French Roasted Cream of Mushroom Soup | With Caramelized Garlic and Thyme

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Clean the brown button mushrooms and cut them into quarters (set aside a handful of nice slices for serving). Slice off the top of the garlic head crosswise to expose the cloves. Place the mushrooms and garlic on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and season with salt, freshly ground pepper, and the fresh thyme sprigs. Roast for 25 minutes until the mushrooms are deep brown and caramelized, and the garlic cloves are butter-soft.

While the mushrooms are roasting, melt half of the butter (20 g) with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a deep pot. Add the finely chopped shallots and sauté over medium heat for 5-6 minutes until translucent and sweet. Pour in the dry white wine and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the alcohol evaporates and the liquid reduces by half.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Squeeze the soft, roasted garlic cloves out of their skins straight into the pot. Add the roasted mushrooms (remove the woody thyme stems) along with the flavorful juices remaining on the baking sheet. Pour in the vegetable stock, bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together perfectly.