My favorite mushroom cream sauce involves sherry, so I guess that won't work for you :-( I am not sure what you could substitute successfully for the sherry, as that gives the sauce a very unmistakable flavor...slightly sweet yet still savory. Perhaps you could try with a chicken or vegetable broth and see if you liked it.

I just kind of put this together one day when I needed a mushroom sauce/gravy so no real recipe. But is a pretty versatile sauce - I have used it as a steak topping, with pork chops, chicken and on pasta (almost a mushroom alfredo sauce).

Saute a generous portion of the sliced mushrooms of your choice in butter. Season with minced garlic, dried or fresh thyme and salt. After sauteing to desired degree of doneness, I add a good dollop of sherry (1/2 C??) and let it reduce - this is where you should substitute some other liquid for the sherry. When it has reduced by half, stir in a cup of sour cream or thick, plain Greek yogurt. In a pinch you could use a heavy cream but the sour cream or yogurt adds a necessary tang. Once the cream or yogurt has melted in and blended well, it is ready to serve. I typically will add chopped fresh parsley at this point.

A really simple recipe but delicious.

This is a delicious sauce I've made for decades to serve over sauted chicken breast cutlets. You'd have to up the the quantities for a pasta sauce, but this will give you an idea:

1/2 cup or more of sliced button mushrooms

1/4 cup chopped shallots

2 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. flour

salt/pepper

1 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

Cook mushrooms and shallots in butter, add flour salt & pepper to make a roux. Add milk, cook until thickened then add sour cream but do not bring to a boil.

Tagliatelle ai Funghi

Prep: 5 minutes / Cook: 10 minutes / Serves: 6

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ pounds mixed mushrooms, cleaned and rough chopped
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 ounces unsalted butter
• ¼ cup mint leaves, hand torn
• ¼ cup freshly grated pecorino cheese, plus more for finishing
• Fresh tagliatelle, recipe follows

Sammy!!!!! Thank you!! That's very similar to the recipe I have. I wish there were some reviews on that recipe.

Can we get a vote on the MINT? With mushrooms?

Carol, I kind of like the idea of butter. And nutmeg.

GG and seagrass, those recipes look great. I might have to combine them, shallots and sherry seems like something my family would love.

Should I just go with the mint and call it a day?

IMO, mint in savory preparations like this doesn't have the flavor that we think of as MINT, like in toothpaste or Andes candies. I love it in savory dishes and often make pesto out of it, or use it where parsley or cilantro are called for. That said, if you don't think it sounds appealing, you could easily substitute fresh parsley or basil (or a mix) with no adverse effect.

Alrighty then. Mint it is. Sammy's recipe calls for the mint to be crisped a bit. Thanks for pushing me out of my comfort zone!!

If it was me, I'd go with another herb rather than mint - it is much too fruity for a pasta sauce for my taste. And I think it would be awful with cheese! I'd go with basil or parsley first......and I don't even like basil much :-)

Look what I found:

Nepitella is a type of mint (calamint in English), which really feels like a combination of mint and oregano with also a hint of basil, it’s native to Tuscany and Umbria, autumnal, and brilliant with mushrooms

https://www.frantoi.org/nepitella/

I think mint sounds fantastic in mushroom sauce. I am going to try that tagliatelle recipe - It's calling my name.

That tagliatelle does look good, doesn’t it? And easy!

And regarding the use of mint in a savory recipe, I made a new-to-me chicken and dumplings over Christmas which called for mint, and it was quite tasty. I can’t remember if the mint went in the chicken stock or the dumplings, but it didn’t taste minty.

Nope. Tarragon for me. Mint isn't a flavor I like unless on a melon fruit salad. Funny how taste preferences work, huh??

Nepitella is a favorite of mine, but it didn't do well in my garden last year and it's hard to find in the states unless you grow it again. Good thing spring is coming - I'll be trying again!

bio, you kind of nailed it with your suggestions to mix the blend. It sounds like the Nepitella is a more subtle minty herb.

Mint.......mushrooms.......not for me!

No, I wouldn’t like mint with mushrooms. A fresh herb that does work very well with mushrooms IME is thyme.

I prefer mint in salads - like tabouli, for instance.

And it depends on the type of mint for sure. I grow spearmint, and it's nice & mild, but some mints are too strongly flavored for cooking, IMPE.

I agree that mint sounds wrong with mushrooms, but I'd love to try it anyway! Since it's for a gourmet group and you've been assigned the recipe, is it fair play for you to go rogue? Lol. I always find it difficult to follow any recipe exactly as written. :)

Nope no mint...I like parsley...a lot.. I think it's way underrated as a flavoring and used mostly for garnish.
Also I would add a whiff of nutmeg and maybe some grated lemon rind.
Ideally I would love sherry...but...