Cream of mushroom soup

Melt the butter, add all the flour at once and mix to a paste.

Cook the roux on medium-low for two minutes, then turn the heat off and leave it to cool at the side of the stove.

In an oversized pan, melt 50 g butter and sweat the shallots without colouring them.

Add 500 g of mushrooms, coat them in the butter, cook one to two minutes, then season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile warm 800 ml milk with bay leaves, the clove-studded half onion, salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.

Bring the milk gently to the boil, turn the heat off and leave it to infuse five minutes.

Reduce the mushrooms gently on low heat about ten minutes, until there is almost no water left and they have just started to catch. Turn off and rest.

Slacken the cooled roux with some of the hot milk, then return it to the pan of milk and bring gently to the boil, stirring continuously.

Pass the bechamel through a sieve to remove the onion, bay leaf and any clumps.

Blend the mushrooms into the bechamel with a stick blender. A food mill would be better but he does not have one.

Pass the whole thing through the sieve again, pressing with a spoon to extract everything and leave the mushroom debris behind.

Warm on medium, loosen with a little milk, then stir in the creme fraiche and bring the temperature up slowly. Do not add extra milk or cream beyond this or the mushroom flavour weakens.

Cook five minutes on very low heat, then serve with a nudge of butter and a little parsley in the bowl.