Only my sister would send me a gift basket.... of mushrooms. Yep, you heard me right, out of the blue two pounds of lovely wild mushrooms showed up at my door. Included were Trumpet Royale, Forest Nameko, Alba Clamshell, Brown Clamshell, and Velvet Pioppini.
With so many mushrooms on hand, and C's love of cream-based soups, I decided to make a cream of wild mushroom soup. Since I hadn't made it before, I first searched out a recipe. My go-to is Ina Garten, and her mushroom soup is where I started. I then added and subtracted to use the flavors C and I like best.
Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup
In a large pot, melt 4TB butter
Add:
2 leeks, roughly choped
1 stalk celery, chopped
Salt/pepper
Sauté until the leeks begin to brown
Add ½ cup brandy
Cook until slightly reduced
Add
1 lb mushrooms, roughly chopped
Stir occasionally until softened
Add
6 cups beef broth, bring to a boil
Cook 20 minutes
Turn off the heat and puree mixture using a hand or stand blender.
A few minutes before serving, warm over low heat, but do not bring to a boil. Add a handful of chopped fresh parsley. Slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup cream, salt and pepper to taste. Add additional cream (and a drizzle of truffle oil in your bowl) if you'd like.