Mid-Week Mushroom Recipe

How’s this for a 10-minute dazzler? All you need are a few basic ingredients and the will to make a quick and unexpectedly delicious dish.

Get out a package of sliced cremini mushrooms and a knob of butter. Put a medium pan on medium-high heat. Drop in the butter, let it foam, add the mushrooms and season everything up. In goes the booze — a touch of vermouth — and then that leftover bit of whipping cream you’ve got in the back of the fridge, the dregs from that show-stopping dessert you made a couple of weeks ago.

All of a sudden it smells like company’s coming!

Within a few minutes more it’ll be all creamy and earthy and, wait, what’s that? That’s the cayenne speaking, you sly devil.

Finish with a pop of fresh parsley and spoon your creamy mushrooms over crisped baguette slices, or twirl them into pasta, or serve over chicken. (Tip: If you want to go even more over the top, should you have some white truffle oil on hand, drizzle the tiniest bit into the mix. Heady stuff.)

Mushrooms and booze and cream and herbs: It takes so little to do so much.

Creamy Mushrooms Recipe

(serves 3-4)

1 8 oz. package cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp butter
Salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
1/4 cup dry vermouth or cognac
1/4 cup whipping cream (35%)
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Step 1: Add butter to a medium pan, let it melt and foam, then add mushrooms and season with a bit of salt, pepper and cayenne. Let them cook together for a couple of minutes.

Step 2: Add a good couple of glugs of dry vermouth or cognac, and let the liquid absorb, leach back out, then reduce down again to almost nothing. Pour cream in the pan, mix it with the mushrooms and juices and let it reduce down again to a nice sauce-like consistency. Taste for seasoning, add a pop of parsley and a touch of truffle oil at the end, and you’re done.

Click here for more recipes with mushrooms.

Photo credit:
Amy Rosen