Deep-Browned Mushroom Gravy with Porcini Stock

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A gravy that gets all of its depth from mushrooms instead of meat drippings: dried porcini rehydrated for an instant mushroom stock, fresh cremini browned hard in butter until they squeak and caramelize, and a patient blond roux to carry it. It pours thick enough to coat mashed potatoes, a roast, or a plate of biscuits, and it tastes like it came off the back of a restaurant stove. Alcohol-free, easily vegetarian, and better the second day.

Ingredients

• 1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock

• 1 lb cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 3/4 tsp dried)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 3/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

• 1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
• 1 tsp cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Put the dried porcini in a heatproof bowl or measuring cup and cover with the 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Let steep 20 minutes while you prep everything else. Lift the softened mushrooms out with a fork, squeeze them over the bowl, and chop them finely. Pour the soaking liquid through a coffee filter or a paper towel-lined strainer into a bowl, leaving the last tablespoon of grit behind, then stir in the 2 cups stock. You should have about 3 1/2 cups of mushroom stock. Warm it in a small saucepan over low heat or in the microwave — warm liquid makes a smoother gravy.
2. Heat a 12-inch skillet (not nonstick, if you have a choice) over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter for the mushrooms. When the butter foams, add the sliced cremini in an even layer and leave them alone for 4 minutes without stirring.
3. Stir once, then continue cooking 8 to 12 minutes total, stirring every couple of minutes. The mushrooms will release liquid, the pan will look wet, then the liquid will cook off and the mushrooms will start to squeak and brown. Push them until the edges are genuinely dark brown, not just tan — this is where the gravy's flavor comes from. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt only after the pan is dry.
4. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons mushroom butter, the diced onion, and the chopped rehydrated porcini. Lower the heat to medium and cook 6 to 8 minutes, scraping the browned bits off the pan bottom as the onion sweats, until the onion is soft and golden. Stir in the garlic, thyme, and tomato paste and cook 1 minute more, until the tomato paste darkens.
5. Scrape the mushroom mixture into a bowl and set aside. Return the empty skillet to medium heat and add the 3 tablespoons gravy butter. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes — you want a pale blond roux that smells like toasted pie crust, with no raw-flour smell left.
6. Whisking hard and continuously, pour in the warm mushroom stock in three additions, letting each one come together smoothly before adding the next. It will look thick and pasty at first and then loosen into a sauce. Add the soy sauce, Dijon, bay leaf, and black pepper.
7. Return the mushroom mixture to the pan. Bring to a bare simmer and cook, uncovered, at a lazy bubble for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping the corners of the pan, until the gravy coats the back of a spoon and a finger drawn through it leaves a clean line. If it thickens past what you want, whisk in a splash more stock.
8. Fish out the bay leaf. Off the heat, stir in the cream if using and the cider vinegar — the acid is what makes it taste finished rather than flat. Taste and add salt in 1/4-teaspoon increments until the mushroom flavor jumps forward, plus more pepper if you like. Stir in the parsley and serve hot.
9. For an ultra-smooth gravy, blend half the finished sauce with an immersion blender and stir it back in; you get a velvety body while keeping visible pieces of mushroom.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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