Appetizers

Basic Mushroom Pate

2 tablespoons butter

1 pound mushrooms, chopped

3/4 cup chopped shallots

1 small carrot, peeled and chopped

1 clove garlic, pressed or minced

salt and pepper to taste

toast points or crackers

• In a 10-12 inch frying pan, stir butter, mushrooms, shallots, carrot and garlic over high heat until liquid evaporates and mushrooms brown, 10-15 minutes.
• Puree mixture in a blender.  Add salt and pepper.  Spoon into a bowl.
• Serve warm or at room temperature to spread onto toast or crackers.

Crab Stuffed Mushroom Caps

Anindita Shabnam's entry in the 2008 Recipe Contest

24 mushrooms

8 ounce package cream cheese

1 cup cooked and flaked crab meat

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

2 green onions, chopped

1/8 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon basil

1/8 teaspoon lemon pepper

2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

• Wash mushrooms and remove stems.  Set caps aside.  Finely chop about one-half of the mushroom stems.
• Mix chopped mushroom stems, cream cheese, crab, garlic powder, green onions, lemon juice, basil, lemon pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.
• Fill mushroom caps with the crab mixture and place in a large, lightly greased baking dish.  Top mushrooms with cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese.  Refrigerate overnight.
• Bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes and serve hot.
• Add sour cream to any leftover crab mixture  and serve as a dip for crackers, chips or vegetables.

Easy Entertaining Mushrooms

Lindsay McCoy's entry in the 2008 Recipe Contest

8 ounce package cream cheese, softened

4 green onions, chopped

8 ounces finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

3 strips crisp bacon

16 ounces mushrooms

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place softened cream cheese in a bowl.   Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
• Wipe mushrooms with damp cloth and pull the stem away.  Fill each mushroom cap with mixture and place on a baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes. 
• The mushrooms can be eaten hot or at room temperature.
• This should make about 18 mushrooms, depending on the size chosen.  Allow approximately 3 mushrooms per person.  This recipe can be adjusted for a large party or for a romantic appetizer for two.  You just have to add more or less ingredients.

Pickled Hedgehogs

3 pounds fresh hedgehogs, blanched

2/3 cup chopped onions

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

5 twists of a pepper mill

1/2 tablespoon salt

1-1/2 tablespoon sugar

1/3 tablespoon dried tarragon

1-1/3 cups white wine

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 cup vinegar

• Combine hedgehogs all ingredients and simmer 20 minutes. 
• Scoop into 5 1/2 point containers and process in hot water bath for 15 minutes.
• Wait 2 months before using.

Mushroom Hazelnut Pate

1/4 cup butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

3/4 pound mushrooms, sliced

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• Melt butter in pan over medium high heat.  Add onion, garlic, mushrooms, salt, thyme and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and most the pan juices created from the mushrooms have evaporated.
• In a food processor puree nuts to approximately a paste.  With motor running, add oil and whirl until creamy.  Add mushroom mixture and continue blending until smooth.
• Serve with crackers, French bread or sourdough bread.  Pate will keep in refrigerator for two weeks or longer.

Mary’s Favorite Roasted Chanterelles

This lovely preparation has a multitude of uses: serve on toast points or bagel crisps, serve over rice or fold into pasta, add to soups.

8 ounces chanterelles, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 ounces of shallot, sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper

• Combine all ingredients in a baking dish. Bake in a 400 degree oven, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and beginning to brown on the edges, about 12-15 minutes.

Jack Czarnecki's Three-Mushroom Tart

Crust

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons lard, margarine or butter

1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water

Filling

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cups chopped portobello, cremini or button-type mushrooms

1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms

1/2 cup dried cepe or porcini mushrooms, reconstituted

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon dried savory

pinch of cayenne pepper

4 large eggs

2 cups whipping cream

To make the crust: 

• In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt.  Cut the lard into the flour until the mixture is like coarse meal.  Sprinkle on and blend in enough of the ice water to make a workable dough.  Gather the dough into a ball, wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Unwrap the dough.  Place on a floured work surface and roll it out to fit a 10 inch spring form pan, including up the sides  Drape the dough over the pan, crimp an edge and ease it into the pan.  Pat into place, trim off the excess and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator and prick the dough with a fork.  Line the pan with foil and fill with beans to weight the crust.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the dough is just beginning to color.  Remove from the oven, remove the foil and beans and let the crust cool.

To make the filling:

• In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and saute the onion until translucent.  Add the chopped portobello, shiitake and cepe mushrooms and red pepper, and continue to saute for 2 minutes.  Add the garlic, curry powder, savory and cayenne.  Stir well, and remove from the heat.  Let the filling cool.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and add the cream, whisking well.  Add the mushroom mixture to the custard and blend thoroughly.

To assemble the quiche:

• Place the spring form pan and partially cooked shell on a baking sheet with sides.  Pour the custard filling into the crust and bake in the center of the 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Turn down the oven to 350 degrees and bake until the custard sets or until a fork inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.  Let the tart stand for 15 minutes before serving. 
• Makes 8-10 servings.

Wild Mushroom and Walnut Tarte Tatin

Tarte

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 pounds chanterelles or portobello, cut into thick slices

sea salt, to taste

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

3 plump cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, divided

1/2 cup freshly cracked walnut pieces, divided

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

9 inch chilled unbaked pie crust

Walnut Oil Vinaigrette

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

sea salt, to taste

1/4 cup walnut oil

fleur de sel, or other coarse salt for garnish

• Preheat over to 425 degrees.  Place a rack in the center of the oven.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick frying pan over moderate heat until hot but not smoking.  Add mushrooms, season lightly with salt, and saute just until the mushrooms begin to give up their juices, about 5 minutes.  Reduce the heat and add the thyme, garlic, half the parsley and half the walnuts.  Cook, stirring regularly, about 1 minute more.  Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Transfer the mixture to a tarte Tatin pan or a nonstick skillet with an oven proof pan handle.  Place the pan on a baking sheet.  Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and place it on top of the mushroom mixture, gently pushing the edges of the pastry down around the edge of the pan.  Bake until the pastry is golden, 20-25 minutes.
• To make the vinaigrette:  In a small jar, combine the lemon juice and sea salt.  Cover and shake to dissolve the salt.  Add the walnut oil, cover and shake again.  Taste for seasoning.
• Remove the baking sheet form the oven.  Immediately invert a serving platter with a lip over the tart pan or skillet.  Quickly but carefully unmold the tart onto the serving platter so the mushrooms are on top and the pastry is on the bottom.  Remove any mushrooms sticking to the bottom of the pan, and place them back onto the tart.
• Sprinkle the mushrooms with the remaining parsley and walnuts.  Season with freshly ground black pepper.  Drizzle with the vinaigrette, sprinkle with fleur de sel and serve warm, cut into wedges.