Roasted Wild Mushroom Soup

Directions

1. 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. 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. 3
   Sprinkle on flour, mix well and continue cooking. Stir well and let flour 'cook' so it loses its 'floury/pasty' taste.
4. 4
   Add the stock and lemon thyme in and let the mixture simmer for 20 minutes, then add the piment d'espelette
5. 5
   Add cheese and creme fraiche and cook for another 2 minutes until the cheese is melted and the soup is thickened.
6. 6
   Whizz in a food-processor or blender till smooth. Adjust salt if necessary and top with roasted mushroom garnish to serve
7. 7
   Combine leftovers with pasta to make a bake or use as a sauce on rice, with soft-boiled eggs.