If you love mushrooms, you'll love Duxelles. It's an earthy flavored umami bomb for your tastebuds. It's a classic French preparation and finely chopped mixture of mushrooms, herbs, garlic, and shallots cooked in butter. Plus, you can do so many things with a batch besides appetizers. Sounds fancy, but it's really very simple, and it freezes! Check out my list for the many things you can do with delicious duxelles.
What is duxelles? It's basically a mushroom spread. It's pronounced "dook-sell", more like "book" than "tux". Think of it like mushroom pate without dairy like ricotta or cream cheese. And the taste? Fantastic, with an earthy, savory quality that is hard to describe.
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Why You'll Like This Recipe
- If you love mushrooms, you'll love duxelles.
- It's easy to make, just a few ingredients.
- Many delicious uses.
- Cooked mushrooms freeze well so duxelles are freezable!
Recipe Ingredients
- Mushrooms: The type of mushrooms to use are common white button mushrooms or brown mushroom. They work perfectly for duxelles. Buy firm fresh mushroom without any gills showing. They should be dry, not slimy.
- Butter: Use good unsalted butter and add salt as you please.
- Shallots: A member of the onion family, shallots have a coppery brown skin and elongated shape more like a garlic clove. They are common in French cooking and always in my pantry with onions and garlic.
- Herbs: Parsley and fresh thyme leaves are my choice but using herbs like tarragon works too and is traditionally French.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves for great depth of flavor.
- Deglazing liquid: Use a splash of cognac, dry sherry, white wine, or dry white vermouth for deglazing the pan.
- Creme fraiche: Thick French-style sour cream, adds a little flavor and helps the duxelles hold together better for spreading (optional, omit for vegan).
If you love mushrooms, try this hearty mushroom pasta sauce. You won't miss the meat.
Chef's Tip: Cleaning mushrooms. The advice used to be never get mushroom wet, but the truth is you can quickly rinse fresh whole mushrooms right before cooking. Cup 1-2 mushrooms in your hand (depending on size), rubbing them briefly under a trickle of cold water. Alternatively you can wipe them with a damp paper towel or use a clean dry toothbrush, but it takes longer. A quick rinse is fast and effective.
Substitutions and Variations
Besides varying the mushroom varieties for duxelles, try these ideas:
- Use other herbs such as tarragon is a great addition.
- Change up the deglazing liquid, using a splash of dry sherry, cognac, or madeira wine.
- The variations come in all of the delicious things you can do with duxelles.
- For vegan duxelles (dairy-free), swap olive oil for the butter, or use a plant-based butter; cubes or blocks, not the whipped tub stuff.
For another classic dish with mushrooms, try this Chicken Marsala recipe without cream. The mushroom sauce is terrific.
Chef's Note: Why is this called duxelles? This recipe is named for the 17th century French Marquis d'Uxelles. He must have had a terrific chef!
Recipe Instructions
Using a food processor makes duxelles quick and easy. Use short pulses with the pulse button. You don't want pureed mushrooms. Without a food processor, chop the mushrooms into very small pieces by hand with a chef's knife.
Chef's Tip: Cooked mushrooms freeze very well, but do not try to freeze raw mushrooms.
Serving Suggestions
What are some creative ways to incorporate duxelles into recipes? Try these ideas:
- Serve duxelles with crisp crostini (wheat or gluten-free) or crackers as appetizers.
- Fold into an omelet or with poached or scrambled eggs.
- Toss with warm buttered noodles.
- Stir into risotto for mushroom risotto (heavenly) or just simple rice.
- Make stuffed chicken breast by stuffing into a slit in a boneless, skinless chicken breast with a soft cheese, then bake.
- Stuff a pork tenderloin.
- Use for mushroom duxelles stuffed sole or Beef Wellington.
- Make grilled cheese and spread a little duxelles in wtih the melting cheese. Heavenly.
Duxelles is one of those great classic recipes that is easy, quick to make, and can turn every day recipes into something special.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, duxelles are freezeable. I recommend freezing portions in silicone ice cubes trays and thawing portions that you need overnight in the refrigerator.
Duxelles is generally made without dairy such as cream or cream cheese. Cheese is often incorporated into pate recipes to give them additional creaminess for more spreadability.
There are many things you can do with duxelles. Toss it with warm buttered pasta, stir into risotto or rice, fold into an omelet, stuff boneless chicken breasts, stir in cream cheese or ricotta cheese for more of a mushroom pate. Serve with sliced baguette or crostini as an appetizer, spread on filet of sole and roll, then bake, make a grilled cheese sandwich and add a layer of duxelles. Delicious!
You can make duxelles with a variety of mushrooms. Common white or button mushrooms work great, are inexpensive, and always available. Other mushrooms that work for duxelles are beech mushrooms, brown cremini mushrooms, small "baby bella" portabella mushrooms, or small shitakes. Save the more expensive and exotic wild mushrooms like chanterelles and morels for simple preparations where their marvelous flavor, color and texture shine, like simply sautéing in butter.
More Recipes With Mushrooms
If you love mushrooms, try some of these terrific mushroom recipes.
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📖 Recipe
Mushroom Duxelles
Ingredients
- 1 pound white mushrooms
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup finely chopped shallot 1 large shallot
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1 tablespoon cognac or dry sherry optional
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme or tarragon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 pinches ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons creme fraiche or thick sour cream, optional
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Instructions
- Briefly, lightly rinse mushrooms in a slow trickle of cold water, rubbing gently with your hands. Alternatively wipe any dirt off with a damp paper towel. Quarter the mushrooms. Add mushroom quarters to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. You can also chop them finely by hand with a chef’s knife.
- Melt butter in a saute or fry pan over medium low heat. Add shallot and cook a minute or two until soft. Add garlic and cook one minute longer. Add mushrooms and cook until most of the moisture has released and cooked off, 12-14 minutes (mushrooms are mostly water). Stir in the herbs, salt and pepper, cook another minute or two. Stir in cognac or sherry (if using) and cook until liquid is about gone. Duxelles should be thick, almost like a textured paste. Add the duxelles to a bowl and stir in the creme fraiche.
- Cool and refrigerate in an airtight container for 5 days or use immediately as an appetizer spread. Duxelles freezes well up to 6 months. Be sure to label and date.
Notes
- Serve with crisp crostini (wheat or gluten-free) or crackers as appetizers.
- Fold into an omelet or with poached or scrambled eggs.
- Toss with warm buttered noodles or pasta.
- Stir into risotto for mushroom risotto (heavenly) or just simple rice.
- Make stuffed chicken breast by stuffing into a slit in a boneless, skinless chicken breast with a soft cheese, then bake.
- Stuff a pork tenderloin.
Nutrition
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JAMIE LYNN TAYLOR says
I did not see a step for the thick sour cream. When would this be added?
Sally Cameron says
Hi Jamie, stir the creme fraiche in at the end. I've listed it as optional but it really makes them extra good.
Frank Canonica says
I often use button mushrooms for spreads or to serve in eggs but when it comes to pastas, risotto’s and sauces I pull out the big guns and make it with morels and porcini mushrooms. The duxelles does freeze incredibly well especially if you own a vacuum sealer. We could not live without our sealer. In fact we always have a new backup on hand in case the current one fails. Lastly, there are no hard rules, experiment with additives like Duxelles sauce for venison - mushroom duxelles, juniper berries, cherries, brown stock thickened with a dark roux!
Karen E Horner says
Hi and thanks for your great recipe! I learned how to make duxelles in a microwave many years ago, and used your recipe as a guide to make it on the stovetop today. I freeze it in icecube trays, and love it as a filling for an omelet, with some parmesan! It is also delicious in sauces and lasagne. Thanks again!
Sally Cameron says
Sounds like one delicious omelet, and agreed, terrific with pasta. It really elevates the average meal to new heights 😉
Julie Hummel says
I use this a filling for pinwheels. Take a sheet of puff pastry . If frozen, let thaw slightly so you can handle it. Spread duxelles over the sheet-not quite to the edges. Roll up and slice and bake per pastry instructions. NOTE: I usually freeze this ahead--wrap the log well in plastic wrap and put in a freezer bag. When you want a quick and elegant appetizer, remove from freezer, let thaw, slice and bake. Yummy!
Sally Cameron says
That is a fantastic idea Julie! I used to love working with puff pastry and phyllo until I went gluten-free. If you are ok with gluten, these are terrific!
Heather Zeleny says
Yes, after cooking, morels and chanterelles can be frozen.
Grazyna Zielinska says
Hi I have 4Lb of wonderful wild chanterelles and I am going to make a tasty duxelles. My question is : can I freeze it and if so for how long ? My freezer is set to -6F.
Sally Cameron says
Wow! Lucky you! Chanterelles and Morels are my favorites. I have never tried freezing this but it should freeze fine. Be sure they are very well wrapped. Are you freezing them in batches? If so, pull a small batch at one month and test for taste and texture. And please report back!
Linda says
If refrigerated should it be rewarmed to serve on crostini?
Sally Cameron says
Hi Linda, good question. You can serve it chilled (like a pate), room temp or warmed up. Hope you enjoy.