10 cups fish or seafood stock
(or, in a pinch, bottled clam juice)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup flour
12 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 whole scallions, sliced
1/2 cup butter (to sauté)
1/4 cup minced Italian parsley
1 cup cream
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup dry Sherry
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups (1 pound) lump crabmeat
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Melt 1 stick butter and in it sauté onions, mushrooms and scallions
until tender. While sautéing bring fish stock to a boil. Put all sautéed
vegetables and 4 cups hot stock in blender (in batches) and purée
until smooth.
Make a roux using 1 cup butter and 1 cup flour. Add 4 cups stock
(hot) and puréed vegetable mixture whisking constantly. Add the
remaining stock, continuing to whisk. Turn heat to low. Add all
seasonings, half of cream, half-and-half and half of Sherry. Do
not allow to boil. (Can be made ahead to this point.)
When ready to finish, reheat but do not boil. Mix in approximately
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, remaining cream, half-and-half and
Sherry, and crabmeat. Stir until cheese is melted and crab is heated
through. Serves 8.
 

More festive soup recipes:
Chef Keegan's Cream of Mushroom Soup
Chestnut Soup
Crabmeat and Leek Soup
Fish Soup with Shrimp and Lobster
Lobster Bisque
Scallop Bisque
Shrimp Bisque
New Orleans Oyster and Artichoke Soup
The Christmas Soup (Petite Marmite)