Serves: 6
Total Calories: 306

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 pounds white mushrooms, broken into rough pieces (see note below)
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and chopped
salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
5 cups low sodium beef broth
1/2 cup madeira wine, plus additional for serving
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons lemon juice

1. COOK MUSHROOMS Melt butter in large Dutch oven over medium-high, stirring constantly, until butter is golden brown and has a nutty aroma, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, leeks, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, covered, until mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Remove lid and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes.

2. SIMMER SOUP Add garlic and thyme to pot and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and Madeira and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until mushrooms and leeks are completely tender, about 20 minutes.

3. FINISH SOUP Puree soup in blender in batches until completely smooth. Return pureed soup to pot, stir in cream and lemon juice, and return to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Serve, drizzling individual portions with additional Madeira.

GOAL: Mushroom soup recipes often turn out thick and gloppy with hardly any mushroom flavor. Some soups we tested were thickened with rice, potato, and even toasted bread all of which gave the soup off-flavors. We wanted a creamy, mushroom-y soup-a more flavorful version of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup-without having to forage for fancy wild mushrooms in the gourmet foods aisle. The goal was to use supermarket mushrooms and find a technique to deepen the mushroom flavor. We started by cooking mushrooms and leeks (preferred to onion for their flavor and silky texture they added to the pureed soup) in brown butter. Next, we added aromatics and simmered the mushrooms and leeks beef broth (to bring out the meaty quality of the mushrooms) and Madeira wine until they were completely tender. For a silky-smooth finish, we pureed the soup in a blender, added a bit of cream, and finished the lot with some lemon juice and an additional splash of Madeira, if you are so inclined.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 6
Total Calories: 306
Calories from Fat: 200

More Recipes from the Cast Iron Covered Wagon Cookin' -Appetizers Cookbook:
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Caesar Chicken Pasta Salad
Chicken Stuffed Puffs
Cowboy Caviar
Creamy Mushroom Soup
Honey and Blue Cheese Fondue
Hot German Potato Salad
Italian Red Lentil Soup
KFC's Famous Cole Slaw
Kickin' Tuna Salad
Mini Stuffed Tomatoes
Quick French Onion Soup
Spicy Cheese Fondue
Tarragon Tuna Pasta Salad
Winter Pears