Roasted Wild Mushroom Soup

Directions

1. Brush mushrooms to clean and place on greased roasting tin. Pop in a whole clove of smoked garlic and dot mushrooms with 1 teaspoon of butter. Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until just roasted at 180 degrees centigrade - don't bother preheating the oven! Remove from oven when ready and set a few roasted mushrooms aside for garnishing
2. Heat the other teaspoon of butter in a large saucepan and add the chopped shallots. Saute gently and then add roasted mushrooms, stirring till the shallots are soft and golden.
3. Sprinkle on flour, mix well and continue cooking. Stir well and let flour ‘cook’ so it loses its ‘floury/pasty’ taste.
4. Add the stock and lemon thyme in and let the mixture simmer for 20 minutes, then add the piment d'espelette
5. Add cheese and creme fraiche and cook for another 2 minutes until the cheese is melted and the soup is thickened.
6. Whizz in a food-processor or blender till smooth. Adjust salt if necessary and top with roasted mushroom garnish to serve
7. Combine leftovers with pasta to make a bake or use as a sauce on rice, with soft-boiled eggs.