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Soup · THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB

Browned mushroom & thyme soup

Deeply browned mushrooms, a silky Bimby finish and crisp mushroom garnish. Familiar ingredients, carefully cooked.

Serves
4 · soup and bread
From scratch
70 min
Bimby
Preparation / finishing
Jump to method ↓

AI illustration of Browned mushroom & thyme soup
AI-generated visual reference · not a photograph of a tested recipe.

Ingredients

Metric quantities · weights after peeling and trimming unless stated

  • 800 g mushrooms, chestnut or brown mushrooms preferred; cleaned, trimmed and sliced 5 mm thick
  • 150 g onions, finely diced
  • 6 g garlic, finely chopped
  • 25 ml olive oil
  • 25 g unsalted butter
  • 2 g fresh thyme, leaves only
  • 650 ml low-salt vegetable stock, prepared
  • 60 ml cream
  • 10 ml lemon juice
  • 5 g chives, finely snipped
  • 2 g salt, add gradually to taste
  • 1 g black pepper, freshly ground
  • 320 g bread, sliced

Method

  1. Brown the mushrooms properly

    Wide stainless-steel frying pan

    Dry the sliced mushrooms thoroughly. Heat the pan over medium-high heat. Cook mushrooms in three batches, dividing the olive oil between them. Leave each batch undisturbed for 2–3 minutes, then turn and continue for 4–5 minutes until released moisture has evaporated and the edges are deeply golden. Lower the heat if the fond threatens to burn. Transfer each batch to a bowl. Reserve about 100 g of the cooked mushrooms for garnish.

  2. Soften the aromatics

    Same frying pan

    Lower the heat to medium-low. Add butter and onion, and cook for 8–10 minutes until soft and lightly golden, scraping the pan as you stir. Add garlic and thyme; cook for 1 minute, without letting the garlic burn.

  3. Capture the fond

    Same frying pan

    Pour in 200 ml of the measured stock. Scrape up the brown deposits with a wooden spoon and simmer for 2 minutes. This liquid belongs in the soup: do not discard it or wash the pan first. Remove from the heat and let it settle for 5 minutes before transferring.

  4. Simmer the soup

    Bimby TM7

    Put the remaining 450 ml stock into the mixing bowl. Carefully add the onion mixture and all browned mushrooms except the reserved garnish. Check the contents are below the 2.2 litre maximum. Fit the lid and lid cap correctly, keeping steam openings clear. Cook 15 min / 100°C / speed 1. The mushrooms should be fully tender.

  5. Blend until silky

    Bimby TM7

    Switch heating off. With lid and cap correctly fitted, blend 30 sec / speed 5, then 30 sec / speed 8 if the appliance permits. Wait for the blades to stop and the lid to unlock. Add cream and black pepper. Mix 20 sec / speed 3, without heat. Taste and add the salt and lemon juice gradually: the lemon should brighten the soup without making it taste lemony. If too thick, add hot water in 30 ml increments, staying below the maximum fill line, and stir gently.

  6. Finish with contrast

    Frying pan + toaster

    While the soup simmers, toast the bread. Just before serving, warm the reserved mushrooms in the original pan for 1–2 minutes. Divide soup between four warm bowls, add the browned mushroom garnish and snipped chives, and serve the toast alongside.

Kitchen notes

Quality comes from uncrowded browning, recovering the fond, a smooth texture and a restrained finish. Ordinary brown mushrooms work well; white button mushrooms also work. No dried porcini, truffle oil or wine is necessary. Makes four soup bowls with bread, a light main or substantial starter. Contains milk and wheat; check stock allergens. For a dairy-free version, replace the butter with 20 ml olive oil and omit the cream; the shopping basket follows the main recipe. Saucepan alternative: after deglazing, return the mushrooms (except garnish) and remaining stock to the pan, simmer 15 minutes, then blend with a hand blender held submerged; stir in cream and season. To prepare ahead, cool the soup base promptly and refrigerate, keeping garnish separate; use within 48 hours or freeze the base before adding cream. Reheat once until steaming throughout, then finish. Do not scale up this Bimby batch: make separate batches and follow the TM7 hot-food instructions.

Original recipe development draft; not yet kitchen-tested. Timings and manual Bimby settings are starting points: check texture and doneness. These are not official Guided Cooking programmes.

TM7 operating and hot-food guidance · Cooling and reheating guidance