Porcini Mushroom Red Wine Reduction
Impress your family and friends with this Porcini Mushroom Red Wine Reduction that combines savory and rich porcini mushrooms with red wine to add umami flavors to your favorite dishes!
Ingredients
- 1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
- ½ cup hot water
- 4 tbsps unsalted butter divided
- ¼ cup shallots minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 carrots peeled and sliced
- 2 tbsps tomato paste
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme or ¼ tsp of dried thyme
- 1 tbsp sugar
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Soak porcini mushrooms in hot water for at least 30 minutes. Set aside, reserving the liquid.
- In a medium saucepan, sauté shallots, garlic, and carrots in two tablespoons of butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the shallots are lightly browned.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping the bits and pieces that have stuck to the pan. Stir in thyme, sugar, and porcini mushroom (with the liquid).
- Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to a simmer, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat, add the reserved two tablespoons of butter and whisk until smooth.
- Strain through a fine sieve into a saucer and keep warm until ready to serve.
Notes
*I've tried this recipe with Merlot, Malbec, and Syrah, and I liked them all. You don’t need to use the expensive, complex wines (as most of the subtle nuances are lost in the cooking process), but do stay away from the “cooking wines.” They contain additives like salt and reducing the wine down doesn't help the cause much.
*You can make the sauce ahead of time. Reheat in a saucepan under low heat, stirring constantly. Adding too much heat too quickly can cause the emulsion to break and the butter fat to separate.
