When the forest yields its bounty and you want to treat yourself to the most authentic Czech classic, fragrant with fresh mushrooms, butter, and wild spices, forget about lengthy and complicated recipes. Skip the semi-finished products – this porcini mushroom sauce sautéed in butter, with an onion roux, rich broth, bay leaf, allspice, black peppercorns, and 31% cream, served with fluffy homemade yeast dumplings is the absolute top, and it will disappear from your table in no time. The secret to success lies in thoroughly sautéing the mushrooms until golden, starting with a proper roux, and letting everything simmer slowly with cream.
What you’ll need for a hearty family pot of sauce:
For the mushroom base and sauce:
- Fresh porcini mushrooms: a portion of fresh forest porcini, cleaned and cut into pieces or slices
- Butter: quality butter for sautéing the mushrooms and preparing the roux
- Onion: finely chopped for the onion base
- Plain flour: to make a light roux
- Broth: rich meat or vegetable broth for pouring in
- Wild spices: bay leaf, allspice berries, and whole black peppercorns
- 31% cream: rich, full-fat cream for perfect creaminess and taste
- Salt: to taste for final seasoning
For serving:
- Side dish: fluffy homemade yeast dumplings
Step-by-step preparation:
1. Sautéing the mushrooms in butter: Heat a piece of butter in a pan and add the chopped mushrooms. Sauté them until golden, stirring occasionally, so they release their aroma and develop great flavor. Then remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.
2. Preparing a light onion roux: In the same pan (or pot), add another piece of butter, sprinkle in the finely chopped onion, and sauté until translucent. Add the plain flour and, stirring constantly, make a light roux.
3. Adding broth and spices: Gradually pour the prepared broth into the light roux and mix well to avoid lumps. Add the bay leaf, allspice, and peppercorns. Return the previously sautéed mushrooms to the sauce and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.
4. Adding 31% cream and simmering: After ten minutes of simmering, pour in the rich 31% cream and season the sauce with salt to taste. Simmer everything together for another 20 minutes so the flavors of wild spices, mushrooms, and cream blend perfectly.
5. Final seasoning and serving: Finally, taste the sauce, adjust the seasoning if necessary, and remove the peppercorns and bay leaf. Serve the hot porcini mushroom sauce with slices of fluffy yeast dumplings.
Proven tips for the best result:
- The power of fresh porcini: Sautéing the mushrooms in butter right at the start is key – the mushrooms will give the sauce the maximum of their unique forest flavor.
- Rich 31% cream: Using full-fat cream ensures the sauce will be beautifully creamy, won’t curdle, and will perfectly complement the taste of the mushrooms.
- The perfect side: Yeast dumplings are the best choice for this sauce, as they soak up all the delicious creamy gravy.
