Melt 1 stick of butter in a large pan. Add 1 big finely chopped onion to the butter and let it “sweat” over low heat. Add 1 tub of fresh mushrooms, finely chopped and continue cooking over low heat for about 5 minutes. Drizzle 4 heaping tablespoons of flour onto the mixture, and immediately add either chicken- or vegetable broth little by little. I prefer the chicken, but veggie broth is ok if you want to make this strictly vegetarian. I use one of the big cans of broth (what are they; 1.5 or 2 pints?). Make sure the soup is smooth without any flour “clumps”. Now add 1-2 finely chopped red sweet peppers. You can use the green too, but I like the red for the color. Also add 2-3 ears of fresh corn (in a pinch you can use canned, but it tastes less good). I prepare the corn this way: hold the naked ear of corn over an open flame (gas flame or BBQ) and roast it slightly for a minute or two. Take a sharp knife and cut the kernels off. Add to soup.
Now comes the tarragon. I use a whole tub of the fresh tarragon I can buy at the fresh herb section at Safeways. Remove the leaves from the stems (tedious work) and chop them finely. Add to soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can add some chili paste for an extra “oomph”. Simmer for about an hour, longer is fine too; it will only enhance the taste. Finally add half a pint of fat free half and half (or heavy cream if you’re not counting calories) and bring back up to temperature (don’t boil the soup now or the cream may separate).
Serve with fresh-baked bread.
This soup is even better the day after.

Enjoy!

~ Ellen