Pie Crust Mushroom Soup

400 g large field mushrooms
2 Tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
¼ C plain flour
3 C chicken stock (or vegetable stock for a vegetarian recipe)
2 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 C cream
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to moderately hot 200 C. Roughly chop the mushrooms, including the stems. Melt the butter in a large heavy based saucepan and add the onions, cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute further. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft. Sprinkle the flour over them and stir for 1 minute.

Stir in the stock, add the thyme and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Allow to cool before processing in batches. Return the soup to the pan, stir in the cream and pour into 4 ovenproof bowls.

Cut rounds of pastry slightly larger than the bowl tops and cover each bowl with pastry (use small deep bowls rather than wide shallow ones or the pastry may sag into the soup).

Seal the edges of the pastry and brush lightly with the beaten egg. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden and puffed. Serve immediately.