Mushrooms in red wine sauce

I prefer to cook Valentine’s Day dinner; it’s more meaningful, we avoid crowds, and we can eat exactly what we’ve been craving. And that is generally fillet mignon, cooked in thyme and garlic butter. A long time ago, my college Italian professor taught me how to cook it at her house before we went to a play at Harvard. It’s one of my favorite cooking memories. I had never eaten rare steak before she made it for me; now, I never eat it any other way.

This year, I wanted to serve something special on top of my fillet. My husband loves mushrooms, so I decided to make creamy red wine mushroom sauce. It’s velvety smooth, earthy, and pairs incredibly well with fillet mignon or any nice cut of steak. I suggest you try it!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 shallots, minced

2 pounds assorted mushrooms, such as shiitake, crimini, oyster, wild, etc., trimmed and sliced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup cabernet sauvignon

1/4 cup beef broth (low sodium)

1/4 cup heavy cream

chives, for garnish

Method:

Put a skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and oil; when the butter starts foaming, add the shallots. Saute for 2 minutes or until softened. Add the mushrooms and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add the red wine, scraping up any fond. Cook about 2 minutes until the wine is almost gone. Add the beef broth and reduce the liquid by half. Shut off the heat and stif in the heavy cream and chives. Adjust seasoning as needed. Serve on top of your steak!