Recipe - Wild Mushroom Sauce

4 ounce Dried mushrooms
12 ounce Assorted fresh mushrooms
(chanterelle, cultivated,
shiitake, oyster)
2 tablespoon Unsalted butter
1 tablespoon Finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon Finely minced shallots
=OR= Onions
One half teaspoon Salt
One fourth cup Sherry or Madeira
One half cup Whipping cream

This sauce has an intensely woodsy flavor that would be good on pasta,
roast chicken or pork. TO RECONSTITUTE DRIED MUSHROOMS, place them in a
bowl and cover with 3 cups of warm water. Soak for at least 2 hours or up
to 8. When mushrooms are soft, drain and reserve water and squeeze out as
much water as you can from the mushrooms. Pour the mushroom water through a
double layer of cheesecloth or a cloth towel to remove any sand that may
have been lurking in the mushrooms. Reserve 1 cup of liquid for this
recipe. (Pour the remaining mushroom water into a plastic container or
airtight bag, label and freeze for up to a year to use in soups and
sauces.) Wash the fresh mushrooms and pat dry. (Slice chanterelles and
cultivated mushrooms, trim and discard the stems of shiitake mushrooms, and
trim and discard root tips of oyster mushrooms.) Melt the butter in a
medium skillet over medium heat and add the reconstituted dried mushrooms,
garlic, shallots and salt. Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Add the fresh
mushrooms and continue to cook another 10 minutes. Add the reserved
mushroom water and sherry. Increase the heat to high and cook until the
liquid reduces by about 2/3. Add the cream and cook until the liquid
reduces to a saucelike consistency and is thick enough to coat a spoon.