Champagne Mushroom Sauce

Add the stock and dried mushrooms into a medium sized pot. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to its lowest setting.

In separate medium sized pot, add the sparkling wine and shallots. Bring to a rolling boil, and boil until the wine has reduced to 3/4 of a cup. Turn off the heat and wait until the wine stops simmering, then whisk in 1/4 cup of butter, a little at a time.

Heat 3 Tbsp butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. When the butter stops foaming, add the flour and stir well to combine. Stirring often, cook this roux for 5 minutes, or until it turns the color of coffee-with-cream.

Working with two hands, slowly add the hot stock (along with the mushrooms) to the roux. It will sputter and spit at first, but keep pouring in the stock and stirring. It will turn into a silky sauce.

To finish, turn the heat off and whisk in the butter-shallot-sparkling wine mixture. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, to strain out the mushroom and shallots. Add salt to taste and keep warm until you need it. Do not let it boil or the sauce may separate.