Roasted Mushroom & Fresh Thyme Soup

Toss quartered cremini (1.5 lbs) and sliced shiitake mushrooms (0.5 lb) with olive oil (2 tbsp), 1 tsp kosher salt, and 0.5 tsp black pepper on a rimmed sheet pan. Roast at 425°F (220°C) for 20 minutes until shrunken and deeply browned, then reserve a generous handful of roasted mushroom slices for garnishing the bowls in Step 4.

✓ Checkpoint: Deeply browned, intensely fragrant mushrooms with garnish slices set aside.

Melt unsalted butter (3 tbsp) in the Dutch oven; sauté minced shallots/yellow onion (3 units) and chopped fresh thyme (1 tbsp) for 5 minutes. Stir in minced garlic (4 cloves) and all-purpose flour (2 tbsp) for 1 minute, then deglaze with dry white wine (0.5 cup) and soy sauce (1 tbsp) until reduced by half.

✓ Checkpoint: Sweet wine-scented shallot and umami roux base.

Add the remaining roasted mushrooms and chicken or vegetable stock (4 cups). Simmer gently for 20 minutes to marry the flavors and lightly thicken the soup.

✓ Checkpoint: Rich mahogany simmering broth.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender until velvety smooth. Stir in heavy whipping cream (0.75 cup) and remaining kosher salt (0.5 tsp) and black pepper (0.5 tsp), heat to ≥165°F (74°C), ladle into warm bowls, and top with the reserved roasted mushroom slices.

✓ Checkpoint: Silky, luxurious soup topped with caramelized mushroom slices.