Porcini Butter Recipes

TAGLIATELLE WITH PORCINI BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Tagliatelle: Mound flour on a clean work surface or in a large bowl. Make a well in center. Add egg, yolks, oil, and warm water to well. Using a fork and stirring outward from center, gradually incorporate flour into egg mixture until a ragged dough forms.
• Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, 6 to 8 minutes. (Or combine ingredients in a mixer bowl and knead with the dough-hook attachment 8 to 10 minutes.) Tightly cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until soft and pliable, at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
• Cut dough into 4 portions. Keeping remaining portions covered with plastic, shape one into a rectangle. With a pasta roller on its largest setting (1 on a KitchenAid stand-mixer attachment), run dough through roller. Fold dough in half and run through largest setting again. Repeat once or twice more. Turn machine to next setting and pass through roller once.
• Continue passing dough through, lowering setting each time, until dough has run through the smallest setting (8 on KitchenAid attachment). Transfer to a tray generously dusted with semolina (or all-purpose) flour; dust top with more. Repeat process with remaining portions of dough.
• Attach a tagliatelle/fettuccine cutter to a pasta machine. Roll each sheet through cutter. Hang in a single layer on a pasta rack or transfer to a tray dusted with semolina and let dry, 30 minutes. (Pasta can be made up to 1 day ahead: Once dry, loosely twirl handfuls of pasta into 6 "nests," generously dust with more semolina, and refrigerate in a single layer in an airtight container.)
• Porcini Butter Sauce: Heat a large straight-sided skillet over medium. Add oil, butter, and garlic. When butter melts and garlic sizzles, add mushrooms; season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Add pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds more.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of generously salted boiling water until al dente,2 to 3 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain. Add 2/3 cup pasta water to skillet with mushrooms. Bring to a simmer. Add tagliatelle, tossing until sauce thickens slightly and evenly coats pasta, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
• Add parsley and half of cheese, tossing to combine. Add more pasta water as needed, a little at a time, until sauce evenly clings to pasta again. Serve topped with remaining cheese, pepper flakes, and a drizzle of oil.

PORCINI BUTTER

Steps:

• Finely chop garlic. In a small bowl soak porcini in boiling-hot water 20 minutes. Remove porcini, squeezing out excess liquid, and reserve soaking liquid. Rinse porcini to remove any grit and finely chop. Line a sieve set over a small saucepan with a dampened paper towel and pour reserved soaking liquid through it. Add porcini and garlic to saucepan and simmer mixture until liquid is reduced to about 1 tablespoon, about 3 minutes. Cool mixture.
• In a bowl with a fork mash together butter, porcini mixture, and salt and pepper to taste until combined well. Transfer butter to a sheet of wax paper and roll into a 6-inch log. Butter may be kept, covered and chilled, 2 days or frozen, wrapped in foil, 1 month. Bring butter to room temperature before using.
• Variations:
• Here are a few compound butters we find particularly versatile. Using the basic technique of mashing together butter and flavoring in the recipe above, and with a little imagination, you can create your own favorites.
• • Beurre maître d'hôtel: 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves
• • Truffle butter: 1 small black winter truffle or 2 small black summer truffles, chopped fine
• • Roquefort butter: 3 tablespoons crumbled Roquefort (only 1/2 stick butter needed for this variation)

PORCINI BUTTER

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine porcinis and broth; let stand 30 minutes.
• Drain mushrooms, reserving broth, and place in food processor.
• Strain broth and reduce over medium heat to 3 - 4 tablespoons.
• Add broth to food processor and process to puree.
• Add butter and process to blend.
• Transfer to serving dish and use as a topping.
• Store in refrigerator.

PORCINI-CRUSTED FILET MIGNON WITH FRESH HERB BUTTER

Steps:

• Mix first 4 ingredients in small bowl for herb butter. Season butter to taste with salt and pepper. Process dried porcini mushrooms in spice grinder to fine powder. Transfer powder to plate. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Press steaks into porcini powder to coat both sides well.
• Melt 2 tablespoons herb butter in heavy large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add steaks to skillet and cook to desired doneness, about 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to plates. Spoon rounded tablespoon of herb butter atop each steak and serve.

PORCINI-CRUSTED BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH TRUFFLE BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Make a deep cut into the top side of tenderloin, about 4 inches from tail end, to facilitate folding the tail end under the roast to give the meat a more uniform thickness. Tie roast at 1-inch intervals with kitchen string.
• Heat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
• Pat tenderloin dry and sprinkle all over with 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper, rubbing into meat.
• Set roasting pan over 2 burners, then add 3 tablespoons oil and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Brown tenderloin on all sides, about 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle porcini powder evenly on top of tenderloin and roast in oven until thermometer inserted diagonally 2 inches into center of thickest part of meat registers 120°F, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Toward end of roasting tenderloin, stir together truffle butter and flour. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, and sauté mushrooms with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper until liquid released by the mushrooms evaporates and mushrooms are tender and golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Add 2 cups stock to skillet and simmer, stirring up brown bits, 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat.
• Transfer tenderloin to a cutting board and let stand 15 minutes (internal temperature will rise to about 130°F for medium-rare).
• Set roasting pan over 2 burners and add remaining 1 cup stock. Bring to a boil, scraping up brown bits, then pour stock into mushroom mixture in skillet.
• Bring mushroom mixture to a boil and whisk in truffle butter mixture, bit by bit. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in scallion greens and salt and pepper to taste.
• Cut tenderloin into 1/2-inch-thick slices, discarding string, and serve with sauce.