Crab Bisque
From The Chesapeake Bay Cookbook by John Shields

6 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup minced leeks
1/4 cup flour
1 cup fish stock or seafood stock
4 cups half-and-half (use just 2 cups so there is more seafood and less broth)
1/4 cup dry sherry, plus sherry to pass at the table
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
Dash of Tabasco sauce
1 pound backfin crab meat, picked over for shells
Lightly whipped cream and paprika, for garnish

Melt butter in a soup pot, then saute onion, celery and leek until tender. Whisk in flour and cook several minutes, stirring. (Don't brown.)

Off the heat, whisk in the stock, half-and-half, sherry, salt, pepper, mace and Tabasco. Return to heat and bring to a boil, stirring often. Simmer 15 minutes. [At this point you may want to puree the soup. I was not fond of the pieces of onion and celery. I would rather any pieces in the soup be crab.] Stir in crab meat and continue to simmer another 5 minutes.

Ladle into soup bowls. Garnish each serving with a dollop of whipped cream and a dash of paprika. Pass dry sherry at the table and add to taste.