Madeira - Mushroom Cream Sauce

This is a great sauce we used in our mini beef Wellington's, but could be great as a sauce for chicken, pork or beef or even as a lasagna layer! I love mushrooms so I would love to just eat a bowl of this plain. :)

1 pound mixed sliced mushrooms (use any kind you like), brushed clean of dirt, minced

1/2 red onion, small dice (we used shallots)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup Madeira or Marsala (Steve discovered dry Vermouth is an acceptable substitute, so we used that since we had it and Marsala is pricey)

1 cup heavy cream

Pinch each of nutmeg, cayenne pepper and white pepper

Salt to taste

Lemon juice to taste (just a few drops)

4-6 tablespoons whole unsalted butter, melted

1. Pre-heat a saute pan over high heat for 3-4 minutes, or until you cannot hold your hand within an inch of the pan surface for 5 seconds
2. Toss mushrooms and onion together with the butter in a large bowl
3. Add mushrooms to pan and shake pan only briefly to create an even layer; let mushrooms brown - DO NOT STIR THEM OR MOVE THEM AROUND for at least 1-2 minutes or until they are golden brown on the first side; then shake or stir with a wooden spoon to brown both sides.
4. Add wine and shake pan to distribute evenly; scrape bottom of pan to remove all brown bits and cook until the wine is cooked off; (at this point, continue cooking mushrooms until all liquid has evaporated; this may take quite a while if the mushrooms were high in moisture)
5. Add cream to pan and scrape again; bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt, pepper, cayenne and nutmeg to taste, then add a few drops of lemon juice.
6. Finish with an additional splash of wine if desire