2.21.2010

Recipe: French Mushrooms

I read a lot of blogs - a lot. Food blogs, children's literature blogs, design blogs, fashion blogs, NYC blogs. More than I have time for...but, really, aren't we all short on time?

When I see a recipe I like while reading a blog post, I send myself an email with the recipe name as the subject line and then the link as the message. And thanks to Gmail, I can tag all those emails as "Recipes". So when I'm sick of my cookbooks and magazines, I go to this email list as inspiration.

This is where I discovered a recipe for French Mushrooms from For the Love of Food. I actually bookmarked this in 2008 (!) and I just got around to trying it. In a word, divine. Here's the photographic evidence:

French Mushrooms
  • 2 lbs. sliced mushrooms (I used creminis from the farmers' market)
  • 1/2 c. thinly sliced scallions
  • 1 c. crème frâiche
  • 1 c. sour cream (it was supposed to be 2 c. of crème frâiche but I ran out so had to substitute. Not ideal but you do what you gotta do, right?)
  • 6 tbsp. minced parsley

In a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat, simmer mushrooms, scallions, and crème frâiche, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until mushrooms start to give up juices.

Then turn heat to high and boil, uncovered, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes or until liquids reduce to a shiny sauce and bubbles begin to form. Stir in parsley and salt. Serve immediately.

Makes about 12 servings (per FtLoF, but it was more like 4 servings in our house).

What I loved about this recipe was 1) it was incredibly simple to make, and 2) it was deceptively decadent. I thought I was making a "light" dinner for us by only serving the mushrooms, bread, and a salad...but, as you may have guessed, I was wrong. It was very rich and indulgent.

A note: the recipe said to boil the mushrooms for about 10 minutes but I had to go a full 15 minutes - my sauce was super liquid-y still after 10 minutes. I suspect that it was because of the sour cream, which may have had more water in it. So if you can avoid using sour cream, that's really the way to go.

Another note: this is a recipe you can play around with, a quality I love in a recipe! Try zesting lemon into the boiling mushrooms. Or substitute thyme for the parsley - thyme is an ideal companion with mushrooms.

We had quite a few leftovers so, two mornings later, I reheated the mushrooms over the stove and poured them over a brioche roll. With a steaming cup of coffee, it was a kick-ass way to start my day.

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