Being avid mushroomers can lead us into some unexpected places, and bestow delicious rewards upon us at the same time! Such was the case when we signed up to cruise the Columbia River on the American Empress. One bite of the appetizer that was served on our first night of the cruise, and we were in a state of culinary ecstasy. Flaky layers of buttered phyllo dough filled with savory mushrooms and baked to a golden brown will do that for us! By the next morning we were asking Chef Lemeul McCall if the cruise line would share the recipe so that we could in turn share it with our readers. Within no time at all, Chef McCall was handing us the preparation sheet - many thanks for your generosity!
Our cruise offered a great mushroom appetizer!
Beggars Purse
2 packages phyllo/filo leaves, thawed
2 pounds unsalted butter, clarified
4 pounds assorted mushrooms (cremini, button, oyster, shiitake, portabella), sliced and rough chopped
- Lay out a single sheet of phyllo and immediately re-cover the remaining dough with a towel. Brush the entire surface with a thin, even layer of butter. Top with a second sheet and repeat once again for a total of three layers and as many as four if needed.
- Spoon 2 ounces of mushrooms into the center of half the sheet and repeat on the other half. With a sharp chef's knife, cut the dough in half down the center. You should now have two roughly square sections. Gather the dough up around the mushrooms and twist slightly to form a purse. Repeat, transfer to baking sheet. Repeat process to build 24 purses.
- Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees as needed for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and flaky. These should be eaten soon after preparation, as the quality diminishes with time; cook only the number you need.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chef McCall pampered us
with his delicious cuisine and congenial manner!
The June cruise came about rather unexpectedly. Spring mushrooming had been ever so slow for us. As we were piling into the car one day to make a foray over the mountain looking for morels, Steven said: “Sometime I’d sure like to take the paddlewheel ship that travels up the Columbia River to Clarkston.” Virtually the next day we were booked and off on our latest adventure.
The trip actually started in Vancouver, from which we sailed west to Astoria, then east to Clarkston, going through various locks (how fascinating), while making additional stops in the Dalles, Stevenson, and Richland before disembarking.
Every stop offered opportunities to visit museums and other tourist destinations. We were glad we signed up for American Cruise Line’s exclusive tour of Hanford. This was in the heat of World War II, and it was pretty amazing to hear the story of how the land for the nuclear reservation was obtained by telling the farmers that they had two weeks to get out of their homes, leaving behind their ability to earn a living and receiving very little compensation. Also, it was surprising that the government was able to convince people not to talk to other people about what they were doing at Hanford. The facility looked so simple and unsophisticated that one has to wonder how they accomplished what they did. In fact, parts of the operation room were cobbled together from old switchboard equipment. Lunch was served in a lunch pail with contents that would have been similar to what the employees at Hanford would have experienced. Pretty cool!
Both Steven and I loved so many things about life on the boat, such as the lectures by Riverlorian Mary on the Columbia itself as well as on Lewis & Clark. There was also wonderful nightly entertainment, with two of these individuals being Kevin who had performed with Cirque Du Soleil in Japan and his equally talented and lovely wife Mel. With only 200 other passengers on board, it was a very congenial and intimate setting.
And, as you can tell from the recipe printed on this post, the food was amazing, too, especially the Beggars Purse appetizer!
What a great asset to the American Empress!