I admit that I like a bit of crumb on my fish and chicken occasionally, but have been horribly disappointed of late by every store, deli and chef’s need to add cheese, barbecue or other sauce to the meat before crumbing! I’m not charmed by a mystery mornay sauce lurking beneath the batter on my hake or some chemical-tasting TexMex mistake playing hide-and-seek on my chicken schnitzel. I definitely prefer a good honest sauce on top rather than something (shudder!) inside the coating. Here’s my favourite mushroom sauce/gravy recipe by Gordon Ramsay https://bit.ly/1PVHJes.
Mushroom, Sherry & Grain Mustard Sauce
Ingredients
3tbsp olive oil
200g button mushrooms, quartered
1 garlic clove, lightly crushed
1 sprig thyme
150ml dry sherry
1tbsp sherry or balsamic vinegar
150ml beef stock or brown chicken stock (could be made with a good bouillon powder)
2tbsp crème fraîche
1tbsp grain mustard
2tbsp chopped flat–leaf parsley
Method
1 Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the mushrooms with the garlic and thyme, stirring until softened.
2 Pour in 100ml sherry and cook until reduced to a glaze, about 3 mins. Add the vinegar and cook for a few secs more. Mix in the remaining sherry and the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 3 mins.
3 Remove the garlic and thyme, then mix in the crème fraîche and mustard. Pour in any juices from the steak or meat you’re cooking, then add the parsley.