flavor of certain mushrooms.

Here are some of the unique characteristics of the mushrooms I selected for my wild mushroom bisque.

This is not an inexpensive soup when selecting the ingredients for a “from scratch” soup. I’ve included the current price tag for each type of mushroom.

Royal Trumpet Mushrooms

Also known as King Oyster mushrooms, these grow in clusters, have a nutty flavor plus an incredibly long shelf life (1/3 lb at $8.99/pound).

As one of the most cultivate edible variety, oyster mushrooms are easier to find in supermarkets. A 1/4 lb purchase in bulk costs $1.68.

The Complete Mushroom Hunter, Revised: Illustrated Guide to Foraging, Harvesting, and Enjoying Wild Mushrooms – Including new sections on growing your own incredible edibles and off-season collecting

Hen of the Woods

Hen of the Woods mushrooms grow in clusters at the base of oak trees. Don’t use the tough base of the cluster. It gets tougher as it ages.

This pricey mushroom has the most intense “woodsy” aroma and a price to match! (1/3 of a pound at $12.99 a pound).

Shiitake Mushrooms

The Shiitake is a more reasonably priced mushroom at $6.99 a pound. Often found in dried form, the fresh ‘shroom has a strong woodsy aroma and is perfect for soups. We love it in Chinese soups.

Crimini Mushrooms

Crimini mushrooms are the tan version of the white button mushroom. However, they have a more intense flavor. Another name of this mushroom? The Baby Bella!

When this mushroom grows up it become a Portobello!

Interested in growing your own mushrooms? It’s easier than you think!

Making Mushroom Bisque Soup

This wild mushroom bisque soup is perfect when temperatures dip. Add a turkey or ham sandwich for a quick and easy comfort food menu.

This soup recipe was adapted from an old cookbook clipping which belonged in my grandmother’s recipe stash.

Recettes Du Terroir

Many of these old fashioned recipes prepared with locally sourced ingredients seem overly complicated and tedious to prepare.

These home style recettes du terroir are tied to ingredients available locally (literally in their back yards) as regional specialties – the wild mushrooms found in nearby woods and those found in the family potager.

In my mind’s eye, I can still see us head out to the backyard vegetable garden during late afternoon to gather the vegetables and herbs required for the evening meal.

Don’t let the many recipe steps scare you from preparing this bisque. You will be rewarded with a bowl of the ultimate rich and creamy comfort food.

Adding cream and eggs to a rich broth results in a bisque that will warm up even the chilliest of evenings.

All you need to add to the dinner menu is a sandwich and a small salad.