This Truffle Hunter Fricassee Recipe braises Pork, fresh Mushrooms, and a touch of Truffle Oil in creamy sauce with White Wine and Sherry.

A Fricassee is a dish in which meat is braised and served in its own sauce. Typically, as in this Truffle Hunter Fricassee recipe, the sauce is a cream type, and wine of some sort is often used.

Now, I was thinking that this dish should more aptly be called a ‘Dis-gruntled Truffle Hunter’s Fricassee’ as there are actually no Truffles in the dish, rather, the pork is complimented by plain old Mushrooms enhanced with Truffle Oil. Moreover, since pigs have long been used instead of dogs for sniffing out the lovely underground fungus, it may be that our disgruntled hunter decided that his hunting pig was better suited to the pot.

The Method

Frying Mushrooms with Butter, Lemon Juice and Black Pepper

I am using Crimini Mushrooms here, but you can use pretty much any sort you like. The first step is to sweat them in just a little oil in covered pan until they throw off their liquid.

Once the water exuded from the mushrooms has evaporated, add two tablespoons of your butter to the pan and saute the slices, adding the lemon juice and sprinkling liberally with pepper. Continue stirring until the slices are golden and the thinner sections are even starting to get crispy in a few isolated spots. When done, remove to a bowl and keep warm.

Browning Pork Cubes for a Truffle Hunter Fricassee Recipe

Add a little more oil to the pan and briefly cook the pork pieces until golden on all sides. Be careful you do not add the meat to the pan all at once, or too quickly, as you don’t want to lower the temperature too much and cause the meat to steam cook, rather than fry. Season with a little salt and remove the cooked pieces to a separate bowl for now.

By the way, purists will insist that in a proper Fricassee, the meat is NOT browned before cooking in the braising medium. This traditional ‘rule’ is often ignored these days, though, so brown, or not, as you see fit.

Deglazing a pan with White Wine, along with Onion and Garlic

Add the onions to the freshly vacated saute pan, followed by the garlic and then the white wine. Cook vigorously, deglazing the pan as you go, and reduce the liquid to just a few tablespoons of syrupy residue.

Cooking Flour with Mushrooms for thickening a Braising Sauce

Add back the mushroom slices and the truffle oil, then stir in the flour, making sure it coats the solids and doesn’t clump. Cook for a moment or two to remove the raw taste of the flour.

Now, add the stock and sherry. Allow this to bubble vigorously and reduce until the liquid is thickened and the volume is reduced by about half.

Finally add back the meat, followed by the cream and the remaining butter. At this point, you should reduce the heat and, most importantly, ensure the fricassee does not boil. Allow the dish to simmer gently until the meat is tender and the sauce has reduced to the desired consistency.

You could serve this Truffle Hunter Fricassee Recipe over egg noodles (like a ‘Stroganoff’), or, alternatively, in bowls with buttered bread and a side salad. I like mine with mashed potatoes to absorb the sauce.

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