Mushroom

Mushroom Steak Sauce

January 11, 2022
4
7 Ratings
Photo by Mandy Lee
  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 25 minutes
  • makes 1 1/2 cups
Author Notes

This mushroom steak sauce isn’t your everyday white button and cream mixture. The intensely earthy sauce packs in all the flavors a mushroom has to offer, and is essentially thickened by loads of finely ground and toasted mushroom powder, making every spoonful like a shot of liquid mushroom. Woodsy herbs like thyme, rosemary, sage, plus warm spices like allspice and nutmeg, give the sauce complexity without overpowering the mushrooms. No doubt about it, this is the shroomiest mushroom sauce, ready to aid any bland steak (or any other roast-meat woes), transporting you to a wintry cabin in the woods.

Note: I store dried mushrooms in an open bag inside the freezer indefinitely. This will keep them dehydrated and help make a finer grind when making this recipe (whereas when kept at room temperature they can absorb humidity in the air). The dark soy sauce is an optional addition for a richer color. —Mandy @ Lady and pups

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Mushroom Steak Sauce
Ingredients
  • 1 3/4 ounces (50 grams) dried mushrooms, such as shiitake or porcini
  • 4 tablespoons (56 grams, ½ stick) unsalted butter
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 3 fresh sage leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
  • 1 large shallot, sliced
  • 3/4 cup (180 grams) whole milk
  • 1/2 cup (120 grams) heavy cream, plus more as needed
  • 2 tablespoons (30 grams) plain whole-milk yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon (15 grams) fish sauce, plus more as needed
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon dark soy sauce (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • Cooked beef or pork steak, or desired roast meat, for serving
Directions
  1. Grind the dried mushrooms in a spice grinder for at least 1 minute, until you have a fine powder. Transfer into a medium pot over low to medium-low heat and toast the powder, stirring constantly, until it turns from a pale gray to a wet sand-brown color. (This process should take about 5 to 6 minutes and shouldn't be rushed, or the powder will burn instead of brown.) Immediately transfer the toasted powder to a bowl to stop the cooking.
  2. In the same pot over medium heat (no need to wipe it out), melt 3 tablespoons of the butter, then add the thyme, rosemary, sage, and black pepper. Cook until the butter starts to brown and the herbs are crispy, about 3 to 5 minutes, then remove about half of the herbs with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add 3 of the smashed garlic cloves and the shallot and cook until fragrant and slightly browned on the edges, about 3 to 5 minutes, then stir in the milk, cream, yogurt, fish sauce, allspice, and dark soy sauce (if using). Stir in the toasted mushroom powder, which will instantly thicken the sauce, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, until the mixture reaches the consistency of a very thick cheese sauce. At the end, stir in the remaining smashed clove of garlic for a little boost of garlicky flavor.
  3. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into another pot, pressing on the solids to extract all the liquid, then discard the solids. If the consistency of the sauce is too thick for your liking, thin it out with a bit more cream, then add the Dijon mustard, grated nutmeg, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Stir until the sauce is smooth, seasoning with more fish sauce to taste, then serve over steak or your preferred meat, topped with the reserved fried herbs. The sauce can be made 3 days ahead of time, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheated before serving.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

2 Reviews

h.wong February 14, 2022
I watched Mandy's video on F52's YT channel and found it an intriguing idea! I made this to go with steak over the weekend and a few thoughts. I made a half portion and I think next time I will cut back on the shiitake ratio because while I LOVE mushrooms in all their glory, I felt like this sauce was pretty overpowering with my steak. I let it simmer until it was pretty thick and felt like the sauce was drying up to a pile of glop as it was sitting on my plate so next time I will leave it looser and saucier. Needing to strain the sauce through a sieve was my least favorite part so next time I will just steep the aromatics and herbs in the milk/butter mixture for awhile and then pull them out before I add in the mushroom powder to skip that step. Otherwise, really great idea and I think I'll be using dried mushroom powder for sauces + soups in the future!
Amelia P. February 5, 2022
This sauce is absolutely worth the effort. I need everything I eat covered in this sauce from now on. We poured it over steak and mashed potatoes with a butter seared mistake on top, but it would be just as amazing over roasted vegetables.