Curried Mushroom Soup

Chef Gary Patson and sous chef Mac Nurse,
Maxime Restaurant

This soup is tangy in its mildest rendition, and can be made hotter depending on the strength of curry used. At Maxime, Chef Gary Patson likes to add a sprinkle of cayenne pepper for some extra fire.

Ingredients
Soup
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup assorted dried mushrooms (oyster, morel, porcini)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups chopped leek (white part only)
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp curry powder
4 cups milk
2 cups fresh portobello mushrooms (about 3 small)
4 cups fresh shiitake
mushrooms (10-12)
1 Tbsp dry sherry
1 Tbsp chopped fresh chervil or fresh parsley

Method
Soup

1. Pour boiling water over the dried mushrooms in a bowl and set aside to soak.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil for 1 minute and add the leeks, stirring constantly until translucent.
3. Add the flour and curry powder, stirring until the leeks are well coated.
4. Add the milk and chicken broth and raise the heat to high, stirring until it begins to bubble.
5. Reduce the heat to low and stir in portobello and shiitake mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes.
6. Remove the soaking mushrooms from the water and squeeze out excess moisture.
7. Roughly chop. Add to the pot and cook for 1 minute.
8. Stir in sherry.
9. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped chervil or parsley.

Yields 4 servings