Duxelles

In the last couple of weeks I’ve become completely obsessed with Duxelles. 

It’s a French concoction made from minced mushrooms, shallots and herbs and it is delicious beyond words. This is the recipe that started it all.

Unless I'm baking I never follow a recipe, so I’ll never know for sure if the recipe above is really any good. I can tell you though, that if you use half and half instead of 2% milk, more cheese than the skimpy three quarters cup they call for and throw in a nice handful of fresh herbs that it is absolutely to die for. So good in fact, that I made another version of it using sliced potatoes and served it with a glazed ham on Christmas day. Delish.

When the frig became so packed with leftovers that they were falling out every time we opened the door, I knew it was time to pull together whatever odds and ends I could find and get cooking. In the crisper I found a moldy red pepper and two limp carrots. Ick. I also found a package of button mushrooms that hadn’t expired, half a Mayan sweet onion and one large shallot. The back recesses of the top shelf held leftover ham along with four containers of various shredded cheese. I’m feeling inspired now...it'll be Duxelles Mac n Cheese!

I’m pretty fearless in the kitchen and cook by the seat of my pants, so when folks ask for my recipes I really don’t know what to say...it’s a little of this and a little of that, use your best instincts, taste as you go and it’s sure to turn out okay most of the time. So by request, here it is, my Duxelles Mac n Cheese recipe as best I remember:

Set a large pasta pot to boil with salt and a little olive oil. I use Pasta Joy Gluten Free rice pasta. Undercook it just a bit so it doesn’t get soggy while it’s baking.

Pulse one package of sliced button mushrooms 10-15 times ‘til they’re finely minced. Place in a large skillet on medium heat with a big knob of butter. Pulse a large shallot and one half sweet Mayan onion 10-15 times ‘til finely minced and add it to the mushrooms. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook ‘til whatever rendered water is reduced and the mixture starts to look like a paste. If you have herbs add those in. I used fresh thyme, savory and a little rosemary.

Chop the ham off the bone and pulse it ‘til it resembles the mushroom/onion mixture. Set aside and try not to snack on it while you’re making the cheese sauce (I’m guessing I had about a cup and a half of minced meat by the time the sauce was done).

Whisk two tablespoons of cornstarch and about two or two and a half cups of cold cream or half and half or milk over medium heat until it starts to thicken. When it’s thick, dump in the cheese, add salt and pepper, a little dash of something for heat (chipotle powder is good) and whisk until smooth. Okay, true confession time. J and J were coming over for dinner and it’s not dinner with them unless there is something on the table made using heavy cream. So for this recipe I used one and a quarter cups of heavy cream and made up the difference with water thereby making the entire meal more “healthy” in one easy step! 

Spray PAM in a 9x12” baking dish. In a large metal bowl toss a third of the pasta and a couple of big ladles of the cheese sauce together and spread it all out in the bottom of the pan. Layer in the duxelles and then another layer of pasta/cheese sauce. Now add in the mince ham and finish up with a layer pasta and sauce. If there’s any sauce left in the pot, just pour it on top while you’re at it. If you find yet another container of shredded cheese in the frig, place that on top too.

Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15-20 minutes. Eat with love and abandon, and plan to fast the next day, unless of course it’s calling to you from the frig, in which case, I suggest having it for breakfast. Diet starts tomorrow, right?