Cooking Class: Mushrooms 3 Ways!

By Executive Chef Justin Wangler 
on December 21st, 2021
In: Recipes

We believe every winter party needs a warm dip. This was originally one of our favorite pasta sauces, but everyone loved sopping it up with bread so much that we decided to skip the pasta, give the sauce the gratin treatment with some toasty melted cheese on top and call it a dip.

It’s great with any kind of mushrooms and is a nice way to use up those less-than-perfect ones. If you do want to try it with pasta, toss it with pappardelle and replace the Vella Toma with a bit of grated Parmesan or grana padano cheese. 

Follow along with Justin Wangler as he slices and dices mushrooms for an appetizer, an entree, and even a dessert!

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Warm Mushroom Dip

Author: 
Recipe type: Side Dish
Cuisine: 12
Ingredients

1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
11⁄2 lb mushrooms (such as hedgehog, maitake, or chanterelle), cleaned, stem ends trimmed, and torn into large
uniform pieces
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1⁄2 cup minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
4 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
2 cups heavy cream
1⁄4 cup plus 1 tablespoon soy sauce
1⁄2 lb Vella Toma or Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 baguette, sliced and then toasted if desired 

Instructions

Preheat the broiler.

In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 7 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft and have released their water. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and reserve.

Return the sauté pan to medium heat and melt the butter. Add the shallots, garlic, and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes, until the shallots and garlic are golden brown. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, stirring to dislodge any browned bits from the pan bottom, then cook for 1 minute. Pour in the cream and soy sauce and cook for 3 to 6 minutes, until reduced by half. Add the reserved mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes longer.

Remove from the heat and transfer to a broiler-proof serving dish. Top evenly with the cheese and broil until the cheese melts and is golden brown. Serve the gratin hot with the baguette slices on the side for dipping. 

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Mushroom Risotto

Author: 
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: 6
Ingredients

1 Tbsp. rice oil
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1⁄2 cup onion, small dice
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1⁄2 lb. wild mushrooms, trimmed & rough chopped 1 cup Arborio rice
1 cup Pinot Noir
5 cups mushroom stock, hot (recipe below)
1 tsp. sherry vinegar
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces Pt Reyes TomaTruffle cheese, shredded 2 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
2 oz butter 

Instructions

In a large pan or pot, heat rice oil over medium flame. Add the mushrooms and turn to high heat, cooking until mushrooms are golden brown on the edges. Season and remove mushrooms and set aside. Wipe out the pan, add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and heat for 1 minute. Add onions and garlic. Sweat until onions are tender and translucent. Add Arborio rice and stir to coat. Add wine and reduce to almost dry. Add enough mushroom stock to just cover the rice and reduce to medium. Stir frequently to avoid scorching the risotto. Once the rice has absorbed most of the liquid, add enough stock to just moisten the risotto. Continue stirring and repeat until rice is fully cooked and tender. Remove from heat and add sherry vinegar, butter and truffle cheese. Stir until cheese is melted and butter is incorporated. Risotto should be weepy but not soupy. Season with salt & pepper. Place in serving bowls and top with grated Parmesan.

For the mushroom stock:

1 1⁄2 lb button mushrooms with stems intact, cleaned

Grate the mushrooms in a food processor fitted with the grating blade or
by hand on the large holes of a box grater. Transfer the grated mushrooms to a nonreactive pot and place over low heat. Sprinkle with salt and sweat the mushrooms for 5 to 7 minutes, until they have released their liquid. Add 3 cup water and allow the mushrooms to steep slowly, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through
a fine-mesh sieve placed over a small heatproof bowl. Press against the mushroom pulp with the back of a spoon to force out as much liquid as possible. You should have about 4-5 cups mushroom stock. Discard the pulp.

To make arancini:

All-purpose flour
Egg wash
Panko breadcrumbs
Rice (or other neutral-flavored frying oil)

Transfer risotto to a sheet pan and allow to cool.

Refrigerate rice until cold. Scoop out rice, using the 1⁄2-ounce portion scoop Coat with all-purpose flour, then egg wash, then Panko. Arrange, in a single layer, on a sheet pan and freeze overnight.

Fry arancini at 3500 - 3750F until golden brown. 

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Candy Cap Mushroom Crème Caramel

Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: 8
Ingredients

1 cup sugar- for caramel 1⁄2 cup sugar
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 eggs, large
3 egg yolks
1⁄4 tsp salt, kosher
1⁄4 tsp candy cap, ground

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325F.

Candy Cap Mushroom Crème Caramel

Place eight 4oz ramekins/aluminum cups in 11x9 roasting pan. For the dry caramel: place medium pot over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Sprinkle in a small amount of sugar in pot. The sugar will start to dissolve. Slowly add sugar until all the sugar has been incorporated. Cook sugar to a caramel stage (340F to 350F). Remove from heat and gently pour into ramekins to coat the bottoms evenly. Set aside until needed.

In a medium pot, bring milk and cream just into hot but not boiling. Remove from heat and add 1⁄4 tsp of candy cap, infuse for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk sugar, eggs, yolks, and salt together.

Place mixture back on medium-high heat. Temper mixture into egg-mixture and whisk thoroughly. Strain mixture. Distribute mixture evenly into the 4oz ramekins. Place pan in the center of the oven. Pour hot water in the pan to fill halfway. Cover with aluminum wrap. Bake for 45 minutes or until set.

Remove from water bath and let rest for 1 hour. Place in refrigerator for a few hours before serving.