Whip Up This Mushroom Duxelles Recipe for an Elegant Appetizer (2024)

FAQs

Why is it called Duxelle? ›

Duxelles is said to have been created by the 17th-century French chef François Pierre La Varenne (1615–1678) and to have been named after his employer, Nicolas Chalon du Blé, marquis d'Uxelles, maréchal de France. Some classical cookbooks call for dehydrated mushrooms.

Visual cues are the best indicator for when duxelles are done. They're ready when the mushroom mixture is thickened, nearly all the liquid has evaporated, and the mushrooms are starting to stick to the bottom of the pan a tiny bit. Expect this to take about eight minutes.

The earthy flavor of mushrooms is concentrated by cooking them down in a mixture of butter and shallots, then white wine and finally cream is added, creating a thick, rich sauce that is an essential component of classic dishes like Beef Wellington. Or you can just eat it with a spoon.

A friend does a good version with a mix of caremelized red onions, wilted spinach and blue cheese. It doesn't give quite the “right” texture as mushroom duxelles, but it is tasty. I think a mix of red and green peppers and leeks, all softened in butter or olive oil would work well.

An important step in making duxelles is to remove as much moisture as possible from the mushrooms, both before cooking and during the process. They need to be cooked long enough so the mushrooms release their moisture and then cook completely until the liquid evaporates.

There should be no moisture left in the pan when the duxelles are done. If you see a little pool of liquid, cook the mushrooms longer. Some people add whole butter to their duxelles. If you choose to do so, add it with the wine so all of the water evaporates away.

Much of this recipe can be prepared in advance: the mushroom duxelles can be made up to 3 days ahead, the seared meat can be stored in the refrigerator for several hours up to one day, and the sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Cook the mushrooms until they release all their liquid

That's because the main ingredient of duxelles is mushrooms, which have a very high percentage of moisture. If they retain too much of it after being cooked in the pan, it will leak out onto the pastry.

White truffles

These types of mushroom are also called Alba truffles. The intense garlicky and earthy aroma of white truffles is what makes them considered some of the most luxurious types of food mushrooms.

Matsutake, one of the most expensive mushrooms, can cost up to $1,000 per kilogram. The Italian White Alba Truffle is the world's most expensive mushroom, with a price of $330 per gram. In Japan, people pay up to $600 for a single Matsutake mushroom. Morel mushrooms can cost approximately $254 per kilogram.

What is Gordon Ramsay's Wellington? ›

What Is Beef Wellington? A traditional Beef Wellington consists of a beef tenderloin wrapped in layers of pâté, duxelles (a finely chopped mushroom mixture), parma ham, and puff pastry, then baked.

dux·​elles ˌdük-ˈsel. (ˌ)dü-ˈsel. : a garnish or stuffing made especially of finely chopped sautéed mushrooms.

Duxelles is said to have been created by the 17th-century French chef François Pierre La Varenne (1615–1678) and to have been named after his employer, Nicolas Chalon du Blé, Marquis d'Uxelles, Maréchal de France.

It is generally agreed that the dish was created in celebration of the first Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, and his victory at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18 1815. The Duke was given his title after defeating Napoleon Bonaparte the year before, and not long after he became Prime Minister.

Duxelles is an au gratin preparation made with a mixture of mushrooms, onions, and toasty buttered breadcrumbs. In the 17th century French chef François Pierre la Varenne created the dish and named it after his employer, the Marquis d'Uxelles.

It Consistently Combines Multiple Ingredients

For example, it's quite common to wrap the pâté and duxelles coated steak with parma ham to retain the meat's inner moisture. What's more striking is that all these ingredients combine in every slice and bite of beef wellington.