Morel Mushroom Pan Sauce Food

PAN-ROASTED CHICKEN WITH MOREL MUSHROOM SAUCE

Steps:

• Season the chicken generously all over with salt and pepper.
• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering and just starting to smoke, add the chicken skin-side down and cook until golden brown all over, flipping halfway through, about 12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate; set aside.
• Return the pan to medium heat and add the shallots and garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring often, until the shallots are soft and the garlic is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, gently stirring and scraping up any browned bits from bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, until the mushrooms begin to release liquid, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a medium bowl and set aside.
• Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Add the broth and thyme and bring back to a boil. Return the chicken to the pan, skin-side up, along with any juices from the plate and cover with the lid slightly ajar. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
• Swirl in the cream and return the mushroom mixture to the pan. Simmer (uncovered) over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on a serving plate, spoon the mushroom sauce over and sprinkle with chives.

CREAMY MOREL MUSHROOM SAUCE

Steps:

• Soak the dried morel mushrooms in the red wine just long enough to rehydrate them, about 20-30 minutes is usually sufficient. (I use a plastic container with a lid for this step. That way, I can tilt the container occasionally or shake it around a bit, to be sure all the mushrooms are adequately rehydrating.).
• After the mushrooms are rehydrated, place them in a colander and rinse with cool water to remove any grit from the mushrooms. Leave the colander in the sink to allow the excess water to drain from the colander.
• Finely mince the rehydrated mushrooms; set aside.
• In a large skillet, saute the minced shallots in butter just until they are clear, about 3-4 minutes. Add the minced mushrooms and beef base, and stir well. While stirring, add the cream and pepper, continuing to stir constantly until the sauce is thickened.
• Spoon the sauce over grilled steaks (especially New York or Sirloin), veal, lamb, grilled chicken breasts, or pasta.
• NOTE: For the wine, it doesn't really matter what kind of red wine you use. The wine is just to rehydrate the mushrooms, not to really flavor the sauce. So feel free to use whatever red wine you have on hand. I have used a lot of different red wines for this sauce, and they all seem to work just fine. But I probably use merlot and cabernet the most. But if a different variety of red wine is your favorite, then by all means use it. That way, if you use a wine you actually enjoy drinking, then it's more likely you'll enjoy using it in this recipe.

ROASTED DOUBLE RACK OF PORK WITH MOREL MUSHROOM PAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Chop garlic and quartered shallots in mini processor. Scrape down bowl. Add next 5 ingredients; blend until paste forms.
• Arrange roasts, bone side down, on work surface. Make 6 to 8 shallow slits in fat on each. Rub some of herb paste into slits. Rub remaining herb paste all over roasts. Stand roasts in large roasting pan, bone sides facing each other and rib bones pointing upward. Interlock ends of rib bones, pushing roasts together. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Uncover; let stand 2 hours at room temperature before continuing.)
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Roast until thermometer inserted into pork from center of top registers 140°F, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Remove pan from oven; let pork rest 20 to 30 minutes (internal temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees; meat will be faintly pink).
• Transfer roasts, still interlocked, to platter; reserve roasting pan with juices for sauce. Cut between ribs into chops. Serve with mushroom pan sauce.

SIMPLE FRIED MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Place halved morel mushrooms in a large bowl; cover with cold, lightly salted water. Refrigerate mushrooms for about 5 minutes to loosen any dirt; pour off salted water, rinse, and repeat twice more. Crevices of the mushrooms may harbor tiny stones or even insects. Thoroughly rinse mushrooms a final time and allow to drain on paper towels.
• Place flour in a shallow bowl.
• Heat vegetable shortening in a large skillet until very hot.
• Roll mushrooms in flour and tap off excess; gently lay mushrooms in the hot shortening.
• Pan-fry until golden brown and flour coating is crisp, 5 to 8 minutes, turning often. Drain morels on paper towels, salt to taste, and enjoy your treasures!

MOREL MUSHROOM SAUCE

Steps:

• In skillet, saute garlic in butter.
• Discard garlic if you wish.
• Saute mushrooms and remove. Set the mushrooms aside to add later.
• Stir in flour to make a roux.
• Add water, celery salt, salt and pepper.
• Stir and cook until thickened.
• Add mushrooms back inches.
• Serve with your favorite meat or as a gravy.

MOREL MUSHROOM PAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine morels and 2 cups boiling water in 8x8x2-inch glass dish. Let soak until mushrooms soften, stirring occasionally, at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours. Using slotted spoon, transfer mushrooms to small bowl; reserve soaking liquid. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallot and sauté 3 minutes. Add brandy and shake pan until brandy has almost evaporated, about 1 minute. Add chicken broth and cream. Slowly pour in mushroom soaking liquid, leaving any sediment behind in bowl. Add mushrooms. Bring sauce to boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil gently until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, about 30 minutes.
• (Mushroom base can be made 2 days ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated.)
• Pour all pan juices from roasting pan into small bowl. Spoon off fat from top; pour juices into mushroom base in saucepan. Place roasting pan over 2 burners set at medium heat. Pour in Sherry. Boil 1 minute, scraping up browned bits; pour into mushroom base. Boil sauce until reduced to 3 cups, about 8 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Serve with pork.

MOREL MUSHROOMS WITH BUTTER AND SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Add the butter, olive oil, thyme, shallot and garlic to a large high-sided skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted and shallots are softened, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, gently stirring occasionally, until they release moisture and are golden brown on edges of stems, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

PAN FRIED MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl filled 3/4 of the way with warm (not hot) water and stir in 1 tablespoon fine salt (I used sea salt) until dissolved.
• Place the morels into the salt water mixture and press to submerge. Place 3 to 4 layers of paper towel over top and gently press until absorbed. This will keep the mushrooms submerged. Refrigerate for 2 to 12 hours or overnight. I like to agitate the mushrooms every once in a while.
• Pick mushrooms out of the water and place onto a cutting board. Trim the rough edges of the stems and cut in half.
• Fill another bowl with the same salt water solution and add the mushroom halves. Cover with paper towel and soak for another hour or so.
• Take the mushrooms out of the water and place onto a clean kitchen towel to drain a bit.
• In a large (gallon size) re-sealable bag, combine the flour, garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper. Add 5 to 6 mushrooms at a time, seal and gently toss to coat. Carefully shake off any excess flour and place onto a rimmed baking sheet, keep them from touching.
• Melt 1 stick of butter in a deep-sided, 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Once hot, place a portion of the morels, cut side facing down, into the hot butter. Cook 6 to 7 minutes (depending on their size) or until golden brown. Use a fork or small spatula to carefully turn the mushrooms, cooking for an additional 5 to 6 more minute. Transfer the fried morel to a paper towel lined plate and repeat this process with the remaining mushrooms, adding more butter as needed. Note that the remaining batches may take less time to fry up, so watch carefully.
• Dust with paprika before serving warm.