Three suggestions: (1) use VERY flavorful mushrooms and (2) especially when increasing the recipe, and (3) don’t add all the liquids (cream and oyster liquor) at once. It may thin the soup out too much. 

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We use Miatake (hen of the woods) mushrooms but even they sometimes have a richer flavor than other times so we may end up increasing the quantity of the mushrooms or reducing the cream and/or draining the oysters to get a more flavorful base.

 

Ingredients

A few tablespoons of butter (You could use oil but if you use too much you may end up with drops of oil on the top because oil and cream don’t mix.)
•    1 large onion, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
•    I pint of Miatake mushrooms, with dirt brushed off (not washed) and chopped into bite-sized pieces
•    1 pint heavy cream (I substitute vegan cream)
•    1 pint shucked oysters (I separate the oysters from their liquor so I can decide whether adding the liquor will the soup too thin.)

Preparation

Step 1

Pick a large skillet with fairly high sides.

Step 2

Melt a tablespoon or two of butter in it over low to medium flame and sauté the onion until it gets very soft and the bottom of the skillet is dry. You’re aiming to get as much of the water out as possible so you don’t water down the cream when you add it.

Step 3

Remove the onion and set it aside.

Step 4

Return the skillet to the stove and repeat the first step with the mushrooms. 

Step 5

When the mushrooms are done, add the onions back to the skillet.

Step 6

Pour in the cream. Cook the mixture over a low flame for 15 minutes. Taste and decide whether to add the liquor or just the oysters. 

Step 7

At the last minute, add (1) just the oysters or (2) if you want a thinner base, the oysters with their liquor. Cook for a minute or two until the edges of the oysters start to curl. 

Brett Grohsgal, of Even' Star Farms in Lexington Park, MD, is a Chevy Chase Farmers’ Market vendor. He’s also a former chef with a master's degree in soil science. Adapted by Vivian Cavalieri of Toby Island Bay Oyster Farm.