Duxelles Recipe - Mushroom Paste Recipe

Duxelles mushroom paste goes well in soups, in sauces, as casserole binders, and in stews as a flavor enhancer. Spend about 30 minutes making this and freeze into logs. You will have enough to flavor half a dozen dishes or more. Try it in Chicken Mushroom Soup with Cornbread Dumplings.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• Stems from 2 pounds mushrooms (or 1 pound whole mushrooms), wiped clean and very finely minced
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup very finely minced yellow onion (about 1 medium-small yellow onion)
• 4 medium-size shallots or scallions (white part only), very finely minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Bundle mushrooms in clean dry dish towel and wring as dry as possible; set aside.

Melt butter in medium-size heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, add onion and shallots or scallions, and cook, stirring often, until very soft and golden, about 10 minutes; do not allow to brown because duxelles will taste bitter.

Reduce heat to low, add mushrooms, and cook, stirring now and then, until very thick and pastelike, about 15 minutes. Mix in salt and pepper.

Shape half of duxelles on double thickness of foil into butter-stick-size bar; wrap snugly. Repeat with remaining duxelles. Label, date, and set in 0-degree F. freezer.

To use, slice off 3/4-inch pats (each equal to 1 tablespoon) and add to soups, sauces, casserole binders, and stews. Taste as you go and continue adding duxelles until flavor suits you.

Yield: 2 butter-stick-size bars; 16 tablespoons

• Chicken Mushroom Soup with Cornbread Dumplings Recipe

Recipe Source: Dinners in a Dish or a Dash by Jean Anderson (William Morrow)
Reprinted with permission.