Bucatini with Mushroom Medley

I've made this recipe too many times to count--it's just so very delicious...well, if you love mushrooms, anyway :)  When I made it this time, I made 1 1/2 times the recipe, thus my photos reflect the larger version.  If you cannot find bucatini pasta, linguine would be a good substitute.
Original recipe is on this website (I listed original quantities below):
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/bucatini-with-mushrooms
My instructions are just slightly different from the original recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 c. dried porcini mushrooms (1/2 ounce)
2/3 c. boiling water
1/4 c. reserved strained soaking water

8 oz. uncooked bucatini pasta
1/4 c. reserved cooking water (from when the pasta is drained)
3 1/4 tsp. salt, divided
1 T. canola oil
1/4 c. minced shallots
8 oz. exotic mushroom blend, coarsely chopped (if cannot be found, baby bellas and/or shiitakes are great substitute)
1 tsp. bottled minced garlic
2 T. dry sherry
2 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated, divided
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh sage (I use around the same amount, only dried)
1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
1 tsp. black truffle oil** (yes, this is a pricey ingredient, but well worth it!  You can omit, but it will not be quite the same dish)

Directions:

1. Combine the dried porcini and the 2/3 c. boiling water in a bowl.  Cover and let soak at least 20 minutes:

At the end of the 20 minutes, strain mushrooms and reserve the liquid that strains out.

2. Cook pasta with 1 T. salt in boiling water, with time according to package directions for 'al dente'.  Drain in a colander over a bowl so that you can catch some of the cooking water to use in a later step.

3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add shallots, mushroom blend, and garlic.  Sauté 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Add strained porcini mushrooms, sherry, and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Cook 1 minute or until liquid has nearly evaporated:

5. Reduce the heat to medium.  Stir in the cooked pasta, 1/4 c. reserved pasta cooking water, 1/4 c. reserved porcini soaking water, half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, heavy cream, sage, pepper, and the truffle oil:

6. Serve in pasta bowl, top with additional cheese from the remaining half of it and enjoy!