Forest Mushroom & Red Wine Sauce

Servings: 4 About - 1 cup (250 ml) | Prep: 15 min | Cook: 20 min

Ingredients

15 ml (1 tbsp) salted butter
15 ml (1 tbsp) vegetable oil
1 small French shallot, finely chopped
180 ml (3/4 cup) white button mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
15 ml (1 tbsp) all-purpose flour
15 ml (1 tbsp) porcini powder or Burnt-Sugar Milky cap powder (mushroom powder)
60 ml (1/4 cup) red wine
180 ml (3/4 cup) prepared veal demi-glace sauce
30 ml (2 tbsp) crème fraîche or 35% cream
7.5 ml (1/2 tbsp) red wine vinegar (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

In a skillet, melt the butter with the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

Reduce the heat to low. Sprinkle in the flour and mushroom powder and cook for 1 minute, stirring.

Add the red wine and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits.

Add the demi-glace sauce, return to a boil, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced by half.

Stir in the crème fraîche or cream. Tast and adjuste acidity with the red wine vinegar (optional). Adjust the salt and pepper, then serve warm.

Tips & Variations

• Choose either porcini powder or Burnt-Sugar Milky cap powder, using 1 tbsp in total. Stir it in with the flour so it disperses evenly in the sauce.
• Use prepared veal demi-glace sauce, rather than an undiluted concentrate. If using a concentrate, dilute it according to the package directions before measuring.
• The red wine vinegar is optional. Taste the sauce after adding the cream, then add the vinegar a little at a time only if it needs a brighter finish. You may not need the full amount.
• Veal demi-glace and salted butter already contribute salt, so season lightly at first and adjust after reducing the sauce.
• Spoon the sauce over grilled steak, roasted vegetables, or mashed potatoes.

About White Button Mushrooms

White button mushrooms have a mild, savory flavor that pairs well with red wine and demi-glace. Roughly chopping them gives this creamy sauce a little texture in every spoonful.