Mushroom sauce is an extremely versatile sauce and can be served with a number of dishes. It can be poured over freshly cooked pasta, served as an accompaniment to chicken or steak or even spread onto toasted fresh crusty bread and served as a starter.
Any type of mushroom can be used to make the sauce, including button or cup mushrooms, wild mushrooms or a mixture. Before chopping the mushrooms, they should be wiped clean with a damp piece of kitchen towel and the stalks should be removed. Never wash mushrooms, as much of the flavour is lost in the process.
Mushroom sauce can be made by adding sautéed mushrooms to a white or Béchamel sauce made from milk or cream or it can be made from a chicken or beef stock.
The mushrooms may be finely chopped, thinly sliced or cut into chunks depending on preference and for a smooth and creamy sauce it can be passed through an electric blender.
Other ingredients that may be added to a mushroom sauce to give it that extra something special are white wine, garlic, Worcestershire sauce or crème fraiche.
For a simple mushroom sauce, cook 8 oz (225 g) of sliced mushrooms in 1 oz (30 g) of butter and add it to Béchamel sauce (see our
article on Bechamel sauce), season and serve.
Below is a simple but classic recipe for mushroom sauce, followed by links to two other variations.