Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms

These bite sized babies are great finger foods. I can literally eat them like pop corn. Stuffed mushrooms are the easiest appetizers you'll ever make for parties and their variations are endless. You will regularly find these in restaurant menus and as an amuse-bouche in fancy places.



My recipe leans more toward the classic stuffed mushrooms you would think of. But like I said, the variations are endless. Every home cook must have a stuffed mushroom recipe under his or her sleeve, and this one is mine:



Serves 4:

1 pack of button mushrooms. You can also use portobello or cremini mushrooms.
1 tbsp butter
1 large garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup Spinach
2 small shallots, minced
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
1 cup goats cheese. You can also use parmesan. Incase you don't have either, regular cheddar cheese will do
A sprinkle of herbs like thyme & oregano
Salt & pepper to taste



Pluck the stems off the mushrooms so that you are left with hollow caps. Finely chop the mushroom stems. In a pan, melt the butter and sauté the mushroom stems. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté for 5 mins. Add in the spinach and 1 tbsp breadcrumbs along with the herbs. Turn off the heat and add half the goat's cheese, salt and pepper, and stir to combine. We want the goat's cheese to be almost melting but not there yet



Preheat oven to 150 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place mushroom caps. Fill each mushroom cap with the stuffing mix. Top with the rest of the goats cheese and breadcrumbs. Lightly drizzle mushroom caps with olive oil and bake for 20-30mins or until the tops brown a little. Allow to cool a little before serving.



Tip: To get a finer stuffing mixture, I'd recommend blitzing it in the food processor to form a paste like consistency.



Variation: In my head, the ultimate stuffed mushroom would be French Onion Soup stuffed mushroom. Just stuff the caps with caramelised onions and cheese. Yum!

French Onion Soup

Bonjour! I still remember the first time I had traditional French onion soup. Sitting in a brasserie, ordering a bowl to share with my friend...unknowing that we would eventually order individual servings instead. It arrived, bubbling and hot, like liquid gold. The aroma is something I can't get out of my mind. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. When I had a spoon of that savoury broth, that luscious bread, that molten cheese; I knew that this is a dish not be shared. And that bite was perfect. It was so good, I wanted that moment to last forever.

So today I want to recreate the moment. I know my soup wont be exactly the same. We don't get the same ingredients here in India. But I'm gonna try replicating this dish with local ingredients, without losing the integrity of this dish. I also bought a potful of concentrated beef stock from my trip to Paris and I think its going to be the perfect ingredient for my onion soup. What is a French onion soup without onions, and the onions you use make all the difference. I found this article which tells you the difference between each onion and what to expect out of it. Today I'm predominantly using red onions with a handful of white onions to cut out the sweetness.

The most crucial and time consuming past of this dish is to caramelize the onions. It means the onions need to slowly cook and wilt in butter over a low heat with constant stirring thrown in for good measure. It is what gives this dish its colour. However I have read somewhere that you can also do the bulk of the cooking in the oven. I'm however going to go the traditional way...just because. You should be looking at a colour similar to mine below.

The next important part of any soup is the stock. I've used beef as I got a potful of amazing beef stock from France. And the bottle says, it is intended for French onion soup....how perfect is that! But you can use chicken stock, or vegetable stock if you are a veggie.

Adapted from willcookforfriends.com
Makes a potful (serves approx.8)

10 large onions, sliced
5tbsp butter
8cups stock
1/4 cup dry white wine
1tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1tbsp thyme
salt & pepper to taste

In a large heavy bottomed pan, add the butter and onions. The onions will take a minimum of 30-40mins to be done on high heat. Be patient. The onions will first soften, then wilt, before starting to change colour. By then it will be half the original volume. You will need to give the onions your full attention so that it doesn't burn, while stirring frequently. Feel free to scrape the sides as well. Once the onions start sticking to the bottom and really go a deep brown colour, you can start ladling in the stock. I actually ladled in the initial spoons, and waited for the onions to absorb the flavour and evaporate the water, before adding in another spoonful.

Now reduce the heat and add in the stock. Add in the rest of the ingredients and let the soup simmer for about 30mins. Pull out the bay leaf.

To serve: Toast bread to really crunchy or fry till golden and crispy. Ladle soup into an oven proof bowl. Top with slices of toasted bread and generous amounts of cheese. Grill till the cheese has melted. Serve piping hot and fresh out of the oven. Et Viola!

Note: Traditional soup calls for crusty baguette and gruyere. The economical person I am used regular sliced bread and regular cheese. You may look like you are deviating from tradition, but its cheap and equally tasty.

Tip: You can substitute bread with fried potato slices as well.

I know it may not look as fancy as what you get in the restaurant...but there is just no replacing taste, flavour and a whole lot of love :)

Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon

I never really understood what the fuss is about Beef Bourguignon....until I tried it myself!! On a recent girlfriend getaway to Paris, a local and a friend recommended that me and the girls try out the Beef Bourguignon at this quaint Parisienne place called Le Petit Saint Benoit. And since then, I just cannot get the flavour out of my head.

So one day after watching Julie & Julia, I finally mustered up the courage to try this rich beef stew. And who better to guide me that Julia Child. Now unfortunately, she doesn't have her own official site or a collection of recipes online. So I've used this BLOG and followed it to a T. She herself claims to have copied it from the original Julia Child recipe, and it does make a mean stew. So today I'm not going to type out the recipe, just going to rant out how good it is.

Beef Bourguignon is a labour of love. It will take you all day (and a whole bottle of wine!) to make this one dish wonder, but when you try it for the first time, you won't believe your mouth. So please have patience, it is definitely worth toiling for. It is also a dish that tastes better when shared, so make sure you have a dinner party to celebrate. Traditionally served with fresh, warm crusty Baguette (Oh how I wish I was back in Paris), but I've used mashed potatoes instead.

Served best with a glass of the best red wine and the movie Julie & Julia. Bon Appetite!!!