Fried Mushroom Caps

Ingredients

• mushroom caps
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 cup white stock
• 1 egg yolk
• to taste salt
• to taste pepper
• to taste lemon juice
• breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• deep fat for frying

Method

Clean the mushroom caps thoroughly and pat dry — moisture is the enemy of good browning. Sautéing them in 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat for 3–4 minutes per side until they release their liquid and the surface takes on light colour will drive off remaining water and build a shallow fond in the pan. Set them aside.

Make an emulsification-based sauce — what the original calls Allemande — by melting the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a clean pan and whisking in the flour to form a roux. Cook this paste for 90 seconds over medium heat, stirring constantly, to remove the raw flour taste without browning it. Pour the cold white stock in a thin stream whilst whisking hard. The cold liquid hitting the hot roux will seize and thicken; keep whisking until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps. Simmer for 5 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon and no longer tastes of starch. Remove from heat and beat in the egg yolk — this enriches the sauce and gives it a silk-like finish. Season aggressively with salt, pepper, and lemon juice: the acid brightens the earthiness of the mushroom and the sauce.

Pair the mushroom caps gill-to-gill and coat them generously with the warm sauce. Set them on a tray to cool for at least 30 minutes — the sauce must set firm enough to hold together when you handle it or it will slough off into the oil. This is not a step to rush.

Set up a breadcrumb station: beat the egg in one shallow bowl, spread dry breadcrumbs in two others. Dip each coated pair first into breadcrumbs, then into beaten egg, then into breadcrumbs again. This triple layer creates the shatter you want. Heat the deep fat to 170°C — test with a breadcrumb scrap; it should sink, brown evenly in 45 seconds, and bob to the surface. Deep-frying at this temperature ensures the exterior colours and crisps before the interior overheats. Fry the pairs for 2–3 minutes until they are deep golden, turning once. Drain on absorbent paper and serve at once, whilst the contrast between the crisp crust and the creamy sauce still holds.