Creamy Plant-Based Mushroom Sauce
WITH WHOLE-CUT LOIN AND QUICK PICKLED RED ONIONS
I used to think the change in my flavor preference was the result of becoming a more refined, sophisticated adult. But sadly, I recently learnt our food preferences change due to a decrease in the number and sensitivity of our taste buds (aka getting f*#ing old). Anyway, I made this unnecessarily scientific intro to tell you if you didn’t like mushrooms as a teenager, there’s a possibility you’ll enjoy them as a withered husk of your former self (silver linings!). And how couldn’t you? This savory, earthy, silky mushroom cream sauce adds operatic levels of drama to any meat dish, elevating them beyond mere saltiness to realms of complexity and dynamism the younger generation couldn’t possibly comprehend… At least, that’s what I keep telling myself…and my shriveling taste buds… Bon appetit!
Ingredients
Oven-roasted Whole-Cut Loin
- 1 Whole-Cut Loin
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp plant-based butter
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 1 sprig of rosemary
Creamy Mushroom Sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp plant-based butter
- 2 shallots (finely chopped)
- 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 8.8 oz. / 250 g brown button mushrooms (sliced into 0.2 inches / 0,5 cm thick slices)
- 4 sprigs of thyme / 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp whiskey
- 1 ⅔ cups / 400 ml plant-based cooking cream
- ⅔ cup / 200 ml vegetable stock
- 1 tsp parsley (finely sliced)
- 1 tsp chives (finely sliced)
To finish
- Quick-pickled red onions
- A few sprigs of thyme for decoration
40 MINUTES / SERVES 6-8
preparation
Whole-Cut Loin
- Preheat the oven to 374°F/190°C.
- Remove the Whole-Cut Loin from the packaging, and season it with salt and cracked black pepper.
- Combine olive oil, plant-based butter, and thyme in a small saucepan, and heat up until the butter is melted.
- Place the Loin on a parchment-lined baking tray and drizzle with a bit of oil-butter mixture. Transfer to the preheated oven.
- Roast the Loin for 20-25 minutes, until nicely browned, basting it with oil-butter mixture every 5-7 minutes.
- Once baked, remove it from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes.
Creamy Mushroom Sauce
- While the Loin is roasting, prepare the sauce. Heat olive oil and plant-based butter in a large pan over medium heat.
- Once hot, add finely chopped shallots, and cook for 2-3 minutes before adding minced garlic.
- Cook for a minute, constantly mixing to make sure that the garlic doesn’t burn.
- Add sliced mushrooms and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 5-7 minutes, until the moisture that the mushrooms released has cooked off.
- Deglaze the pan with whiskey and soy sauce, and cook for another minute.
- Pour cooking cream and vegetable stock over the mushrooms, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Taste the sauce, and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Sprinkle in finely chopped parsley and chives.
Serve
- Slice the roasted Whole-Cut Loin into 0.4-0.8 inches / 1-2 cm thick slices.
- Spoon a bit of sauce on the serving platter, and top it with sliced Loin. Drizzle with a bit of extra sauce on top.
- Decorate with thyme sprigs and pickled red onions.
