This is my rough recipe for a mushrooms sherry sauce, however, I’m self-taught and was hoping some of you more experienced cooks could let me know if I can refine the technique/process for this sauce at all. I want to make sure I have the order right with the steps for adding creme, reduction etc. Thanks in advance.
I have used dried morels in the past but last time I used a combination of dried porcini (used the stock in the sauce) and fresh shiitake, stems removed and sliced roughly 1.5mm.
(NB: The following is taken from a note pad I use to record what I do with experiments and new recipes etc. So forgive the odd recipe format)
- Get some butter foaming, cook one finely chopped shallot without colouring.
- Add a good amount of decent wild mushrooms (don’t overcrowd the pan), cleaned and sliced roughly 2mm thick, or leave them whole if they’re thin chanterelle or something like that. Sauté them off until moisture is removed and they’ve softened [*browning? yes/no]
- Add roughly 100ml of sherry and reduce to a glaze
- Add roughly 200ml of stock; use a 50/50 mix of mushroom & beef/veal > reduce by 2/3
- Taste, season with salt, pepper, add 1/2t of fine chopped lemon-thyme.
- Add double cream and bring back to just under the boil. (Creme fraiche was also good too) > simmer to spoon coating consistency, avoid hard boil.
- Taste, adjust, add a 'splash' more sherry if it needs it [a few drops of truffle oil was good here, also, 5 drops of lemon juice worked well].
- Mount the sauce by dropping in a few cubes of good unsalted butter, moving the pan in circles.
