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Created by Chef Remy
Earthy cremini mushrooms kissed with dry sherry, butter, and bold Creole spices, the kind of elegant yet unpretentious side dish that turns a simple steak into a New Orleans steakhouse experience.
Mushrooms have a way of soaking up whatever you give them. That's their gift and their danger. Cook them timid and they taste like nothing. Cook them bold, with good butter and dry sherry and the right amount of Creole seasoning, and they become something worth fighting over at the table.
At Lagniappe, we serve these alongside our blackened ribeyes, and I've watched grown men ignore their steak to get another spoonful. The secret is patience at the start. You need to let those mushrooms release their water and brown properly before you add anything else. Crowding the pan or rushing that step gives you steamed mushrooms, and steamed mushrooms are a sad thing indeed.
My grandmother Evangeline taught me that sherry belongs in a proper New Orleans kitchen as much as hot sauce does. She kept a bottle of dry sherry next to her stove, and she'd add a splash to mushrooms, to cream sauces, to her gumbo when nobody was looking. The alcohol cooks off but leaves behind something warm and nutty that makes everything taste more like itself. That's the bayou way: build flavor in layers until the last bite is as good as the first.
Quantity
1 1/2 pounds
cleaned and quartered
Quantity
4 tablespoons
divided
Quantity
2 tablespoons
Quantity
1/2 medium
finely diced
Quantity
1/4 cup
finely diced
Quantity
3 cloves
minced
Quantity
1/3 cup
Quantity
1/2 cup
Quantity
1 1/2 teaspoons
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon, plus more to taste
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
Quantity
2 tablespoons
chopped
Quantity
1 tablespoon
Quantity
1 teaspoon
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| cremini mushroomscleaned and quartered | 1 1/2 pounds |
| unsalted butterdivided | 4 tablespoons |
| olive oil | 2 tablespoons |
| yellow onionfinely diced | 1/2 medium |
| celeryfinely diced | 1/4 cup |
| garlicminced | 3 cloves |
| dry sherry | 1/3 cup |
| low-sodium chicken stock | 1/2 cup |
| Creole seasoning | 1 1/2 teaspoons |
| smoked paprika | 1/2 teaspoon |
| cayenne pepper | 1/4 teaspoon |
| kosher salt | 1/2 teaspoon, plus more to taste |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/4 teaspoon |
| fresh flat-leaf parsleychopped | 2 tablespoons |
| fresh thyme leaves | 1 tablespoon |
| Worcestershire sauce | 1 teaspoon |
Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel and quarter them so you have pieces roughly the same size. Spread them on a clean kitchen towel for ten minutes to let any surface moisture evaporate. Wet mushrooms steam instead of brown, and we want color here. That browning is flavor you're building.
Toss the dried mushrooms in a bowl with the Creole seasoning, smoked paprika, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Use your hands to coat every piece. This is the first layer of flavor, and it goes directly on the mushrooms before they hit the heat. Taste one raw. It should wake up your tongue a little.
Heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Add two tablespoons of butter and one tablespoon of olive oil. When the butter foam subsides, add half the mushrooms in a single layer. Let them sit undisturbed for two to three minutes until the bottoms turn golden brown. Flip and brown the other side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining butter, oil, and mushrooms.
Reduce heat to medium. Add the diced onion and celery to the empty skillet with a pinch of salt. Cook for three to four minutes until softened and just starting to color, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for thirty seconds more, until it smells like heaven and your neighbors start getting curious.
Pour in the dry sherry and stand back. It will bubble and hiss as it hits the hot pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all those beautiful brown bits stuck to the bottom. That fond is pure concentrated flavor, and the sherry is going to carry it right into the sauce. Let the sherry reduce by half, about one minute.
Add the chicken stock and Worcestershire sauce to the pan. Bring to a simmer and let it reduce for two to three minutes until it coats a spoon lightly. The sauce should be glossy and concentrated, not watery. If it looks thin, give it another minute.
Return all the browned mushrooms to the skillet and toss to coat in the sauce. Cook for one minute to heat through and let them soak up that goodness. Remove from heat, stir in the fresh parsley and thyme, and taste. Adjust salt if needed. Serve immediately in a warm bowl or straight from the cast iron. Good food does not wait.
1 serving (about 145g)
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