Double up on mushroom flavor with sliced fresh mushrooms and a rich mushroom duxelles, made with shallots, thyme, and cognac. Go over the top with a drizzle of good-quality truffle oil for a triple-mushroom threat. WHY IT WORKS Double the mushroom, double the flavor. Read the Whole Story Doubling the mushroom with a cooked duxelles and sliced mushrooms means more mushroom flavor in every bite. SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: food processor, wood and metal pizza peels, pizza cutter, Baking Steel (see note above) NOTES: For best results, bake pizza using a KettlePizza and Baking Steel setup. INGREDIENTS 1 recipe Neapolitan Pizza Dough or 2 pounds store-bought pizza dough 1 pound mushrooms (button, cremini, shiitake, portobello, or a mix), cleaned and trimmed 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1 medium shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons) 2 teaspoons freshly minced thyme leaves, plus 1 tablespoon picked whole thyme leaves 1/4 cup cognac or other brandy or barrel-aged spirit, such as bourbon 2 teaspoons soy sauce Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 pound fresh mozzarella, torn into rough chunks and drained Truffle oil (optional), for drizzling DIRECTIONS 1. Divide dough into 4 equal parts and place each in a covered quart-sized deli container or in a zipper-lock freezer bag. Allow to rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours before baking. Meanwhile, make mushroom mixture. 2. Place a large plate in the freezer. Place half the mushrooms in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped, about 10 short pulses, scraping down sides and redistributing mushrooms with a spatula as necessary. Transfer to a bowl. Thinly slice remaining mushrooms and set aside until assembling pizzas. 3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chopped mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have exuded all their liquid and start to sizzle, about 8 minutes. Continue cooking until mushrooms begin to brown and leave browned bits stuck to bottom of pan, about 4 minutes longer. Add shallot and minced thyme and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes. 4. Add cognac or brandy. Scrape bottom of skillet with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to release browned bits. Continue to cook until brandy is nearly dry, about 4 minutes. Add soy sauce and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer mixture to the chilled plate. Spread into a thin, even layer and refrigerate until fully cooled, about 10 minutes. 5. Adjust oven rack to 6 inches under broiler and place stone or steel on rack. Preheat oven to highest possible temperature (500 or 550°F) for at least 45 minutes. Alternatively, use a KettlePizza and Baking Steel grill insert on an outdoor grill. 6. When ready to bake, turn one dough ball out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently press out dough into a rough 8-inch circle, leaving the outer 1 inch higher than the center. Gently stretch dough into a 10- to 12-inch circle, about 1/4 inch thick, by draping over knuckles and gently stretching. Transfer to floured wooden pizza peel. 7. Preheat broiler to high. Dollop 1/4 of mushroom mixture over the surface of the pizza, followed by 1/4 of mozzarella pieces. Scatter 1/4 of sliced mushrooms over pizza and scatter with 1/4 of whole thyme leaves and 1/4 of sliced garlic. Season with salt and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. 8. Transfer pizza to hot stone or steel and broil, rotating regularly for even cooking, until edges are puffed and lightly charred and bottom is crisp, 3 to 6 minutes total. Retrieve pizza with a metal peel and transfer to a cutting board. Allow to rest 1 minute. Meanwhile, switch oven back to 550°F to reheat stone for remaining pizzas. 9. Drizzle with truffle oil (if using) and serve immediately. 10. Repeat steps 6 through 9 with remaining pizzas.
Loaded with intensely flavored mushroom duxelles, a flood of Mornay sauce, and crispy fried shallots, this French-inspired burger is sexy enough to make Escoffier blush. WHY THIS WORKS: Using 80-precent lean ground beef guarantees juicy, flavorful burgers. Handling the ground beef as little as possible and only seasoning the exterior creates a patty with a perfect hamburger texture that isn't tight like meatloaf. Mushroom duxelles add an intense mushroom flavor, and stay put on the burger more easily than sliced sautéed mushrooms do. SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Food processor INGREDIENTS 3 medium shallots, roughly chopped 20 ounces cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped 4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 1 tablespoon loosely packed fresh marjoram leaves, finely chopped Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup milk 3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese (about 4 ounces) 1 1/2 pounds freshly ground beef chuck, preferably about 80 percent lean, formed into 4 (4 1/2 inch wide) patties 4 onion rolls, split and toasted 1 recipe Fried Shallots DIRECTIONS 1. In a food processor, process shallots until minced, then scrape into a small bowl. Add mushrooms and process until minced, scraping down sides as necessary. Heat 3 tablespoons butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat until foaming. Add shallots and cook, stirring, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until water has released and evaporated, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook mushrooms, scraping up browned bits from bottom frequently, until darkened and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Stir in marjoram, season with salt and pepper and cook mushroom duxelles for 1 minute longer. Set aside. 2. In a small saucepan, heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with flour over medium-high heat until butter has melted and formed a paste with flour. Continue to cook, stirring, until raw flour scent is gone, about 1 minute. Whisk in milk until smooth and cook, whisking, until sauce comes to a simmer and begins to thicken slightly. Lower heat to low and cook, stirring, until sauce is thick enough to coat back of a wooden spoon, about 3 minutes. Whisk in cheese until smooth, moving saucepan on and off heat to keep it hot enough to melt cheese but not so hot that it bubbles rapidly. Season Mornay sauce with salt and pepper and set aside. 3. Season patties generously with salt and pepper. Cook to desired doneness on a hot grill or in a skillet on the stovetop, 125°'F for medium rare or 135°'F for medium. Transfer to a plate and allow to rest for 5 minutes. 4. Rewarm mushroom duxelles and Mornay sauce if necessary. Spread mushroom on bottom bun halves, top with patties, then spoon sauce on top. Sprinkle fried shallots all over, close hamburgers, and serve immediately.
Quick and easy, this chicken Marsala is packed with flavor, thanks to Marsala wine, sautéed mushrooms, shallots, and garlic. The secret to success with this version is to slip extra gelatin into the chicken stock—which helps give the sauce a glaze-like consistency that's just like the best restaurant pan sauces—along with a few other small tricks (hello, soy sauce!).
WHY IT WORKS
Lightly dredging the chicken in flour helps it brown quickly, prevents it from overcooking, and also gives it a silky, velvety texture. Unflavored gelatin adds a restaurant-quality viscosity to the sauce, making it rich and glaze-like.
Soy sauce rounds out the savory flavor of the sauce and underscores the mushrooms perfectly. SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Large skillet NOTES: Good, drinkable-quality Marsala wine can be found for very cheap, so please try to avoid Marsala "cooking" wine (which has added salt and preservatives and doesn't taste nearly as good), if at all possible. INGREDIENTS 1 1/4 cups (300ml) Marsala wine (see note above) 3/4 cup (180ml) homemade chicken stock or low-sodium store-bought broth 1 packet unflavored gelatin (2 1/2 teaspoons; 10g) 4 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets, each pounded about 1/2 to 1/4 inch thick (1 3/4 pounds; 780g total) Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper About 1 cup all-purpose flour (5 ounces; 140g), for dredging 1/4 cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed 10 ounces (280g) cremini mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced 4 medium shallots (6 ounces; 165g), minced 2 medium cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon (about 3g) minced fresh thyme leaves 3 tablespoons (45g) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes 1 teaspoon (5ml) soy sauce White wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, or fresh lemon juice, to taste Minced fresh parsley, for garnish DIRECTIONS 1. Combine Marsala and stock in a mixing bowl or large measuring cup and sprinkle gelatin all over surface. Set aside. 2. Season chicken cutlets all over with salt and pepper. Pour a roughly 1/2-inch layer of flour into a wide, shallow bowl. Dredge each cutlet in flour, tap off excess, and transfer to clean plate. 3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in batches if necessary, add chicken and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Using a slotted spatula, transfer to paper towels to drain. 4. Add mushrooms to skillet (do not drain remaining oil) and cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms have released their juices and browned well, about 10 minutes. Add shallots, garlic, and thyme and cook, stirring, until shallots are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add more oil if pan seems too dry at any point. 5. Pour Marsala mixture into pan, making sure to scrape in all the gelatin. Bring to a boil, whisking and scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan, until liquids are reduced by about three-quarters. Add butter and soy sauce and whisk constantly until emulsified and sauce takes on the consistency of heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper. Taste sauce and adjust with a small amount of vinegar or lemon juice, as needed. 6.
Return chicken cutlets to pan, swirling to bathe them in the sauce and warm them through. If the sauce begins to break at any point, swirl in a splash of water to bring it back together. Transfer to a warmed serving plate, spooning sauce all over chicken. Garnish with parsley and serve.
