Mushroom Soup With Verjus

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter (divided)
1/2 cup diced onion
1 pound mixed mushrooms (I used mostly wild cauliflower mushroom, with 6 button mushrooms and handful of enoki mushrooms)
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup Venturi-Schulze Verjus
1/4 cup Venturi-Schulze Brandenburg No.3 wine
(optional)
1/4 cup Madeira
1/4 cup sour cream
pinch of red pepper flakes
dash of green Tabasco sauce
salt and pepper
more verjus to taste
2 tsp fresh chopped dill

Method

Melt 1/4 cup butter in heavy large saucepan. Add onions and cook over medium low heat until translucent.

Slice mixed mushrooms thinly, then coarsely chop and put them in a large Ziploc bag. Add flour to bag and shake to coat mushrooms.

Add the rest of the butter to the onions. Increase heat slightly and add mushroom/flour mixture. Cook mushrooms, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Do not burn. Add milk, heavy cream and stock. Stir. Add verjus, No.3 and Madeira. Stir. Add sour cream. Stir. Add red pepper flakes, Tabasco. Simmer the soup slowly, over low heat for 30 minutes. Do not boil. Add salt and pepper to taste and more verjus to suit your palate. Add chopped dill and serve in bowls with crusty bread on the side.

Can be made ahead of time. Tastes even better the next day.