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Sauce Champignon (Demi-Glace, Mushrooms, Shallots, Wine or Sherry)

french-sauceespagnolechampignonThis classic mushroom sauce can be served with all kinds of roasted or grilled meat dishes but is most commonly spooned over a juicy, sizzling steak. It is made with sautéed mushrooms, shallots, and just a splash of sherry, and simmered in a basic demi-glace. And what's a demi-glace? Demi-glace comes from French cuisine and is a rich brown sauce that is either a base for other sauces or used on its own. The traditional method for making a demi-glace is combining equal parts veal stock with Espagnole sauce - one of the "mother sauces" in classical French cooking - but today there are ways to cut down on the eight hours of cooking time by using store-bought beef stock. Note, however, that demi-glace gets its characteristic dark colour from the reduction and concentration of brown stock which itself is coloured mainly through the browning of the bones that are later simmered for a long time to extract the collagen and other proteins from the bones. The browning, which occurs as a result of the Maillard reaction, is what gives the stock its colour, and that colour is in turn concentrated and deepened through the steps involved in making the demi-glace. However, if the bones themselves are not roasted, or if the original sauce that is used to make the demi-glace was made using store-bought broth or stock that may not have been made with roasted bones (or any bones at all, for that matter), the abbreviated method may result in a demi-glace that lacks the deep colour you probably want. The solution: These days there are quite a few demi-glace bases which are made by producing a classic demi-glace in the traditional way, then simmering it until it forms a thick concentrated paste. Adding water to this paste will produce a demi-glace which in many cases is as good or better than what you'd likely make at home, and with much less labour. Using one of these products is certainly a legitimate way to prepare this mushroom sauce recipe.

1 Tbsp. butter
½ cup mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbsp. shallots, chopped
2 cups demi-glace
2 Tbsp. sherry
lemon juice, freshly squeezed

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat until it is frothy. Add the mushrooms and shallots and sauté until the mushrooms are soft and the shallots are translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the demi-glace, bring to a boil, then lower heat to reduce the sauce, cooking at a simmer for about 10 minutes.

Stir in the sherry, season to taste with lemon juice, and serve right away.

Makes 4 servings.

Additional French Sauce Recipes:

  • If you would like a mushroom sauce to use over chicken or other poultry as well as seafood, a creamy sauce with mushrooms, butter, lemon juice and Sauce Suprême is a delicious choice.
  • If meat is the main course, there are plenty of other classic sauces to enhance the dish (especially those using a demi-glace), such as Marchand de Vin, a red wine reduction sauce, and Sauce Madère, combining Madeira wine with demi-glace.
  • If you are looking for that signature buttery taste and texture, a Sauce Béarnaise should do the trick - a rich, creamy sauce bright with the flavours of tarragon and chervil, as well as a little lemon juice.
  • If pork is the featured entree - then look toward a Sauce Robert or Sauce Charcutière, both made with a demi-glace.