8.18.2006

More yummy dinners

Because I am enjoying a particularly good run of dinners and I'm remembering to photograph them, here's another yummy dinner I made last night.
It's a mushroom wine cream sauce on spinach linguini. The sauce was very easy. I started with chopped garlic and shallots (green onions) sauteed in butter until they were soft. Then I added a lot of sliced mushrooms (white and cremini), which I allowed to cook until they were close to done. I sprinkled on kosher salt and herbs de Provance (thyme, lavender, etc.) Then I added about a 1/3 of a bottle of white wine (dry Reisling, in this case), which I allowed to simmer until it had reduced by a third. Then I poured in about 8 oz (small box, right?) of heavy cream. I allowed that to simmer until it had reduced by at least half. Finally, I tasted it, adjusted the salt, pepper, and herbs and served it on spinach linguini with grated parmesan.
I had expected the sauce to thicken more, but overall it was attractive and very yummy. I think it could be adjusted to be a chicken and mushroom sauce, if necessary. I'd also add some more earthy mushrooms, like shitake. I'll have to think about changing the cream from a purely reduction sauce to a starch thickened sauce if I want it to be thicker. Honestly though, I don't think people would complain about this dish. The sauce broke down when I reheated the dish for lunch today, but the flavor was all there, so I didn't mind at all.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, for Heaven's sake Anne! Good thing I customarily open your blog after a good meal.
I gather that you had plenty over. A third of a bottle of white whine and a whole box of heavy cream has GOT to have made a lot of sauce. No, heated cream on its own with wine tends to thin rather than thicken. All that will thicken it is cornstarch or flour.

Anonymous said...

The "whine" is a Freudian slip.

Anonymous said...

Anne, I vote for not putting corn starch or flour in the white sauce that would make it mundane. JDC

Anne C. said...

Not really "a lot". It was probably 2 cups of liquid that got boiled down by half. There were a heck of a lot of mushrooms though.

Thanks for your vote, Daddy. :)