Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup

This umami-flavored soup is absolutely delicious, and makes a great start to your next holiday dinner. We used a combination of shiitake and brown mushrooms in our version, but feel free to experiment with oyster mushrooms, porcinis or chantrelles. This recipe makes 4 full-sized servings or 8 starter course servings.

PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 45 minutes

Ingredients
1 pound mushrooms, brushed clean, tough stems removed and sliced
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups good-quality chicken or vegetable stock (we like Kitchen Basics brand)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 teaspoon soy or tamari sauce
Leaves from 1 large sprig fresh tarragon, chopped
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Directions
Melt butter and oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven to medium-high. Add onions and mushrooms; season with a teaspoon of salt and white pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions become slightly brown and the mushrooms begin to release their liquid, about 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add sherry, making sure to scrape up any brown bits off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Let sherry reduce for two minutes. Add the stock and soy or tamari sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook soup, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove soup from heat, stir in cream and season with salt, if needed.

Garnish with fresh tarragon leaves and serve immediately.