Maitake - Porcini Sauce

I recently mentioned being able to take time for a proper lunch on weekends again. Some of this means doing "component cooking", which is creating parts of dishes that can be put together in different combinations.......stuff that I used to do in a previous life a zillion years ago. Anyway, this is based on another recipe, used to create a sauce that keeps for a week or so and can be used in different ways. The one thing I've learned is to start this in a cold pan, versus dumping all the stuff with butter into a hotel pan over a couple of burners, which is what used to take place way back then. Maitake....or Hen of the woods mushrooms and shimeji mushrooms keep their shape and earthy flavor throughout the process, so this is a good sauce for composing dishes....like say....a Pan seared monchong, smoked potato-brussel sprout saute, maitake - porcini sauce, kinda thing....

Like I learned in my "hannabudda days" of cooking....it's all about prep, though I didn't realize it at the time.

Maitake - Porcini Sauce:

1 head of Maitake (Hen of the Woods) Mushroom, cleaned, trimmed, and separated
1 head of Shimeji Mushroom, cleaned, trimmed, and separated
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushroom
2 cups warm water 2-3 tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tb minced shallot
1 tb grated garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme salt(truffle salt?) and pepper to taste
3 tb Creme Fraiche

- Steep porcini in the warm water for 20 minutes
- Place maitake and shimeji mushrooms into a cold pan
- Turn heat to medium high
- Allow the mushrooms to carmelize for 3-4 minutes mixing occasionally
- Remove porcini mushrooms from soaking liquid
- Strain porcini liquid
- Add Olive Oil and shallots to pan
- As mushrooms soften, add porcini, garlic, oregano, thyme
- Once fragrant, add 1 1/2 cup of the porcini soaking liquid
- Lower the heat and reduce by at least one-third
- Taste and add salt and pepper
- Remove from heat and thicken with creme fraiche 

Comments

[kat]

easy & delicious, my kind of cooking:)

[Kirk]

It's good sauce for meat and fish Kat! It keeps rather well too.

[Lynnea]

Oh yum! that would be delicious over savory french toast! =)

[Kirk]

That's a great idea Lynnea!