Cream of mushroom soup with dried and fresh mushrooms

Cook the roughly chopped onion in olive oil in a wide pan over reasonably high heat, stirring, until soft and starting to brown, about seven minutes.

Add the butter, stir in the flour to a thick paste and cook the roux, gently browning, a few minutes.

Deglaze with the cognac, then slowly mix in the water a little at a time so it does not lump.

Add the dried mushrooms, snapping the big chunks, the Worcestershire sauce and ground pepper.

Optional, for sandy dried mushrooms: pour boiled water off the heat over the dried mushrooms, steep about half an hour, and strain the tea through a coffee-filter-lined strainer into the soup; rinse the mushrooms.

Cover and simmer on low at least half an hour, an hour better.

Rinse the fresh mushrooms, trim woody stems and slice thinly; halve small shiitake.

Cook the mushrooms in plenty of hot olive oil and butter in the widest pan with a pinch of salt and pepper, boiling off their water, then browning until golden.

Peel and chop the garlic; add at the end and fry a couple of minutes until just starting to go golden.

Turn the heat off on a gas stove and deglaze the mushroom pan with more brandy.

After about an hour, puree the soup base with a stick blender as smooth as possible.

Optionally pass it through a fine sieve, pressing the fibers with a wooden spoon.

Return to the rinsed pan, add the sauteed mushrooms and cream, conservatively at first; taste and add salt and pepper.

Boil gently a few minutes until the cream thickens; too hot and the cream can curdle. Add a splash of vinegar only if no brandy or wine was used.

Serve with a drizzle of cream and fresh herbs to stir in at the table.