Excellent Mushroom Cream Sauce

So, this week I made a roast chicken with a gravy. It was quite good. However, as it was just kind of made up, and I didn't type the recipe, I figured I would give you something that relied on the same sorts of principles - a cream sauce that is used for roast meats and pasta that I actually created!

It is a combination of yellow or red pearl onions, portabella mushrooms, white wine, dijon mustard, cream, thyme, and rosemary. It is really delicious! The key is twofold: (1) brown the pearl onions thoroughly, and (2) deglaze the pan with the white wine. This makes for a delicious sauce. Here is the recipe, if you want it!

2 T extra-virgin olive oil
8 oz yellow or red pearl onions, skins removed* and left whole
4 oz portabella mushrooms, sliced into small chunks
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine
8 oz heavy cream
2 t Dijon mustard, fresh
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 sprig fresh rosemary, tied with twine to the thyme
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a medium fry pan over medium high heat until it begins to shimmer, but hasn’t smoked yet. Add the onions and sauté until well browned on all sides, being careful to not break them apart. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they release their juices. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and reduce until most of the liquid is gone, 3-4 minutes. Add the heavy cream and Dijon, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the herb sprigs and simmer for 5 for minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove the sprigs and serve hot over pasta or grilled meats. Serves 2-3.

*To remove the skins of a pearl onion, bring a pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut the tip of the root end of the onion off. Add the onions and let simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the onions and shock them in an ice bath for 5 minutes. After they are cool, you should be able to just pot the onions out of their skins. It's easy!