Mushroom Soup for Momma's Soul

It is Friday...thank God.  I have been sick all week and I am so over being sick.  I heavily dislike being sick. There is this so called head cold going around that has sucked the life out of me this week.  I even bailed out of work yesterday with zero energy to drive to Boulder.

I do not make a good patient, because when I get sick, I get really sick.  It usually starts out small, so I push myself too far and keep going about my business not listening to my body...then it's too late to go back.  There I am, out for the count for a few days at least.

This week did have some happiness though, the creek near my office is running again and so beautiful.  I love hearing the water as I walk to and from my car every day.

The only good part of being sick is that I crave soup, any kind and all kinds of soups.  It's a comfort thing.  When I was younger and sick my mom always made me a can of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup and a Grilled Cheese Sandwich with a cup of Lipton hot tea sprinkled with a spoon full of sugar (served on our landscape painted, metal TV tray with the antique brass legs that fit perfectly over my lap - if you were a child of the 60's/70's you know exactly what I am referring to)....the perfect cure all!!

Mushroom Soup
Courtesy of Wolfgang Puck, Modern French Cooking for the American Kitchen

1 pound firm white mushrooms, cleaned
1 medium lemon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water
1 tablespoon minced parsley

Sprinkle the mushrooms with lemon juice. In a food processor, coarsely chop them.

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan and lightly saute the shallots. Add the mushrooms, thyme, and bay leaf and saute over moderate heat for 10 minutes, or until the liquid disappears.

Add the salt, pepper, cream, and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Add the cornstarch to the soup and continue to simmer 10 minutes longer, stirring constantly.

***This soup is even better the second day as leftovers.***