How to Make Umami Mushroom Parfait

Posted by I4C on 16th Mar 2026

How to Make Umami Mushroom Parfait

This recipe comes from the chefs at ICE Restaurant in Bury St Edmunds and uses ingredients available from Infusions4Chefs.

Mushroom parfait is one of those ingredients that quietly transforms dishes. Rich, savoury and deeply umami, it works as a spread, a base for sauces, or even the foundation for vegetarian burgers.

At ICE Restaurant, this mushroom parfait is always popular when it appears on the menu. In this guide, we’re sharing how the chefs make it, building layers of flavour using ingredients like mirin, soy sauce, mushroom glace and kombu dashi.

The result is an intensely savoury mushroom mixture that can be used in several different ways depending on how you finish it.

Mushroom Parfait Recipe Summary

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Serves: 4 to 6 as a starter or spread

Key ingredients:

  • Portobello mushrooms
  • Dried porcini mushrooms
  • Shallots and garlic
  • Mirin
  • Soy sauce
  • Essential Cuisine Mushroom Glace
  • Kombu dashi
  • Butter

Best served with toasted sourdough, crostini or as a base for vegetarian burgers.

Watch the Recipe

Chef John Jackaman shows how this mushroom parfait is prepared in the ICE kitchen, using a combination of fresh mushrooms, dried porcini and umami-rich ingredients.

Ingredients:

Method:

  1. Heat a generous amount of rapeseed oil in a pan. Add the diced shallots and cook gently until soft, making sure they do not take on colour. Add the sliced garlic and continue sweating until fragrant.
  2. Add the diced portobello mushrooms. If you have mushroom trimmings or peelings from other cooking, add those as well. This is a great way to minimise waste while boosting flavour. Cook for a few minutes until the mushrooms begin to soften.
  3. Add the rehydrated dried ceps (porcini mushrooms) along with the soaking liquid. These dried mushrooms add a huge amount of deep earthy flavour. Cook on a medium heat, stirring regularly so the mixture doesn’t catch. Reduce until most of the liquid has evaporated.
  4. Add mirin, soy sauce, mushroom glace, and kombu dashi. Each ingredient brings something different: Mirin adds gentle sweetness, soy sauce deepens savoury flavour, mushroom glace intensifies the mushroom base, and kombu dashi adds natural umami. Continue cooking until the mixture becomes thick and intensely flavoured.
  5. Add half a block of good quality unsalted butter and allow it to melt through the mixture. This creates the silky texture that turns the mixture into a proper parfait.
  6. Transfer the mixture to a blender, liquidiser or Thermomix. Blend until completely smooth.
  7. Pour the mixture into a container. Cover with greaseproof paper and allow it to cool. Once cool, place it in the fridge to set into a rich mushroom parfait.

Chef Tips from ICE Restaurant

Professional kitchens rely on small techniques to get the best flavour from ingredients, and mushroom parfait is a good example.

Cook mushrooms longer than you think

Mushrooms release a lot of water. Proper reduction concentrates flavour and prevents the parfait from becoming watery when blended.

Use dried mushrooms for deeper flavour

Fresh mushrooms provide the base flavour, but dried porcini add much deeper earthy intensity.

Build flavour in layers

Mirin, soy sauce, mushroom glace and kombu dashi all contribute something different. Adding them at the right stage allows each one to develop properly.

Blend while the mixture is still warm

Blending when warm helps create a smoother texture.

Taste and adjust seasoning at the end

Many ingredients already contain savoury salts, so adjust seasoning once everything is combined.

Why This Recipe Works

This mushroom parfait works because it layers several natural sources of umami.

Umami is often described as the fifth taste, alongside sweet, salty, sour and bitter. It creates the rich savoury flavour that makes dishes deeply satisfying.

In this recipe, mushrooms, dried porcini, soy sauce, mirin, mushroom glace and kombu dashi combine to create a spread that tastes far richer than the individual ingredients alone.

How to Use This Mushroom Base

One of the best things about this recipe is how versatile it is. Before adding the butter, the mixture can be used in several ways.

Mushroom Burgers:

Allow the mixture to cool and shape into patties for deeply savoury vegetarian burgers.

Mushroom Ketchup:

Blend the mushroom mixture without butter for a rich mushroom ketchup-style sauce.

Mushroom Parfait:

Add butter and blend smooth to create a spreadable mushroom parfait.

Other Ways to Use Mushroom Parfait

Once you have a batch of mushroom parfait in the fridge, there are many ways to use it.

  • Spread it on warm toast for a quick lunch.
  • Stir a spoonful through pasta sauces or risotto to deepen flavour.
  • Use it as a base for vegetarian pies or savoury tarts.
  • Add a small amount to gravies or sauces.
  • Serve it with crackers or crostini as part of a cheese board.

Because the flavour is so concentrated, a small amount goes a long way.

Essential-Cuisine-Wild-Mushroom-Glace

Ingredients Used in This Recipe

You can recreate this dish easily at home using ingredients available from Infusions4Chefs, including:

Essential Cuisine Wild Mushroom Glace 600g

A concentrated mushroom stock that intensifies the natural flavour of mushrooms and sauces.

Shimaya Kombu-Dashi Soup Stock 1kg

A Japanese seaweed stock that adds natural umami and savoury depth.

Centaur Mirin 500ml

A lightly sweet rice wine used to balance savoury ingredients.

Centaur Gluten Free Soy Sauce 500ml

Delivers a balanced umami flavour with a gentle saltiness, making it suitable for everyday cooking as well as dipping and marinades.

Sabarot Dried Porcini Mushrooms 500g

One of the most effective ways to deepen mushroom flavour in sauces, stocks and spreads.

Hillfarm Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil 500ml 

British-grown oil, sustainably sourced and cold-pressed from Suffolk rapeseed, boasts an impressive nutritional profile and a delicious taste.

These ingredients help build the layers of savoury flavour that make the dish work.

FAQ

What is mushroom parfait?

Mushroom parfait is a smooth, spreadable mixture similar to pâté, made by blending cooked mushrooms with butter and umami-rich ingredients.

Can mushroom parfait be vegetarian?

Yes. This recipe is vegetarian, and the butter can be replaced with olive oil for a vegan version.

How long does mushroom parfait last?

Stored in the fridge, it will keep for up to 5 days.

What mushrooms work best?

Portobello mushrooms are ideal, but adding dried porcini dramatically improves flavour.