BUTTON MUSHROOMS à LA CRèME

Button Mushrooms à la Crème image

I enjoy wild mushrooms, but I happen to like ordinary white button mushrooms, too; the cultivated kind, the ones that are also called champignons de Paris (especially by the French). I suppose they are considered pedestrian in foodie circles, and that's a pity. This recipe makes great use of them. It's a simple one, with only a few ingredients: a bit of butter, a handful of sweet herbs and some tangy crème fraîche. Try it as an easy side dish or over noodles.

Provided by David Tanis

Time 20m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 9

Ingredients

1 pound very fresh cultivated white mushrooms, button size (larger is fine)
3 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
Squeeze of lemon juice, about 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon chopped tarragon
4 ounces crème fraîche
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon thinly sliced chives

Steps:

Trim mushroom stems. If gritty, rinse briefly in a colander with warm tap water and blot dry. (Or wipe them with a damp paper towel.) Halve or quarter mushrooms larger than button size.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. When it sizzles, add mushrooms and stir to coat. Season well with salt and pepper. Turn up heat and cook, continually shaking pan and stirring with a wooden spoon. The high heat should evaporate any liquid from the mushrooms. Cook until just done, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and tarragon, then the crème fraîche, stirring continuously over high heat until the sauce is reduced and somewhat thickened, 2 minutes or less. Turn off the heat, stir in the parsley and transfer mushrooms to a warm serving bowl. Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 159, UnsaturatedFat 4 grams, Carbohydrate 5 grams, Fat 15 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 4 grams, SaturatedFat 9 grams, Sodium 365 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams, TransFat 0 grams