Sauce aux Champignons

We love La Madeleine. The bistro isn't exactly France, but it is a great place to enjoy a leisurely French-style breakfast, a pastry on the way to work or a warm cup of tomato basil soup.

Mmmmm.

One of The Boy's favorite breakfast items is a French omelet with sauce aux champignons (mushroom sauce) on the side. Actually, he'd eat anything they serve for breakfast if he could have sauce aux champignons. It's that good.

Of course, that meant I needed to figure out how to make it so I could surprise him on a Saturday morning.

I'm quite sure that the La Madeleine sauce aux champignons is made with heavy cream. I have the recipe for their famous tomato basil soup and it uses copious amounts of cream. That's why it is so delicious.

Anyway.

I opted to make the sauce taste rich through the use of a bechamel sauce, a small amount of half-and-half, and cooking wine (to give the sauce some depth).

Sauce aux Champions

• 1/4 onion, diced
• 6 cremini mushrooms, sliced
• Herbs
• 1 T. butter
• 1 T white cooking wine
• 1/2 c half-and-half
• 2 T butter
• 2 T flour
• 1 c water
• Cracked pepper, to taste 

Saute the onion, mushrooms and herbs in 1 T. butter.

While the mushrooms are sauteing, make the bechamel. Melt 2 T. butter and stir in flour. Cook until bubbly. Slowly stir in water, adding about 2 T. of water at a time and whisking thoroughly. When all of the water is incorporated, cook over low heat until sauce is thickened.

Puree sauteed vegetables with half and half in blender or food processor.

Add mushroom puree to bechamel, along with cooking wine and freshly cracked pepper (to taste).

Stir everything together and cook until heated through. Serve with the breakfast dish of your choice!

This would also be very yummy on top of chicken crepes. I'm just saying. And since I have about a cup of sauce leftover in the refrigerator, I might have to give it a try.