Thursday, May 6, 2010

Mushroom Wine Sauce

winebottle
Bonjour ya’ll!  Don’t you just love to cook with wine?  A little Chianti for the sauce and a little Chianti for me…  Cooking with wine just makes this Texas girl feel so French.  I find myself talking in a high pitch voice like Julia Child and saying words like Bisque, Frappé, Au Gratin and Consommé.  Why, I’ve already mastered a few French dishes such as French toast, French onion soup and French fries.   I also  know how to French kiss but please don’t tell my Momma.  I truly love a French manicure and on occasion I order à la carte  when I go to a fancy restaurant. 

Texas is no stranger to the French.  LaSalle’s navigational error lead to the French Colonization of Texas (click on link for a Texas History lesson).  Did you know that the Sioux Indians were named as such because Sioux means “cut throat” in French?  We have all sorts of towns with French names like Beaumont (beautiful mountain), La Grange (named after the Marquis de Lafayette’s chateau) and La Porte (the door).

This simple wine sauce is good over any type of beef.  It even makes hamburger steak delicious and will make you feel very French!

Red Wine Sauce
  • 1 cup chopped mushrooms
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 shallots (or 1/3 C. mild onions), chopped
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • mixed dried herbs
  • salt and pepper
Cook the mushrooms in the butter for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Stir in the shallots and cook a few more minutes. Mix in the flour with a wooden spoon and brown the mixture for several minutes, stirring with the spoon.

Add the wine and the broth and bring to a boil, stirring all the time.

Add the herbs, salt (if needed) and pepper and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Makes about 2 cups of sauce
Bon appetit (said in Julia Child’s voice)
Au revoir ya’ll (said in my voice).  Hehe.