The classic Russian dish of beef, mushrooms and sour cream gets a delicious upgrade, with chanterelles. Recipe below.
Food has never been more interesting. Chefs are going global and hyperlocal, often at the same time. Molecular gastronomy is turning restaurant kitchens into science labs. The best restaurant in the world serves lichen, moss and other foraged goods. And home cooks are getting right in there with them, tapping into ingredients both worldly and local and fearlessly exploring new techniques.
In all the excitement over the next new thing, though, some classic recipes are being left behind. Beef stroganoff, for instance. Even when I was a teenager and just starting to explore dining out without my parents, beef stroganoff was outdated. Its appearance on a menu indicated a restaurant of a certain age—and perhaps aspirations to “fine dining” unattained.
The classic dish of sautéed beef, mushrooms and sour cream far predates its popularity in the United States in the 1950s. Some sources claim the recipe was developed at an 1890s cooking competition in St. Petersburg and is named for Count Pavel Stroganov, a Russian diplomat. Others date it back to a Russian cookbook, A Gift to Young Housewives, published in 1861, further stating that it was based on an even older traditional dish.
Versions of beef stroganoff are popular from the UK to Brazil, Japan and even Iran. And like clam chowder, there are white (sour cream) and red (tomato sauce-based) takes on the dish. The sour cream version is generally seen as the classic.
My own take on the dish starts with the classic, then upgrades it with some of the beautiful chanterelle mushrooms we brought back from Seattle. If you can’t get chanterelles, cremini mushrooms will do nicely. Button mushrooms will also work. Dijon mustard adds complexity to the tang of the sour cream. Some recipes call for a splash of cognac. Given its cost, we only splash cognac directly into our mouths; I substituted a little cheap brandy. If you don’t have brandy on hand, just up the amount of white wine a little.
Cook as I say, not as I did. Most recipes tell you to brown the pieces of beef quickly on one side, then turn them and brown the other. I did that and, even working quickly, I overcooked the beef, making it a little chewy. Stir fry it instead for a very short time, stirring frequently. The beef doesn’t need a nice char—it just needs to be not raw on the outside before continuing.
Beef Stroganoff with Chanterelle Mushrooms
Serves 4
1 pound top sirloin
salt and pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
olive oil
1/3 cup chopped shallots
8 ounces chanterelles, larger ones sliced or torn
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
2 tablespoons brandy
3/4 cup dry white wine
1-1/3 cups reduced-fat sour cream
1 generous tablespoon Dijon mustard
fresh Italian parsley, chopped, for garnish
8 ounces uncooked egg noodles
Start a large pot of water to boil to cook the egg noodles. Slice beef into thin strips, about 1/3 to 1/2-inch thick and 1 to 2 inches long. Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium flame. Working in batches, stir fry beef for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Be careful not to overcook the beef. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
Sauté shallots in same pan until translucent, a couple of minutes, drizzling in a little oil, if needed. Transfer to bowl with beef. Add remaining butter to pan and sauté chanterelles for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, sprinkling in tarragon about halfway through. Deglaze pan with brandy and wine, scraping up any browned bits.
Reduce heat to low and stir in sour cream and mustard. Return beef and shallots to pan and cook together 3 to 4 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Meanwhile, cook egg noodles according to package directions. Spoon beef stroganoff over individual servings of egg noodles and garnish with parsley (see Kitchen Notes).
Kitchen Notes
Pretty however you plate it. I plated the dish as described above to make it more photogenic. After dinner, I tossed the leftover sauce into a container with the leftover egg noodles for, well, leftovers the next night. Even tossed together, the dish still looked good—and it had the added advantage of sauce coating the noodles nicely.
I haven’t made this dish in ages! And I know exactly the sort of restaurant you mean that used to have it on the menu. It really is a worthy dish, and your take on it is terrific. I’d probably plate it the same way you did simply for the best eye appeal, although I know the flavor is probably better if it’s tossed together (like pasta).
How perfect! I have everything here to make it since I happen to be home today. I have the cremini but no chanterelles. My husband will be happy. It’s one of his favourites. I’m going to try your version today.
Kitchenriffs, it’s interesting that the least pretentious places—diners, taverns, burger joints—can be timeless, getting better with age. But those with higher aspirations often don’t age very well.
Let us know how you like it, Randi!
Just finished a double batch and it really is delicious. I love the tarragon mustard combination. It’s a really nice change from my standard which is from my 1986 copy of ‘The New Good Housekeeping Cookbook”. Thanks!
This is just wonderful. I love “old school” dishes. I call them retro, and I’m not into a lot of new things, especially molecular gastronomy. I like food that can be made in my kitchen and this does it for me. I love chanterelles too. Great addition.
I hadn’t made this in forever, and ironically I just made it last night! I used shiitake and crimini shrooms and some leftover steak we had in the fridge. It’s a good recipe to use when you have a bunch of leftovers and its so tasty!
This is one of our family favourites, though I like the idea of adding the mustard. I’ll be trying that next time.
Randi, you are so right about tarragon and mustard playing well together. The French, who do mustard better than just about anyone, long ago figured that out. You reminded me of a dish I made here some time ago that uses the combination nicely: Pork Medallions with Tarragon Mustard Sauce. On a side note, you are awesome. I love how often you cook dishes we’ve posted and report back on the outcome.
Angela, one of my biggest issues with molecular gastronomy (and other bazillion-course tasting menus) is that I don’t want my dinner to be an overly precious, four-hour death march. Yes, I want to try a number of interesting flavors (we’re fans of small plates for that reason), but I also want to get on with my life.
Dr. M, we hadn’t made it in forever either—Marion used to make it on occasion, but then it fell off our radar screen. We’re glad it’s back.
Barbara, the mustard really does add something extra to the dish, in a surprisingly subtle way—not like yellow mustard on a hot dog (which is also awesome and which I totally want right now).
I was JUST looking for a stroganoff recipe for the weekend – and this falls into my lap! You’ve done that before – I had a mango and two bananas (or maybe it was the other way around) and you posted a recipe using a mango and two bananas (same caveat) that same day, so I’m not surprised. That said, I’m not a huge fan of mustard, but I trust you guys. Will check back with results!
p.s. I was in Latvia two weeks ago, and the relatives with whom we stayed came back from the woods with three BIG bowls of mushrooms. Nearly everyone there hunts for mushrooms in the fall – and they really know their fungi! Anyway, one bowl was full of assorted sauteeable mushrooms, the second had mushrooms that needed to be boiled, and the third was just chanterelles. That night we had chanterelles in cream sauce, with just a bit of onions and garlic, over potatoes fresh from the garden. Nothing else. I can’t even describe the perfection!
Oh, man, Anita, that sounds so wonderful! We have now devoured all the mushrooms we brought back from Seattle, and when I look in the fridge and see they are gone, which I have done several times in the last day alone, I think Noooooooooooooooo!
And also, you get 1,000 props from me for “I was in Latvia two weeks ago.”
When I was growing up, this was considered the height of fine dining. I remember my mom making it when she wanted to impress someone. When I got married, I made it quite a bit being the young gourmet I was . Thanks for reminding me how good this can be! I’m going to make some for my son this weekend to remind him also….
Anita, I meant to chime in here and say that the mustard becomes beautifully subtle in this dish. I hope you do try it. And I agree with Marion that your Latvia trip and mushroom feast both sound wonderful.
Thanks for the lovely story, Rocky Mountain Woman. I hope your son decides to learn to cook it and carries it to the next generation.
Just made this with the gorgeous chanterelles we picked. Neither DH nor I had ever made stroganoff and I’m sorry to say this recipe has WAY too much mustard which overpowers the incredible flavor of the chanterelles. We are very sad to have wasted 2 lbs of chanterelles on a dish that is almost inedible (and we’re really really good cooks)
Martina, I’m really sorry you had such a bad experience. From our own experience, the small (to us) amount of mustard—one tablespoon—becomes quite subtle when cooked into a dish. Not just this dish, but other French-inspired dishes we cook. And as you can see from some of the comments here, the mustard and tarragon really made this dish work for others. Again, sorry it didn’t work for you.
So I don’t need to sweat the water out of my chanterelle’s that I just found before sauteeing in butter?
Jill, they will release moisture into the pan and it will evaporate, so you should be good.