Mushroom sauce for game or red meat

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This mushroom sauce tastes like a game sauce, but it’s made without any game stock. Instead of a stock, the sauce is made with sautéed mushrooms and blue cheese, which gives it the depth and flavour you would otherwise get from the game meat.

The sauce combines sautéed mushrooms with a mixture of heavy cream, blue cheese and thyme, rounded off with a hint of currant jelly for balance. A simple and tasty addition to any meal, but it makes a particularly good accompaniment to roast venison, a red steak or a good roast. The sauce offers a classic flavour with a modern twist.

Ingredients

Mushroom Sauce for Game and Red Meat

400 gram Mushrooms

1 dl Water

25 gram Butter

1 dl Red wine

0.5 l Heavy cream

15 gram Blue cheese

1 tsp. Thyme, dried

Salt as needed

2 tbsp. Red currant jelly

Steps

1
Prepare the mushrooms

Start by cutting the root off the mushrooms and brush them free of soil or rinse them if necessary. Slice the mushrooms. You can use either button mushrooms or oyster mushrooms depending on your preference. Oyster mushrooms give a more intense flavour, which can be a nice variation.

2
Sautée the mushrooms

Heat a frying pan to 190 °C.

Add water and butter to the pan and add the sliced mushrooms.

Fry the mushrooms with the lid on until they have released most of their liquid. This step helps to concentrate the flavour of the mushrooms and make them release water faster.

Then remove the lid and cook the mushrooms uncovered for another 5-10 minutes until they get a good colour and become lightly brown.

3
Add flavourings and bring the sauce to a simmer

Once the mushrooms are cooked, lower the heat to 105 °C. Add the red wine, heavy cream, blue cheese and thyme to the pan and let it all cook together.

Roquefort is the traditional cheese for game sauce, but if you prefer a milder flavour, you can replace it with Saint Agur.

Simmer the sauce on a low heat for 10-15 minutes. This allows time for the flavours to develop and blend together.

4
Season the sauce to taste

Finally, season the sauce with salt and about 2 tablespoons of currant jelly for a slight sweetness and balance of flavour.

5
To serve

Serve the sauce warm, ideally over game meat or as an accompaniment to a winter dinner. The rich taste of mushrooms, combined with the creamy texture and deep flavour of the cheese, creates an exquisite and rich sauce.

Remember to adjust the quantities and ingredients according to taste and needs. This recipe is flexible and can easily be adapted to create your perfect sauce.

Notes

You can use oyster mushrooms instead of mushrooms.

If you have chicken, veal or game stock, feel free to use a few deciliters of it in the sauce. Or add the sauce to the pan where you cooked your meat and let it simmer in the leftover meet juices.

You don’t need to add the one deciliter of water to the mushrooms to begin with, but it will make the mushrooms lose their water faster.

Roquefort is the standard blue cheese for game sauce, but Saint Agur gives a slightly milder flavour.

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