Wild Mushroom Sauce

We eat a lot of salmon around here and while we love it, it does get a bit boring. I went on the the hunt for a sauce to add to the rotation. I love mushrooms so when this one popped up on my Facebook homepage I knew I had to try it. It's definitely time consuming but so worth it! We liked it so much that I think I will try it with chicken next time. Peter loved it so much that when I looked away from my plate for a moment, he stole a huge bite sauce from my plate. I will need to be more vigilent next time!

The original recipe serves six so I cut most of the portions in half. I also greatly reduced the amount of oil because it was way too oily!


Wild Mushroom Sauce
6 ounces wild mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and chopped
1/4 cup cognac
1/4 cup shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon thyme, minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

In a non-stick pan over medium heat, melt one tablespoon of butter into half a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the shallots and cook for about five minutes. Add half the amount of mushrooms and all of the garlic. Saute for five minutes. Pour in the cognac, remove from the burner and use a long match to light the alcohol on fire. Once the flames have subsided, move back onto the burner and add the chicken stock. Simmer for five to eight minutes, until volume reduces by one fourth. Remove from heat and stir in cream. Pour the sauce into a mini food processor and puree.

Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel and move back over medium heat. Melt the remaining butter and oil. Add the remaining mushrooms and saute for five minutes. Add the mushroom puree, thyme and salt and pepper. Keep warm while cooking the salmon. Reheat before serving.