brown  butter  mushroom  fettuccine

Le Bernadin......an exquisitely famous Manhattan restaurant that my husband and I went to for dinner just a few hours after we were married. We had an amazing experience and it was probably the most we had ever paid to eat out anywhere......it was really a wedding gift to ourselves. I can recall my main course.......wild buffalo ravioli in a béchamel sauce topped with a mushroom jus and roasted walnuts. It was delicious and inspiring. And while I wasn't much of a cook at the time, for some reason I just couldn't keep that dish out of my mind. It has stayed with me all these years and that is what this recipes derives from.

Makes about 4 servings

1 lb of oyster mushrooms (royal trumpet or maitake mushrooms will also do)
1 cup of beef stock
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 tablespoon of flour
4 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup of roasted walnuts
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
1 lb box of fettuccine
Salt and pepper to taste

Let's start with the oyster mushrooms. If you purchase them whole you want to make sure that you remove the root of the mushroom which is pretty hard otherwise you will have tough mushroom pieces in your finished dish. I like to slice the oyster mushrooms into strips.

Finely chop the walnuts and roast them in a frying pan on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Then set the walnuts aside in a bowl. Grate the parmesan cheese and set it aside as well.

The brown butter sauce is going to come together rather quickly so have the fettuccine cooking al dente in the meantime. We are going to infuse the fettuccine with the oyster mushrooms being cooked in 2 ways with browned butter. Browning the butter in the cooking process reveals a much richer and deeper flavor. It is really quite easy. In a large skillet on medium to high heat add in 1 tablespoon of the butter. Let it sit for a minute or until it has browned. The butter at this point should have a nutty scent. If the butter smells burnt you have cooked it for a minute too long. Add in half of the mushrooms to the browned butter.

Add in a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Stir the mushrooms around for a few minutes. The mushrooms will absorb the butter. Now add in the flour and stir the mushrooms again for another minute or two. It's okay if the mushrooms and your pan smoke a bit.

Now add in the beef stock and stir to combine. When the stock and the mushrooms begin to simmer add in the heavy cream.

Stir to combine and add in more salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce simmer on low heat for a few minutes while we prepare the rest of the mushrooms. In a separate skillet on medium high heat add in the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Wait a minute or two for the butter to brown.

Once the butter browns add in the remaining mushrooms and salt to taste. Cook them down for about 4-5 minutes or until the mushrooms have browned nicely on all sides.

Once you have drained the fettuccine add it into the skillet with the mushroom sauce. Toss the noodles and make sure they are thoroughly coated with the sauce.

Place the fresh brown buttered oyster mushrooms on top along with the parmesan cheese and roasted walnuts.
Serve immediately.

Enjoy!