Creamy Mushroom Soup

By danaheller

Ingredients

• 1 ounce dried exotic mushrooms such as oyster, porcini, chanterelle, black trumpet or yellow foot
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cups diced onion
• 1/2 cups diced leeks
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• 1/4 pound fresh crimini mushrooms, sliced in half or thirds
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup white wine, divided
• 1 quart chicken stock (or vegetable stock), divided
• 4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced in thirds or quarters (discard stems)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Dash lemon oil

Preparation

Step 1

Place dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with 1 cup hot water. Cover and set aside. Lightly coat the bottom of a large soup pot with oil and add 2 teaspoons butter. On medium heat, sauté the carrots, celery, onion, leeks and garlic until vegetables are soft, about 7 minutes.

Remove from heat. Place in blender or food processor with reconstituted dried mushrooms and soaking water and pulse to finely chop, but do not puree. Return to soup pot. Lightly coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with oil and place over high heat.

When pan is very hot (not smoking but the oil will seem to dance in the pan), add 2 teaspoons butter and the crimini mushrooms. Sprinkle lightly with salt and cracked pepper. Do not stir.

Allow to cook, untouched, until bottoms of mushrooms are golden (about 4 to 5 minutes), and then stir to turn. Allow to cook, stirring as little as possible, until the mushrooms are caramelized but not burnt.

Deglaze pan with half of white wine. Place the cooked mushrooms in the blender with about 1/2 cup chicken stock and puree until chopped but not pureed; add to soup pot. Repeat saut?eing, deglazing and blending process with the shiitake mushrooms.

Place pot with cooked vegetables and mushrooms over medium high heat and add remaining stock. Simmer (adjusting heat as necessary) for 20 minutes. While soup is simmering, place cream in a small pot and gently heat. After soup has simmered for 20 minutes, slowly add cream. Season with salt, pepper and a dash of lemon oil.