Mushrooms with Cream
Madeira-Glazed Mushrooms with Basil Cream
A splash of Madeira transforms everyday mushrooms into something unexpectedly luxurious. The fortified wine cooks down to concentrate its sweet, nutty flavor before heavy cream and fresh basil turn this into a silky side dish that feels far more sophisticated than its 20-minute timeline suggests.
FrenchDinnerSide DishVegetarianQuick Meals
Ingredients
- 3 tbspextra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lbsmall button or cremini mushrooms, or medium mushrooms halved
- 2 tbspgarlic, finely chopped
- ¼ cupMadeira wine
- ½ cupheavy cream
- ¼ cupfresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Pour the olive oil into a large skillet and crank the heat to high. You want the pan hot enough that the mushrooms sizzle immediately when they hit the oil — this prevents them from steaming in their own moisture.
- Toss in the mushrooms and let them work undisturbed for the first couple minutes to develop that golden-brown crust. Keep cooking, stirring occasionally, until they're deeply caramelized and any liquid has evaporated — wet mushrooms won't take on the Madeira properly.⏱ 6 min
- Drop in the garlic and give everything a quick stir. The residual heat from the mushrooms will bloom the garlic's aroma without burning it.⏱ 30 sec
- Pour in the Madeira and watch it bubble furiously. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom — that's pure flavor. Let the wine reduce until the pan looks almost dry again.⏱ 1 min
- Stir in the cream and basil, then keep stirring until the sauce thickens enough to coat each mushroom with a glossy sheen. The cream should cling rather than pool in the bottom of the pan.⏱ 1 min
- Taste and adjust with salt and pepper — the Madeira adds sweetness, so you'll likely need a good pinch of salt to balance things out. Serve immediately while the sauce is still creamy.