Mushroom and green peppercorn sauce

Mushroom sauce recipe

One of the most versatile additions to any meal, mushroom sauce brings a velvety savouriness to any dish. Whether you add it to steak, chicken schnitzel, grilled pork, barbecued chicken and roasts of every kind, to adding next-level flavour to pasta, burgers and good old-fashioned chips, every dish is made tastier by adding mushroom sauce. And our easy mushroom sauce includes peppercorn, making it the ultimate steak sauce. We’ve also used brandy to give it a more savoury flavour and make it a little extra special. If you can’t have alcohol or prefer to leave it out, you can use verjuice instead, which will work just as well to give the sauce a tangy kick. And the green peppercorns also give the sauce a brightness and cuts through the richness of the sauce.

Ingredients for creamy mushroom sauce

Mushrooms are, of course, the star of this sauce - 200g of sliced mushrooms. You’ll need 2 tsp of butter to cook the mushrooms to bring out their flavour. Also in the sauce are 2 finely chopped shallots and 2 crushed garlic cloves. More flavour is delivered to the sauce through the use of wholegrain mustard, ½ cup (125ml) brandy or verjuice and the same amount of good-quality beef stock. The creaminess comes from 1 cup (250ml) of thickened cream and you’ll also need the green peppercorns and some finely chopped chives.

How to make mushroom sauce

Get the flavour base off to a good start by heating the butter. To ensure it doesn’t burn, add it to a frying pan over low heat. Then add the shallots and mushroom and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until the shallot softens and is golden. Cooking the shallots and mushroom over low heat will bring out a depth of flavour that will work perfectly with the other layers of savouriness in the sauce. Add the garlic and mustard and stir to combine.

Then increase the heat to high and carefully add the brandy or verjuice and bring to the boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the brandy is reduced by half. Then add the beef stock and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by three-quarters. Add the cream, ensuring it is at room temperature to keep the sauce from splitting, and peppercorns and cook for 2-3 minutes or until it boils and is thickened. Season and add the chives to the sauce to serve.

Now get cooking

The beauty of mushroom sauce shines in this pub favourite: chicken schnitzel with lemon  and mushroom sauce. And, of course, this New York strip steak with mushroom pan sauce shows this pairing is meant to be. For a breezy midweek meal, try this one-pan mushroom and spinach chicken the whole family will enjoy (yes, even the kids!). Complete your cosy night in with this slow-cooked osso bucco with mushroom and red wine sauce.