Creamy Mushroom Soup

Place dried mushrooms in a medium bowl and pour in the boiling water. Let stand 15 minutes, or until mushrooms are softened. Remove mushrooms with a slotted spoon, chop and set aside. Pour the mushroom liquid through a fine sieve or cheesecloth into a bowl; discard solids and remaining sand. Reserve.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened and translucent. Add the wild and reserved mushrooms, in two batches if necessary, and cook stirring occasionally until they have released their juices and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the wine and cook scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until all the liquid has evaporated. Sprinkle mixture with the flour and stir to coat.

Stir in the reserved mushroom liquid or vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove one cup of mushrooms and toss with parsley, set aside.

Puree the rest of the soup in small batches in the food processor or blender. Carefully! Retur to sauce pan and stir in cream and salt and pepper. Serve hot, garnished with the mushrooms and parsley.