CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

Today I tried another recipe from what has quickly become my favorite cookbook, More Special Requests, a book of requested recipes from area restaurants and a publication of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  This recipe is the product of a delightful restaurant called The Mississippi Half Step located in the Historic 1885 Brainerd house in Grafton, IL, and is without a doubt the best mushroom soup I've ever eaten.

As the temperatures dip and the wind rattles the windows, I can't imagine a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than with a good book, a crackling fire in the fireplace, and a bowl of this delicious, warming soup.

CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

The Mississippi Half Step Restaurant

Yield: 8 (1-cup) servings

5 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup minced onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

8 ounces sliced mushrooms

3/4 cup sherry

3 cups vegetable stock

2 cups milk

2 cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons dried tarragon

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Shredded Parmesan cheese, for garnish

 Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

In a very large pot, combine oil and onion; cook over medium-low heat until onions are translucent. Add garlic and mushrooms; cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add sherry and simmer until the liquid cooks away, about 12 minutes.

Add stock, milk and cream; increase heat and bring to a boil. Stir in tarragon, basil, salt and pepper; boil for 2 minutes.

In another pot, melt butter; whisk in flour, making a roux. Whisk roux into soup and cook until thickened, 6 to 10 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with Parmesan and parsley.

 

Per serving: 474 calories; 44g fat (83 percent calories from fat); 23g saturated fat; 118mg cholesterol; 5g protein; 14g carbohydrate; 4.5g sugar; 1g fiber; 699mg sodium; 127mg calcium; 274mg potassium.

Linked up at Cookbook Sundays - Brenda's Canadian Kitchen.