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  #1  
Old 07-23-2005, 10:34 PM
gbhunter Offline
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Thumbs up Mushroom Sauce

This is a fairly easy question. I primarily cook East European food, but seeing as I got a saucepan from all-clad as a gift I figured I would try something. I made a simple mushroom sauce.

Heavy cream
Porcilini? Mushrooms
Parsley
Dill
S & P

I actually made smashed potatoes with it, and pour some over top.
Everyone loved it. (could not eat too much since I have a low tolerance to dairy )
The question is what other flavors would enhance this simple white sauce?
Onions? Garlic? Beef Bullion?
Or can new and inovative tastes be obtained from experimentation?
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  #2  
Old 07-24-2005, 09:05 AM
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Suzanne Offline
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Great minds think alike! I did something similar last night. Although I used mostly dried mushrooms. Mine was:

Dried porcini mushrooms
Dried morel mushrooms
Dried white mushrooms
Small dice fresh white mushrooms
Butter
Olive oil
Garlic
Scallion
Sage (could have been almost any other herb, though)
Heavy cream
S & P

I soaked the dried mushrooms in boiling water to rehydrate them, then chopped them and strained the soaking water. Sauteed all the mushrooms in butter and oil, added chopped garlic, thinly sliced scallions, and crumbled dried sage, cooked some more, finally added the soaking water and a splash of cream and boiled it down. That's a pretty basic sauce that could have gone over anything (I used it over mushroom-and-cheese filled tortellini).

Obviously, with all fresh mushrooms, there wouldn't have been any soaking liquid, so then I'd have used red or white wine -- but added it earlier so that it cooked down a lot -- and stock. Which kind of stock would depend on what I was serving it with (although made with vegetable stock it could go over anything). And I added cream in this case only because I had some; normally I don't, and so my sauce would be creamless. Not as rich, but still good.

But enough about me. You are on the right track with all the ingredients on your list. This is one of those sauces that can be played with a lot. Also try shallots, if you have them, instead of onion and/or garlic. Thyme is another complementary herb, too. Just follow the basic procedure of sauteeing the mushrooms (and aromatic vegetables), then adding your liquid(s) and cooking the whole thing down to the consistency you want. Could hardly be easier!

And while you asked about using your new saucepan, in addition to making this kind of sauce on its own, you can do it as a pan sauce: that is, after you've sauteed or roasted your meat or poultry, add the mushrooms to the cooking pan, cook them and whatever aromatics (onion, garlic) you want, then add your liquid and scrape all the "fond" (the browned juices) into it to dissolve.
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Old 07-24-2005, 03:46 PM
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That's essentially my duxelle recipe....
only I use Makers Mark Bourbon or brandy.....sometimes Sherry or Maderia.
Dried Black Trumpets give a big bang with little dried shrooms, just load up on buttons or better yet criminis. Tarragon with chanterelles or black trumpets, thyme with morels, dillweed with chicken of the woods, these days my fav is hen of the woods.....but hey the name says it all. oh yeah, it freezes very well, there are two gls in my freezer as I type.
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Old 07-24-2005, 04:10 PM
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Maybe an oz of Fond de Veau Jus Lie
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Old 07-25-2005, 07:41 AM
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or roasted chicken fonde.....
duxelle goes on hot buttered crostini, in fillo cigars/triangles, over meats, in roulades of meat, in omelet souffle roulades, ummmm I'm sure there's more....
they freeze well, though the moisture level goes up a whole lot so when cooking from a frozen state I make sure there is additional cooking time.
This year I commited to serving it at the Beard Picnic again...
3 Sun in Sept at Mt. Pleasant Winery, limited to the first 600 people.
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Old 07-26-2005, 07:29 PM
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Default Additions...

Since you liked it the way it was so well I'd say make small additions at a time and see if you like it any better. Sometimes simplest is best.

Some suggestions for starter additions would be:
- More Mushrooms. a variety of mushrooms will give you interesting depth. Portabellas, straw, crimini, etc. the more the better for me.
- garlic of course :-)
- "roasted" garlic could be interesting...
- saffron. just a pinch will add some color and a slightly flower scented flavour
- any fresh herb. Possibly something already in one of the other dishes you are serving to tie the flavours together. Anything from chives to marjorram to tarragon. Rosemary, Thyme etc might be a little too strong but worth trying if going on something strongly flavored or spiced already.

My first rule is to just have fun with experimenting...

Enjoy!
J
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