Cream of Mushroom Soup with Sherry (TNT)

I just made a rich and creamy homemade version of mushroom soup for my lunch today that is absolutely delicious!!! I've made this before but not in a very, very long time so I just had to try it again. Tell you what, there truly is nothing better than homemade soup--talk about comfort food at it's best!  I recommend Taylor for the Dry Sherry or Marsala (I've tried other brands for cooking, but Taylor has proved time and time again to be the best for cooking!).  

Cream Of Mushroom Soup (with Wine!)

2 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Flour (if you decide to go without the heavy cream and just use 2 cups half & half instead, you'll need to use 2 Tbsp flour)
1/2 Lb Baby Portabella Mushrooms -- Sliced very thin
1 Tbsp Celery, finely chopped
2 Tbsp Dry Sherry (you can use Marsala wine in place of Sherry--either is wonderful!)
1 Tsp Better Than Bouillon Beef Base (or you can use Chicken, if you prefer that)
1 1/2 cups half & half
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Egg Yolk
Sea or Kosher salt & Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Cook vegetables in butter until tender, then lower the heat to a warm setting (this well avoid the cream from curdling).

Combine flour with 1/2 cup of the half & half and pour it into the vegetables while your skillet is still warm. Slowly pour in remaining half & half, then add wine and bouillon; stir until soup thickens, about 10 minutes or so, then slowly add in heavy cream.

Slightly beat egg yolk, slowly add to soup (do not allow soup to boil!). Gently heat through, stirring often, for about 5 minutes or so. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Gail's Notes: I did make a couple of changes this time around so I adjusted the original recipe with these changes (see below). It's true that this soup is not exactly what one would call "healthy", but the flavor is so awesome, it's worth it! Another upside to this particular soup: any leftover soup can be thickened to a sauce consistency, then toss in a pinch of Tuscan seasoning and garlic powder (I use Penzeys), then some "really good" grated Parmesean cheese, toss in some cooked pasta, drizzle a bit smidgen more Sherry (or Marsala), then perhaps serve grilled chicken breasts slices over the top with a toss of freshly chopped parsley and more excellent Parmesean cheese. Man, the more I think about this, I just might have to try that with the leftover soup for our dinner tonight...hmmmm...that's if I can stay out of the soup until then. :-)