Monday, August 9, 2010

Timothy O'Shea's Goat Cheese Mushrooms

Congratulations to Cleo on the release

Roast Mortemof her new book

Roast Mortem!

Cleo brews up another mystery-and this time, it's New York's Bravest that get burned.

For online ordering, just click here!


As I did last week, I'm sharing another of my favorite recipes that is included in the The Long Quiche Goodbye, but it was not included in the selection of recipes at the end of the book (right before the sneak preview for Lost and Fondue).

Timothy O'Shea's Irish Pub--where Charlotte and her girlfriends meet for Girls' Night Out--offers a selection of appetizers.

One of Charlotte's favorite appetizers is the goat cheese
mushrooms. They come six to a serving, and Charlotte has been known to eat an entire serving herself. She might even follow that up with a juicy burger, but that's another story.

About Goat Cheese

Because goats are some of the first domesticated animals, the art of making goat cheese has been around for centuries. It started in the Eastern Mediterranean regions and spread to Spain and France, where it became a staple in their diets. Today lots of farmers in America practice the art. There are wide variety of goat

cheeses made by small, local producers, each with its own unique flavor. Compared to softer cow’s milk products, such as cream cheese, goat cheese is lower in fat, calories and cholesterol. {Ha! Bet you didn't know that. I didn't...let's hear it for research.} Goat cheese also provides more calcium and fewer carbohydrates than cream cheese.

And yet, according to its fans, goat cheese has a fuller, richer flavor. [Side note: By the way, I was advised by a reader that I didn’t do right by Humboldt Fog goat cheese in The Long Quiche Goodbye. I had portions of it sitting on one of the barrels in Fromagerie Bessette, but my reader (a cheesemonger) said that Humboldt Fog is so delicate it must be refrigerated. I begged her mercy and said that the cheese sells so fast in the shop, Charlotte can barely keep it on the barrels more than five minutes. [Ah, fiction! My cheesemonger shared a cyber-smile.] So be good to your goat cheese. It needs to stay refrigerated if you’re not planning on eating it within the hour. Exposure to air causes goat cheese to dry out, I've now found out. Keep pieces wrapped in wax paper, or place them in a zip-style bag and squeeze out all the air before closing. This is a cheese that doesn't need to "breathe."

And now back to our regularly schedule program: the pub's appetizers.

Enjoy these tasty morsels! I like them with a Sterling Sauvignon Blanc, which has just enough citrus to balance out the pungency of the cheese.


TIMOTHY O’SHEA’S GOAT CHEESE MUSHROOMS

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil

6 large mushrooms, centers removed

2 Tablespoons bread crumbs, fine

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon oregano

1 ½ oz. goat cheese (Triple Cream) * I used Woolwich Dairy

Directions:

Saute mushrrom caps in oil, on medium. While they brown, mix the crumbs and spices.

Remove mushrooms from saute pan. Put on baking pan. Fill with crumb mixture.

Layer two slices of goat cheese on top of each. Dust with extra paprika.


Broil for 3-4 minutes under the broiler.


These will be hot, hot, hot. The moisture inside the mushroom…beware.


But oh, so tasty.



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10 comments:

  1. And these would be great on a cool summer evening cooked out on the grill as well. And smoking them will add an extra level of flavor. The mushrooms absorb the smoke flavor better than most foods.

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  2. I love mushrooms! And the stuffing in these sounds absolutely wonderful. :) I bet they ARE hot when they're done cooking, but mmm...it would be hard to wait for them to cool off!

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  3. I can tell you almost to the day the first time I encountered goat cheese--June 1971, somewhere in France. I was suspicious, and it took a while for me to come to terms with it, but now I love it (and, yes, there's some in my fridge as we speak, carefully wrapped).

    The recipe sounds yummy--but I've taken to putting goat cheese in/on a lot of things!

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  4. Smoked on the grill. Yum!! Great suggestion. Glad everyone is enjoying
    ~Avery

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  5. Ooh... we love stuffed mushrooms here. I absolutely cannot wait to try this recipe. Thank you so much, Avery!

    Julie

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  6. this is one of the things I love but have never made. Now I have added 'shrooms and goat cheese to the list :-) Thanks!

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  7. Traveling today to Ohio for book signing and research. Thanks to all for your sweet comments. What fun I'm having learning about cheese!
    ~Avery

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  8. Oh, these look fantastic! I can't wait to try them -- YUM!

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  9. Oh, I love stuffed mushrooms and I haven't made them in a long time. This recipe is a keeper -- and going to the grocery with me. (Love Dave's tip on making them on the grill for a smokey note.) And thank you for the very kind shout-out, Avery, you're the best. I hope your trip is going well!

    Happy traveling,
    ~ Cleo
    Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

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  10. O..M..G!! This recipe looks so good! I'd have to make them for myself as I don't think DH or Lady K would dig the goat cheese much....and that's okay...I might not want to share anyway....

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