Recipe: cream of mushroom soup

A lot of the recipes of my childhood use canned cream of __________ soup. Now that I don't eat wheat, my father doesn't eat MSG (not that any of us should), and multiple members of my family don't eat soy, now we make cream of ___________ soup.

It's much easier than I always thought it was. The key, at least for cream of mushroom soup, is to use dried mushrooms. Fresh won't give you a strong enough mushroom-broth.

And, for the curious, here is the recipe in terms of "some":

Fill the pan with water, add some bay leaves, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling add some dry mushrooms and reduce to a simmer. Add some fresh mushrooms a while later. Forget about it for about five minutes after the time goes off. Mix some cornstarch and some water. Remove the mushrooms from the broth, add the cornstarch and water, and return to a boil. Slice the mushrooms, remove the boiling broth from heat, and add some milk. Put the mushrooms back in, add some salt, and use, serve, or store.

Now here it is in terms I reasonably expect someone else to be able to follow:

5 cups water, plus a bit at a later point
2 packages mixed dried mushrooms, plus fresh if desired (or if there's any leftover floating around your refrigerator)
4 bay leaves
2 cups milk or cream
2 tablespoons cornstarch
salt to taste

1. In a medium-size saucepan, bring the water and bay leaves to a boil.

2. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low, add the dried mushrooms and follow the directions on the packages (usually this is to simmer or soak for 20 minutes, covered). If you are using fresh or leftover mushrooms, slice them and add them for the last 5-10 minutes of soaking/simmering.

3. When the mushrooms are done, remove them and the bay leaves from the broth and drain. Set aside.

4. Mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and stir well. Pour (drizzle, not dump) it into the mushroom broth while stirring, and return to a boil uncovered.

5. While waiting for the liquid to boil, discard the bay leaves and slice the mushrooms into small, spoon-size pieces.

6. Once the broth is boiling remove from heat, let the foam (if any) die down, and add the milk or cream slowly while stirring. Add the sliced mushrooms and salt to taste.

Cool slightly, and serve or use in cooking, or cool completely and store for use later.