Roasted Cream of Shroom Soup

Take a soup recipe from one source, in this case, verybestbaking.com and twist, shake, stir. Good comfort food for those long winter days. A soup recipe for me that always seems to be in transition.

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

• 2  cups fresh mushrooms (As a suggestion, I use a combination of mushrooms, for example, creminis, shiitakes, and portobellas)
• 2  cups  fresh  stock
• 2  tablespoons butter
• 1⁄4 cup shallot, finely minced
• 1  large garlic clove
• 1 -2  tablespoon dry sherry
• 1⁄4 cup flour
• 8  ounces  whole milk
• 4  ounces  whipping cream
•  salt
•  white pepper
• 1  dash nutmeg
•  fresh bay leaf
•  garlic chives (to garnish)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Remove stems from mushrooms. Roast the whole mushrooms by spreading onto baking sheet. (You can also roast the garlic if you wish.) Drizzle with olive oil and roast about 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Set aside. (See recipe #64092 for reference. I roast the mushrooms at a reduced temperature to avoid burning.).
3. Once cooled, dice up mushrooms and mince garlic.
4. Whisk the flour with the milk and whipping cream. Saute the onions (and garlic) in the butter.
5. Stove top method: In large soup pan, saute the onions (and garlic) in the butter. Next, add all the ingredients including the milk/flour mixture, roasted mushrooms, stock, etc. except for the garlic chives.
6. Simmer on low/medium-low on the stove for about 45 minutes or until the mushroom are soft. Do not burn!
7. Crockpot method: Add all the ingredients except for the flour/milk mixture and garlic chives and cook on LOW in the crockpot for approximately 3-4 hours or until heated through and mushrooms are soft. About 30 minutes before serving, whisk in the flour/milk mixture and incorporate well. Heat thoroughly but do not burn.
8. If soup is too thin, ladle about a cup of the soup into a small bowl, whisk in a little flour then return soup to the pot and stir in well. If soup is too thick, add more stock- about a half cup at a time to desired consistency.
9. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Garnish each serving with fresh garlic chives.