Recipe

Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed Mushrooms, often filled with a mixture of crabmeat and bread crumbs, are perhaps one of the most familiar and best-loved hors d'oeuvres—and for good reason. They are perfectly shaped, charming containers for all kinds of interesting fillings, and their woodsy undertone is just subtle enough to gently flavor whatever they are carrying. For perfect stuffed mushrooms, choose the freshest white mushrooms you can find, free of blemishes and about the size of a silver dollar in diameter. Serve them hot.

Leek, Fennel, and Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
MAKES 2 DOZEN

Fennel, also called anise, has a slight licorice flavor. Fennel bulbs vary greatly in size, depending on the season. Buy a very small bulb, about 1 pound, for this recipe.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
¼ of a small fennel bulb, trimmed, thinly shaved on a mandoline, and roughly chopped
1 small leek, white and light green parts, cut into 1-inch pieces, well washed
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 ounces fresh goat cheese
1 recipe Golden Mushroom Caps (see below)

1. Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the fennel and the leeks and cook until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the coriander and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a large plate to cool. Reserve 2 tablespoons for garnish.

2. Heat the oven to broil with the rack in the center. Mash the goat cheese into the leek-fennel mixture until well combined. Use a small spoon to fill each mushroom cap with the filling. Place the caps on a baking sheet and broil until hot throughout, about 1 minute. Garnish each with a bit of the reserved leek-fennel mixture. Serve hot.

Polenta Stuffed Mushrooms
MAKES 2 DOZEN

Pecorino-Romano is an aged Italian sheep's-milk cheese with a sharp, intense flavor. It is worth searching out this cheese, but if you can't locate it, you can use Parmesan cheese.

½ cup plus 3 tablespoons milk
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1½ teaspoons fresh thyme
¼ cup quick-cooking polenta
1 ounce Pecorino Romano cheese, grated on the small holes of a box grater to yield ½ cup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 recipe Golden Mushroom Caps (see below)

1. Heat the oven to broil with the rack in the upper position. Meanwhile, place ½ cup of the milk, ½ cup of water, the salt, and ½ teaspoon of the thyme in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Slowly pour in the polenta, whisking constantly. Cook, stirring, about 2 minutes, until the polenta thickens. Stir in all but 2 tablespoons of the cheese, the remaining milk, and the butter.

2. Using a small spoon, quickly spoon the polenta into the mushroom caps. Garnish each cap with the remaining cheese. Place the caps on a baking sheet. Broil until the cheese is golden, about 1 minute. Garnish with the remaining thyme. Serve hot.

Porcini Stuffed Mushrooms with Camembert
MAKES 2 DOZEN

Porcinis, also known as cepes, are among my favorite wild mushrooms. They are available fresh in late spring or autumn and dried year-round. When using dried, rehydrate them before incorporating into the recipe.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 recipe Golden Mushroom Caps (see below) with stems reserved, cleaned, and roughly chopped
1 small shallot, minced
4 ounces fresh porcini mushrooms, roughly chopped (or 1 ounce dried porcini, rehydrated, plus 3 ounces white button mushrooms)
2 tablespoons dry white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces Camembert cheese

1. Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the mushroom stems and shallots and cook until the shallots are translucent, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the white wine, scraping up any bits that may be on the bottom of the pan, and cook until the wine has evaporated, 1 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from the heat.

2. Heat the oven to broil with the rack in the center. Use a small spoon to fill each mushroom cap with the filling. Place the caps on a baking sheet and set aside.

3. Slice the Camembert into 24 small pieces, each slice just large enough to cover about half of the filling. Set aside. Broil the filled mushroom caps until hot throughout, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and place a cheese slice on each mushroom. Serve hot.

Golden Mushroom Caps
MAKES 2 DOZEN

Roasting mushroom caps at high heat brings out their inherent deep flavor, so they taste much better when stuffed. Buy mushrooms with caps small enough to eat in one bite, about ¼ inches in diameter. If you use larger mushroom caps, buy fewer, or there will not be enough filling to stuff them.

24 small button mushrooms
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. remove the stems from the mushrooms and reserve if they are used in the filling. Use a damp cloth or mushroom brush to clean the mushrooms. Brush each mushroom with the olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Place the mushrooms, cap-side up, on a baking sheet. roast until the mushrooms are golden and their liquid begins to seep from the cavity, 6 to 7 minutes. Place cap-side up on paper towels to drain. The mushroom caps can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 4 hours.