This French creamy mushroom sauce goes with all meats, from chicken, pork and steak to duck and game.
The sauce is made in just a few minutes, it's perfect for entertaining or a special meal at home.
Better than that, it's really easy to make and it's so creamy and delicious, with or without the brandy!
Bon appétit!
I discovered this mushroom sauce duxelles at a neighbours house in France, where it was served with a simply cooked pork fillet. It tasted amazing and was so easy to do that I've been making it ever since.
The beauty of this sauce is that it goes really well with all sorts of meats, trust me, I've tried them all! My favourites are duck breast, steak or a pork chop. It's easy to add different herbs too, to compliment the different meats.
As the sauce is so creamy there is no need to make too much fuss with the meat. So, for a dinner party, you could simple cook some chicken breast in the oven in foil and then serve with the sauce.
Delicious and easy entertaining!
🥘 Ingredients
- Chestnut mushrooms or brown mushrooms - I buy these mushrooms all the time as they have a great flavour. Use plain white mushrooms if you prefer. It doesn't matter if you have broken or uneven mushrooms as they will all be finely chopped.
- Double or heavy cream - this add a real decadent richness.
- Brandy or cognac for the sauce duxelles - use sherry, madeira or white wine if you prefer or leave it out completely.
- Garlic cloves - not powder.
- Shallots - I prefer the longer, larger banana shallots. They are much easier to peel and are slightly sweet. You can also use sweet onion such as vidalia.
- Fresh sage - totally optional, but this goes so well with a plain grilled pork chop.
- Flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Butter and oil - for frying. Adding a little vegetable oil stops the butter from burning, but still gives it the buttery taste.
🔪 Instructions
Chop the mushrooms, shallots and garlic finely. For the best result, slice the mushrooms, chop them and then cross chop until you have fine pieces. The smaller the pieces are, the more they will cook down and add flavour to the sauce. This is a great technique for chopping herbs too.
Heat the oil and butter over a medium heat in a frying pan, then add the shallots for 4-5 minutes until they are translucent. Stir regularly and don't allow them to colour or burn. They just need to be soft.
Tip in the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic for another minute, stirring to make sure it doesn't burn.
Pour in the brandy and herbs and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, and reduce until the liquid has almost disappeared.
Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Check the seasoning.
Sprinkle over the remaining herbs.
Serve the sauce immediately with the meat or poured over vegetables.
FAQs
This sauce is perfect with any meat dish. Try Pork fillet with Porcini and Apples, French Roast Chicken or any steak dish. It's particularly good if you have meat leftover from a roast too. Add some chopped tarragon if you are serving chicken and some thyme with the beef.
The duxelles is a sauce made by slowly cooking finely chopped mushrooms with onions and herbs in butter. It's used as a base for sauces, in stuffings, with vegetables and as a paste on a beef fillet in beef wellington. Cooking mushrooms until their liquid has evaporated concentrates the flavour.
There are lots of alternatives if you don't want to use cream.
Crème fraîche is one of my favourites as it is very stable in sauces. It tastes very much like soured cream but has a higher fat content. I tend to add a little sugar to the sauce.
If you are looking for a lower fat ingredient then try fat free quark. It has a similar tang to soured cream.
You could also use milk instead and cornflour to thicken.
Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais.
💭 Top tips
- For an even richer sauce put some dried porcini mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain, chop and add to the sauce when the mushrooms are softened.
- If you prefer a thicker sauce, combine a teaspoon of cornflour/cornstarch with a tablespoon of water and stir into the sauce.
More mushroom recipes
📋 Recipe
Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients
- 300 ml double cream
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon brandy or Cognac
- 130 g mushrooms finely chopped
- 100 g shallots finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon sage finely chopped
Instructions
- Over a medium heat heat the oil and butter add add the shallots for 3-4 minutes until translucent.
- Add the mushrooms for 2 minutes then add the garlic 1 minute.
- Add brandy and half the sage and reduce until the liquid has almost disappeared.
- Add the cream.
- Heat to a simmer and check the seasoning.
- Serve immediately with the remaining herbs scattered over.
Notes
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Please refer to the post for detailed recipe instructions.
Amanda
Thanks Angela!
Amanda
Thanks Beth. The cognac gives it an extra depth.
Amanda
Thanks so much Pam. That means a lot to me as sauces are so tricky.
Angela
This recipe looks so tasty! I can't wait to try it!
Beth
This looks lovely and super delicious! Love the addition of the cognac! Can't wait to give a try!
Pam
Sounds divine! I know what you mean about not being able to do a recipe justice with photos. Sometimes the best tasting are just not the best looking. However, you did an excellent job with that and I think the sauce looks mouthwatering.
Amanda
Thanks Pam. I'm glad it's your favourite too!
Pam Greer
This is a sauce that I have loved for years! I had no idea that I could make it at home! We love it over pork!
Amanda
Thanks Deanne. We love it with duck and steak too!
Deanne
Anything creamy mushroom sounds like the ultimate comfort food, and I love the idea of pairing this with pork!
Amanda
Thanks June. It's really good!
June de Silva
What's not to love?!