Mushroom Masters: Button Battle
Welcome, mushroom fans, to the second week of competition for the Mushroom Masters: A Tournament of Taste. This week our three bloggers have taken on artful presentations of recipes featuring the most popular mushroom in the world: the classic white button. Our champion this week? Maggie of Pithy and Cleaver (we find her blog’s name to be perfectly suited for a “battle” of this nature).
Just like last week, we will need your vote for Maggie’s masterpiece over on Tastespotting. It’s the tastiest kind of patriotism there is.
These stuffed mushrooms aren’t quite traditional; they’re filled with creamy blue cheese and tangy Buffalo sauce. They’re sure to be a hit amongst lovers of hot wings.
Buffalo and Blue Cheese-Stuffed Button Mushrooms
Olive oil
20 button mushrooms
3/4 cup chopped shallots
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 lb Great Hill Blue Cheese or other mild blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup Frank’s RedHot Sauce
1/2 cup + 1/4 cup panko, divided
*Additional Frank’s RedHot Sauce for serving
Preheat oven to 375°F, and place a rack in the upper third of the oven. Clean mushrooms and remove stems. Cut ends from stems and chop finely. Chop two of the mushrooms finely as well. Dice shallots. Melt butter in a heavy 4 qt pan and add shallots. Sauté over medium-low heat until transparent and then add chopped mushrooms and stems. Saute until softened and remove pan from heat. Stir in blue cheese, Frank’s sauce, and 1/2 cup panko, stir until smooth.
Grease a cookie sheet with olive oil. Brush mushroom caps with oil and spread out on cookie sheet. Fill each mushroom cap with a spoonful of the cheese stuffing, letting it mound just slightly on the top of the mushroom. Sprinkle the remaining panko over the top. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until mushrooms are soft. If you have a broiler, feel free to turn it on for a minute or two to crisp up the top, but watch it carefully.
Serve with additional hot sauce.
Tags: buffalo mushrooms, button battle, button mushroom recipes, Mushroom Masters