Wild Mushroom Soup

1. Pour boiling water over the dried wild mushrooms in a large heatproof bowl and soak for one hour.

2. Pull the soaked wild mushrooms up and out of the soaking liquid, reserving the liquid.

3. Put the soaked mushrooms into a mesh strainer and gently rinse off any clinging grit. Then give them a rough chop and set aside. Rinse off the strainer.

4. Set a coffee filter in the strainer and place it over an eight quart stock pot. Slowly pour the reserved soaking liquid from the mushrooms through the filter and into the pot along with the chicken and beef stocks.

5. Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Then add the white button and portabella mushrooms and cook until just beginning to moisten. Then add the reconstituted and chopped wild mushrooms and cook until tender but do not overcook. Reduce heat to low and add ⅓ cup of Madeira, stirring until the wine is mostly absorbed. Then add the contents of sauté pan into the stock pot.

6. Rinse and drain the pearl barley and then add it into the pot along with lemon juice.

7. Bring stock pot to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir just to blend contents then cover and reduce heat to a simmer for one hour.

8. In a medium mixing bowl, thoroughly combine sour cream and flour. After an hour of simmering, whisk about a cup of the hot soup liquid into the sour cream mixture, to temper the sour cream mixture.

9. Add the tempered sour cream mixture into the hot soup, whisking to incorporate completely. Increase heat to medium-high and continue to gently whisk until the soup begins to boil.

10. Remove from heat, adjust seasonings with salt and freshly ground black pepper and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.