Willow Bird Baking

Willow Bird Baking

Willow Bird Baking 
I discovered a new recipe blog tonight and I think I've fallen in love.  It's seriously a bad thing to be lookng at recipes and food pictures at 1:30 am.  I'm usually hungry by this time of night and this blog just makes me drool!  

Julie Ruble is the owner of the Willow Bird Baking Blog which isn't just about Baking sweets like Caramel Fudge Brownie Cheesecake and Lemon Blueberry Crumble Bars.  She also covers recipes like the Cream of Mushroom Soup with Crispy Leeks, Blueberry Walnut Bread and Homemade Heart-Shaped Ravioli in Red Sauce.  Willow Bird Baking has been featured many times over in Blogdom and she even made it to Round 9 of Project Food Blog sponsored by FoodBuzz.com.  

I thought this looked SO yummy!  Does anyone have any suggestions about substitutions for heavy cream?  I'm very sensitive to Dairy and can only have a tiny bit or I end up with terrible stomachaches.  Thots?  This sounds so good &  I'd love to tweak it to make a wonderful savory potato soup.  YUM!

Cream of Mushroom Soup with Crispy Leeks

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Recipe by: Adapted from Phyllis Hoffman’s Celebrate Magazine
Yields: about 4 servings

Soup Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped leeks
1 1/2 pound mixed sliced mushrooms (I used sliced buttons)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
4 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream


Crispy Leek Ingredients:
vegetable oil
2 cups thinly sliced leeks
kosher salt

Directions:
In a large pot or dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add leeks and saute about 5 minutes or until tender. Add the mushrooms, thyme, and salt and pepper. Cook about 12 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft the the liquid evaporates some. Add the chicken broth, bring to a bowl, and then lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.

In the meantime, fry leeks. Heat 1 – 1.5 inches of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. I tested the oil by adding a leek and seeing how appropriately it fried. When your oil is ready, add leeks and fry in batches (they won’t fry well if you try all at once, so do about 3 or 4 batches). Fry until folden and remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with kosher salt. 

After 15 minutes, transfer 1 cup of soup to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add this back to the pot and add the cream. Keep warm over low heat until ready to serve. Serve topped with crispy leeks.