Fresh Mushroom Soup

Serves 4 (makes about 4 cups)
Active time: 15 minutes; start to finish 30 minutes

2 cups half-and-half
½ medium onion
½ stick (4 tablespoons) butter
3/4 pound mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
4 teaspoons flour
1 cup stock or store-bought broth (beef or vegetarian)
1 bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon peel (optional)

Heat butter in a 6-quart wide heavy pot over moderately high heat until foam subsides. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Add onion, then sprinkle mushrooms with flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add stock in a slow stream, stirring constantly, then add half-and-half, bay leaf, pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. (Do not let it boil as the half-and-half will curdle.)
Discard onion and bay leaf and stir in lemon juice and optional grated lemon peel.

“All you need is a loaf of crusty bread with some good butter to make this a meal.”

Adapted from a recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook, pp. 101-102. They adapted it from a 1920s Russian emigré’s 1947 cookbook, Katish: Our Russian Cook.