Chef Juliette
Suet Dumpling
Boulettes au suif, poached beside salt beef, turn equal weights of flour and finely chopped suet into tender, rich dumplings. Keep the beef liquor at a bare tremble and the old garnish works beautifully at home.
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Champignons Sautés
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2073, Champignons Sautés, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Dry mushrooms, a broad hot pan, and real butter: champignons sautés turn bronze instead of grey, then take parsley at the last second. This quick side teaches the first law of sautéing.
Side Dishes
French
Weeknight
Quick Meal
15 min
Active Time
12 min cook•27 min total
Yield4 servings
Champignons sautés (butter-sautéed mushrooms) teach the cleanest law of the frying pan: dry mushrooms brown, wet mushrooms stew. Wash them because the source tells us to, but dry them with conviction. Once ciseled and seasoned, they must meet the hot pan immediately, before the salt draws moisture to the surface.
The original entry assumed a fierce range, a frying pan broad enough for service quantities, and a timbale, the deep metal serving dish kept ready for the table. It called for no saucier tending a sauce, no stock kept on the fire, and no salamander, so neither do you. For one cook, one stove, one evening, a 30 cm skillet used in two quick batches supplies the same fierce, dry heat, while a warmed shallow serving bowl replaces the timbale. The serving vessel is brigade scaffolding. The cisel cut, real butter, uncrowded heat, and parsley at the last second are the dish, and they must stay.
The step that decides everything happens before you light the flame: dry every cap and stem until no bead of water remains. Do that properly, then heat the pan hard and keep your nerve.
Champignons sautés belong to the French cuisine bourgeoise and the Parisian classical repertoire, where simply cooked vegetables served both as side dishes and as garnishes for eggs, poultry, and meat. The method moved easily from the household frying pan to brigade service because it asked for no sauce or stock, only a fierce fire, butter, and quick knife work before the mushrooms went into a timbale. The often-repeated rule that mushrooms must never be washed is a misconception here: the classical instruction washes them, then insists on thorough drying before the sauté.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
firm button mushrooms
Quantity
About 10 cups whole (2.4 L / 680 g)
quickly washed, thoroughly dried, and ciseled into 5 mm (¼-inch) slices
unsalted butter
Quantity
3 tablespoons (45 ml / 42 g)
fine sea salt
Quantity
¾ teaspoon (3.75 ml / 4.5 g)
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml / 1 g)
flat-leaf parsley leaves
Quantity
¼ cup (60 ml / 15 g)
finely chopped
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| firm button mushroomsquickly washed, thoroughly dried, and ciseled into 5 mm (¼-inch) slices | About 10 cups whole (2.4 L / 680 g) |
| unsalted butter | 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 42 g) |
| fine sea salt | ¾ teaspoon (3.75 ml / 4.5 g) |
| freshly ground black pepper | ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml / 1 g) |
| flat-leaf parsley leavesfinely chopped | ¼ cup (60 ml / 15 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •30 cm (12-inch) heavy stainless-steel or cast-iron skillet
- •Large colander
- •Two clean absorbent kitchen towels
- •Warm shallow serving bowl
Instructions
- 1
Wash and dry
Tip the mushrooms into a colander and rinse them quickly under cool running water, rubbing away any grit with your fingertips. Do not soak them. Shake the colander firmly, spread the mushrooms over a clean towel, roll them gently, then move them to a second dry towel and blot every cap and stem. Leave them for 5 minutes while you prepare the knife and skillet. They are ready when no moisture beads on the surface.
A quick wash does not ruin mushrooms. Water left clinging to them does. Use a second towel if the first becomes damp, because the dryness you establish now determines the browning later. - 2
Cisel and season
Trim only the dry ends from the stems. Cisel is the book's word for cutting in close, even crosswise strokes, after the manner of a chaff cutter; slice the caps and stems about 5 mm (¼ inch) thick so they cook at the same rate. Divide the mushrooms into two equal batches. Set the empty skillet over high heat for 90 seconds, then season the first batch with half the salt and pepper immediately before it goes into the pan. Leave the second batch unseasoned for now, or its salt will begin drawing out water.
- 3
Sauté over fierce heat
Add half the butter to the hot skillet. As soon as it foams briskly and begins to subside, add the first batch of mushrooms; they should hiss loudly. Spread them in one loose layer, leave them untouched for 45 seconds, then toss every 30 seconds until their released moisture has vanished and the cut faces are mottled deep gold and bronze, 4 to 5 minutes. If the pan fills with liquid, do not pour it away. Stop tossing, spread the mushrooms out, and hold the heat high until the water evaporates; only then resume tossing and let the butter do its browning work. Ça se rattrape. Transfer the first batch to a warm plate, reheat the empty skillet briefly, then repeat with the remaining butter, mushrooms, salt, and pepper.
If your skillet is smaller than 30 cm, cook three batches. Crowding traps moisture around the mushrooms, and no amount of extra cooking can give crowded mushrooms the same clean, bronzed surface. - 4
Finish with parsley
Return the first batch to the skillet and toss everything together over high heat for 30 seconds. Pull the pan from the flame, sprinkle over the parsley at the last moment, and toss once more. Taste and correct the seasoning, then scrape the mushrooms and every drop of browned butter into a warmed shallow serving bowl. Serve immediately. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Plain button mushrooms are exactly right. Choose firm, closed caps without damp patches, but spend your attention on drying and heat rather than an expensive variety. Technique first, always.
- •Use a wide, heavy skillet that holds heat when the mushrooms arrive. A thin pan cools abruptly and encourages stewing; a broad stainless-steel or cast-iron surface recovers quickly and gives moisture somewhere to escape.
- •Butter, not oil or margarine. The milk solids supply the nutty fragrance and bronze finish the source intends. Add the mushrooms while the butter is lively and golden, before those solids turn black.
- •These mushrooms wait badly. Serve them as soon as the parsley lands, alongside roast chicken, an omelette, a grilled chop, or a steak with its own pan juices.
Advance Preparation
- •Wash and dry the mushrooms up to 6 hours ahead. Arrange them in a single layer on a dry towel-lined tray, cover loosely with another dry towel, and refrigerate. Cisel and season them only when the skillet is ready.
- •Wash and dry the parsley up to 1 day ahead, wrapped in a dry towel in the refrigerator. Chop it just before cooking so it stays fragrant and green.
- •Do not sauté the mushrooms ahead if you can avoid it. Leftovers keep for 2 days when chilled promptly and covered, but reheat them in a dry, fiercely hot skillet and finish with fresh parsley.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 125g)
Calories
115 calories
Total Fat
9 g
Saturated Fat
5 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
3 g
Cholesterol
23 mg
Sodium
445 mg
Total Carbohydrates
6 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
5 g
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