WINTER MUSHROOM SOUP with Madeira Cream
from Thomas Bowles, Executive Chef, C&O Restaurant, Charlottesville, Virginia

SERVES 4

1/4 cup unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped mushrooms (portobellos, oysters, shiitakes)
3 leeks, cleaned and sliced, white parts only
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons dried tarragon
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 to 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
5 tablespoons Madeira, divided use
1/4 cup lightly whipped cream

1. To make the soup, melt butter over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add mushrooms, leeks, celery, and carrots, and sauté until tender. Add tarragon, and season with salt and pepper. Add vegetable stock and 4 tablespoons of the Madeira.
2. Simmer, covered, until vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Allow soup to cool. Puree in a blender. Return soup to soup pot. Add more stock, if needed, to adjust thickness. Reheat over low heat, stirring gently. Adjust seasoning.
3. To make Madeira cream, combine the whipped cream and 1 tablespoon of the Madeira. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Divide soup among 4 bowls. Garnish each bowl with 1 tablespoon of Madeira cream.

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