Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen · 1 Comment

Baked mushrooms stuffed with herbs, feta and parmesan

It’s the season of mushrooms. the markets are full of wild mushrooms, and risottos and omelets are at the order of the day. But this recipe simply calls for “champignon de Paris”, the classic brown or white mushroom available all year long. A good stuffing with garlic and herbs and you have a flavourful little appetizer or starter, and even a side dish if you use the bigger portobello mushroom. these baked mushrooms will definitey hold its own amongst the more sought after wild mushrooms. Next time we’ll have a risotto with forest mushrooms.

Recipe:

  • About 20 medium mushrooms.
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and cushed
  • Fresh herbs of your choice, I used chives, marjoram and thyme.
  • 80g butter at room temperature
  • 100g dried bread crumbs
  • 100g grated parmesan cheese
  • 50 g feta
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C.
  2. Clean the mushrooms with kitchen towel(don’t wash) and remove the stems.
  3. Place round side down in an oven pan.
  4. Chop the herbs.
  5. Add the crushed garlic, the soft butter, the breadcrumbs, grated parmesan and a little olive oil (20ml) to the herbs and mix to a paste.
  6. Crumble a little feta cheese into each mushroom cavity and fill up with the herb mixture.
  7. Season with salt and papper and drizzle with olive oil.
  8. Bake for about 10 minutes until the mushrooms and the tops are deeply caramelized.
  9. Serve warm.

Serves 4

Preparation…

Pinch of salt:

  • Use bigger portobello or large mushrooms instead of small mushrooms for a side dish to a meal.
  • Use parsley as the fresh herb
  • Add some thyme branches on top of the mushrooms for more flavour.
  • Add some finley chopped spring onion to the butter mix.
  • Can be made a few hours ahead and kept in the fridge until ready to serve your apero.
  • Serve each mushroom with a sprig of herb that you’ve used.
  • Pack the mushrooms close together in the oven pan, they shrink as they bake.
Posted on by Myfrenchkitchen

Oven roasted apricot and thyme soup.

This is a delicious little cold velouté for an aperitif or a starter on a hot summers day. It looks delicious and is also very handsome presented in a little glass or bowl with a sliced bread finger alongside. Just enough to get the appetite going.

Recipe:

  • About 20 ripe soft apricots
  • 2 TBSP of thyme honey or flower honey
  • a bunch of fresh thyme
  • fleur de sel
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • Olive oil
  • A few sprigs of fresh chives
  • TBSP crème fraiche(optional)
  • Fresh cream for décoration
  1. Heat the oven to 200 degr C
  2. Wash and dry and break the apricots in half and remove the pit.
  3. Place them snug in an oven proof dish.
  4. Drizzle liberally with olive oil and the honey, sprinkle lightly with fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper.
  5. Scrape the leaves off the stems of the thyme and sprinkle over the apricots. Spread a few branches on top of the apricots.
  6. Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes, until very tender. Take care not to burn the apricots.
  7. Remove from the oven, remove the thyme branches and let cool to room temperature.
  8. Mix with a handblender until liquid and pass through fine sieve to get a smooth veloute.
  9. Add a bit of creme fraiche and blend.(optional)
  10. Keep in the fridge until cold.
  11. Serve in a pretty small glass or bowl, swirl a tsp of cream and olive oil on the top, add a sprig of chive and a turn of the pepper mill.
  12. Serve cold with a toasted bread finger on the side. (optional)

Pinch of salt:

  • Use thyme honey or flower honey.
  • Softer apricots are more flavourful.
  • Replace the thyme with sprigs of rosemary., in which case you will use flower honey.
  • Make sure to blend in all the juices from the roasted apricots.
  • Sauté a chopped shallot and add to the apricot mixture as a more savory option.
  • The soup can be prepared a few hours in advance and kept in the fridge until serving.
  • Passing the apricots through a sieve is improtant to get a nice smooth velouté.

Serves 6 a amuse bouche and 4 as starter