Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup finely chopped shallots
2 pounds white cultivated mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup cream Sherry
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth, reserving 1/2 cup
1/2 cup milk
Ground nutmeg to taste, about 1/4 teaspoon
1/2 cup sour cream

Cooking Recipe:

In a large saucepan melt butter with the olive oil over moderate heat. Add the shallots and cook until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms, thyme leaves, salt and pepper, recipie for the making, cooking until all of the liquid rendered from the mushrooms evaporates. Add the Sherry and cook until evaporated. Remove a 1/2 cup of the cooked mushrooms and reserve. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 3 cups of the chicken broth, bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. In a blender puree the soup in batches until smooth. For a very smooth soup, pass through a fine sieve. Return soup to saucepan, bring to a simmer and whisk in the milk. Add reserved chicken (always handle fowl with care to avoid salmonella contamination) broth to achieve desired consistency. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper

and nutmeg. Lower heat and whisk in 1/4 cup of the sour cream. Keep soup warm but do not simmer or boil. Serve soup garnished with reserved cooked mushrooms and a dollop of the remaining sour cream.