Woodsy Wild Mushroom Soup

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 pounds wild mushrooms

1 ounce dried chanterelles

1 ounce dried morels

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 1/2 T. all-purpose flour

6 sprigs fresh thyme

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup dry white wine

4 C. chicken broth

1 cup water

1 cup heavy cream

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 lemon, juiced

2 T. parsley, minced

6 slices light rye bread, cut in half

Olive oil (for brushing the bread)

 

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Put the dried morels and chanterelles in hot water for five minutes until rehydrated and soft. Strain the liquid and pour it into the hot butter along with half of each type of dried mushroom.  Add the mushrooms (set aside a few attractive mushroom slices for garnish later) and the salt and turn the heat to high. Sear the mushrooms until they are golden brown, caramelized, and have a deep earthy smell. Reduce heat to low and add the onion and the garlic. Cook, stirring often, until  the juices evaporate and the onion is translucent, about five minutes. Stir the flour into mushroom mixture and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes to remove raw flour taste. Add the wine and deglaze the pan scraping up all the browned bits (this is where the intense woodsy flavor comes from). Tie the thyme sprigs into a small bundle with kitchen twine and add to mushroom mixture. Pour in the chicken stock and water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 1 hour and then remove the thyme bundle. Transfer the soup to a blender and puree on high speed until the mixture is thick but you can still see small pieces of the mushroom.  Return the soup to the pot and stir in the cream, season with salt and black pepper, and finish with the lemon juice.  In a 10″ skillet, heat 2 T. of unsalted butter over medium heat. Add the reserved mushroom slices and sear until golden brown. Brush the slices of bread with olive oil, place them on a baking tray, and bake them at 400 degrees F. until golden and the edges are crispy. Transfer the soup to a large serving bowl (or individual bowls), top with the reserved seared mushrooms, and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately with the bread fresh from the oven.