Mushrooms with Thyme and Balsamic
Water first, then oil, then fat and aromatics at the end. The order is the entire recipe, and you listen for when to move on rather than watching a clock.
- Serves
- 4
- Total
- 30 min
Mushrooms are mostly water. That one fact explains every mistake people make with them.
Put them in oil and they release their water into it, drink the oil, and then steam in the mess. You get gray, squeaky, slightly greasy mushrooms, and most people conclude they don't much like mushrooms.
The fix is to deal with the water first, with a little water. A splash in a hot pan pulls the moisture out fast and evenly, and it boils off. Only when the pan is dry do you add fat, and by then the mushrooms are hot, dry and ready to brown in it rather than absorb it.
Then the aromatics at the end, over low heat, basting like a steak. Mushrooms brown by the same Maillard reaction meat does, and they want the same treatment: left alone to make contact, flipped rather than stirred.
If it's not right
- Gray and rubbery: oil went in before the water came out.
- Greasy: same cause. They absorbed the oil and then steamed.
- No color: pan was crowded, or you stirred, or the heat was too low.
- Watery at the end: not enough time in step 4, or the pan was too full to evaporate.
- Harsh: balsamic went in over high heat and scorched, or it was too much. One tablespoon first.
Ingredients
Method
-
**Clean them dry.** A damp paper towel, wiped over each one. Do not soak them and do not run them under a tap. They are a sponge and anything they drink you have to cook back out.
-
**Cut by type.** Button and cremini into quarters, or slivers if they're large. Enoki, maitake and oyster pulled into pieces by hand along the way they already want to separate. A mix is better than one kind, for texture as much as flavor.
-
**High heat, dry pan, mushrooms in, then the 2 tbsp of water.** It will steam hard. Let it.
-
**Listen.** The pan bubbles while there's water in it and sizzles when there isn't. When the sound changes and you can see no liquid, the mushrooms are ready to brown. This is the moment the recipe turns on, and the sound tells you before your eyes do.
-
**Add the oil.** Now it coats rather than soaks.
-
**Leave them alone.** Flip them, don't stir them. A mushroom browns where it touches the pan and stirring means nothing touches it long enough. Two or three minutes a side.
-
**Season** once they have color. Salt before this draws out water you just spent five minutes removing.
-
**Heat down low. Butter, shallot, garlic, thyme.** Tilt the pan and baste, exactly as you would a steak, for a minute or two.
-
**Balsamic in, off the heat.** It will hiss and reduce against the pan. One tablespoon for a glaze that clings, two if you want it sharper. A balsamic glaze works here too and goes further.
Goes with
- Also good with
- Bone-In Pulled Pork, Pork Belly Burnt Ends (Jalapeno Jelly & Miso), Pork Belly, Smoked Like a Brisket, Sous Vide Chicken Breast, Sous Vide Chuck Roast, Sous Vide Fried Chicken (Gluten-Free Dredge), Sous Vide Pork Chops, Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin, Sous Vide Prime Chuck Burger, Sous Vide Steak, St. Louis Ribs (About 3 Hours), Texas Brisket, Tri-Tip Smoked Like a Brisket, Hummus
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