What is Duxelles? How can I use it? How do I make it?
Duxelles is a fantastic way to utilize a surprise surplus of mushrooms!
Give this easy recipe a try and let us know if you don't ABSOLUTELY love it!
A mix of you favorite mushrooms, at least 1 pound
For every 1# of mushrooms allow for:
1 whole shallot (or 1/2 a small onion,) finely diced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
6-8 sprigs of thyme, picked
12 sprigs of flat-leafed parsley
your favorite vinegar
olive oil
black pepper
salt
1. Clean your mushrooms--making sure to reserve the bases, stalks, and less than beautiful mushrooms to be made into stock later. No Waste!
2. Roughly mince all of your mushrooms--working in batches if necessary--with a knife (not a food processor!) aiming for ~1cm or less particle size. After you've cut them all down to a size you are content with, lightly salt the whole batch to begin drawing out excess moisture.
3. Finely dice shallot/onion
Finely mince garlic
Pick and mince thyme and parsley (use a sharp knife)
Gather your salt, pepper, cooking oil, and vinegar
Set all of these ingredients aside, in their own containers, ready to be added to the cook as soon as we need them!
4. Get a heavy bottomed pan over medium to high heat, add a couple tablespoons of olive oil, and start sauteing your garlic and onions.
5. After 2-3 min, once the shallots and garlic have begun to brown a little and become exceptionally aromatic, add the mushrooms!
6. Stirring occasionally, sweat out your mushrooms until they have shrunk to half of their initial volume--if you are getting too much 'sticking' to the bottom of the pan, reduce your heat slightly.
7. After 10 mins of total cook time, taste to see how it's texture has developed, and to determine what seasoning might look like.
8. At this point add herbs, black pepper, vinegar, and more salt if necessary. So far this recipe is void of any animal products; this is now the time that you may choose to add a couple of tablespoons of butter if that's how you roll!
Effectively, we are done! Duxelles freezes amazingly, so don't hesitate to use this process to preserve a glut of mushrooms when you find yourself in such a fortunate circumstance! Otherwise, eat duxelles on grilled bread with sheep cheese, stuffed in a whole trout, caked onto the outside of a roast, in an omelet, in a hearty salad, or folded into sour cream as a rich dip for vegetables and chips!
Enjoy!