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Crusty Wild Mushroom Bake

Source of Recipe

From "Crazy for Casseroles" by James Villas


Recipe Introduction

"Just twenty years ago, the American home cook would have had to make this appetizer casserole with relatively bland button mushrooms or, heaven forbid, those awful canned ones. But with today's abundance of all sorts of fragrant wild mushrooms in markets, there's no reason not to make a dish that guests can really rave about. I like to serve this casserole at receptions with rounds of toasted French bread and let people spread on the mushrooms as they would a chunky pâté."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 tablespoons butter
â—¦ 8 scallions (white part only), finely chopped
â—¦ 1 clove garlic, minced
â—¦ 1 ½ pounds wild mushrooms (shiitakes, chanterelles, or morels), stems removed or trimmed and caps cut into bite-size pieces
â—¦ ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
â—¦ 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves or ½ teaspoon dried
â—¦ ½ cup half-and-half
â—¦ ¼ cup dry white wine
â—¦ Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
â—¦ ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a shallow 1 ½-quart casserole and set aside. In a small skillet, melt the butter over moderate heat, add the scallions and garlic and cook, stirring, till softened, about 5 minutes.

Layer half the mushrooms in the prepared casserole, spoon half the scallions and garlic over the top, and sprinkle with half the parsley and half the thyme. Make another layer with the remaining mushrooms, scallions and garlic, parsley, and thyme.

In a small mixing bowl, beat together the half-and-half and wine and pour over the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and bake 15 minutes, covered. Uncover, baste the mushrooms with the liquid, sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top, and bake till crusty, 10 to 15 minutes.

Makes 6 servings