Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

6 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. mushrooms, trimmed, cut into large slices (4 to 5 cups)
3 cups Chicken Broth
⅔ cup celery, chopped
⅓ cup onion, chopped
3 Tbsp. flour
1⅓ cups milk
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup heavy cream (optional)

Method

Melt 3 Tbsp. of the butter in a 4-quart saucepan. Add the mushrooms and cook over medium heat until soft - about 3 minutes. Add the broth, celery, and onion and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender.

Puree in a food processor or blender or press through a sieve and set it aside while you make a cream sauce, as follows:

Melt the remaining 3 Tbsp. of butter in a 3-quart saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly stir in the milk. Return the pan to the heat and cook, stirring, until the sauce comes to a boil. Continue cooking for 1 minute longer, stirring. remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the mushroom puree. Add salt and pepper. Heat gently. Do not boil. Before serving, whip the cream and to each bowl with a heaping spoonful of unsweetened whipping cream.