Soup on Sunday: Wild Mushroom and Sherry

My husband's 4oth birthday is the day before Thanksgiving this year. And, seeing as how Thanksgiving isn't celebrated in the UK, and I am going to combine birthday dinner with Thanksgiving. I have been looking for a good sherry mushroom soup to serve as a first course and this seems to fit the bill. If you know of any other good recipes please do share.

2 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into medium dice (to yield about 1-1/2 cups)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. fresh wild mushrooms* wiped clean, trimmed, and thinly sliced
2 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup half-and-half
3 Tbs. dry sherry
1 Tbs. soy sauce

Melt the butter and olive oil in a 5-qt. or larger stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it's beginning to brown (resist the urge to stir too often), about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, 2 Tbs. of the thyme, and 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper; cook until the mushrooms become limp, 2 to 4 minutes.

Add the broth, scraping up any browned bits in the pot with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until the mushrooms are tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Transfer about half of the soup to a stand blender and process until smooth. Return the mixture to the pot and stir in the half-and-half, sherry, and soy sauce. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed, and reheat. Garnish each serving with a small pinch of the remaining 1 tsp. thyme.

Serves 6

*you could use a combination of dried mushrooms that have been reconstituted