Duxelles - why and how

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Pellice

Cook
Joined
Sep 15, 2019
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53
Location
New Jersey
Hello Cooks!

I made an impulse buy of mushrooms at Costco last week. I was looking for ways to freeze them and came across "duxelles," which I vaguely knew to involve mushrooms, but couldn't have described. Anyway, I am cooking down a batch now in a skillet, and I'm wondering: the recipes say to cook them "until dry," but how dry is dry? If they're really dry, won't they be burnt?

And, does anybody have really good recipies using these? I found one on Fine Cooking involving potato pancakes that looks heavenly.
 
Another question - most recipes seem to call just for finely chopping the mushrooms, but Joy of Cooking calls for chopping, then squeezing out the liquid, then adding BOTH the liquid and the mushrooms to the pan. I didn't bother with the squeezing since I would simply be adding it back with the mushrooms, but why would a cook do this in the first place?
 
I like it (with a little parmesan) in ravioli or tortellini, and if you're a filet guy you could make a Wellington.

https://youtu.be/Cyskqnp1j64

BTW, it's darn near impossible to burn mushrooms. As for squeezing them first… it is tough to sweat liquid from mushrooms (that's why they're impossible to burn). My guess is that squeezing speeds up cooking, allowing the squeezed liquid to evaporate faster, leaving the flavor behind.
 
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"Cooking until dry." When you sauté mushrooms, they give off a ton of water. continue to sauté until all that water cooks off.
 
If I am trying to store mushrooms, I usually just slice or quarter mushrooms and fry them in butter, possibly with some EVOO. Then I spread them out on a silpat or waxed paper on a baking sheet. I stick that in the freezer. When they are frozen, I separate them a bit and put them in a zipper bag for the freezer. Sometimes, after they are fried, I just put them in a food safe plastic container and keep them in the fridge, to have handy. They last a good while in the fridge, but longer in the freezer.
 
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I've only ever used duxelles in two ways.

As part of the spread over Beef Wellington and

as the stuffing in little 'purse' appetizers in a pink cream sauce.
The purses and sauce I've frozen separately.
 
Just found the picture of the "Amuse Bouche" won ton mushroom purses.
 

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One recipe (from back in the 70s, the New NYT Cookbook) I have used duxelles in, was
probably my favorite stuffed mushrooms, with about an equal amount of duxelles and sausage (I usually used some rosemary sausage for this), and topped with a combination of buttery bread crumbs and parmesan, then baked. The duxelles in the recipe was a quick batch, made from the stems of the mushrooms, but I usually had some already made, and I saved the stems for something else.
 
An overload of mushrooms ? That says Stroganoff. I buy fresh for that but you got even better

Fry the mushrooms, and keep frying them until they start to shrink and stink really good. You keep replenishing the butter. What has been browned is put elsewhere for now.

With the mushrooms gone but for their lingerings on the pan, new butter and do the onions. If you use a whole pack of mushrooms. I always get unsliced and do them myself so I can make sure they're clean. The onion can be ½ slices, and just use the whole thing unless it is huge. Also about ½ of a garlic.

After all that out of there, with the glaze on the pan, put in the beef. Higher temperature, you want it on the rare side. Now the exception exists when you use a cheaper cut of meat and have to cook it lo to get it tender. I so, so.

Either way, from the git this stuff is getting paprika.

If you make alot and want to freeze it, do not put the sour cream in until you take it out. Do not nuke except to free it from a container. As soon as possible put it in a small pot, whatever size you want to make how much you want.

Dress it on some good soup noodles. I don't want anything else really. Kash, which is slightly related, I make dumplings, but not for this. Mashed potatoes. It can be had on noodles but it is not as good I think. I think Stroganoff is best on noodles.

And it will use up some of those mushrooms.

Now if anything is suitable for stuffing I all ears.

T
 
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