Creamy Mushroom Soup

This is a really elegant soup for day #17 of Soup Month and the earthy flavors would be a great start to a holiday meal.  Look for assorted mushrooms in your local market to see what is available.  If you can find chanterelle mushrooms they are delicious in this soup.

1 TB  Olive Oil
1 large Onion, finely diced
2  Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 oz  Dried Porcini Mushrooms, reconstituted in 2 cups water
2 1/2 lbs  Assorted Fresh Mushrooms, chopped (crimini, shiitake or chanterelle if you can find them)
2 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and diced
2 TB  Cognac
32 oz  Chicken or Vegetable Stock
3 cups  Milk
1 TB  Unsalted Butter
Salt and Pepper to Taste

In a large soup pot over medium heat, add olive oil, onion and garlic.  Saute 3-5 minutes until golden.

Drain porcini mushrooms and chop.  Pour water thru a coffee filter to remove and small pieces and set aside.

Increase heat to high and add porcinis and the fresh mushrooms.  Cook about 5 minutes or until mushrooms are softened and golden.  Add potatoes, reserved porcini liquid and cognac.  Cook 1-2 minutes longer.

Add the broth to the pot and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Cook about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.  Remove from heat.  Add milk and puree soup until smooth. (You can use an immersion blender for this step or carefullt puree soup in a blender, but be very careful not to overfill the blender.)

**Note:  To top off this soup you can garnish with finely chopped chives or saute about 1 cup of mushrooms in unsalted butter for a few minutes and gently place 2 or 3 mushrooms on top of each serving of soup.