Hi everyone. So, as I said, I joined a fruit and vegetable coop and received a tremendous amount of Portobella mushrooms. I am going to chop and freeze a lot of them for future use because I will be VERY upset if they go bad on me on the counter.
Here is a great recipe I have been making for years that may look time consuming but
it is actually pretty simple when you get it down. This recipe is a perfect example of a recipe that would turn many novice cooks off. It looks scary and intimidating, uses fancy puff pastry, you have to do some rolling. The joke is, it seems very fancy and hard but if you read it over a few times, it is really just sauteeing, putting in a food processor and rolling some food up in a piece of ready made dough.
If you try it, please let me know what you thought about it and if you need help.
Mushroom Palmiers with Goat Cheese:
1 lb chopped mushrooms
3 TBS butter
2 cups chopped shallots or 1 cup chopped onions
2 finely chopped garlic cloves
2 TBS brandy, dry sherry , vermouth, or white wine (optional)
2 tsp fresh, chopped thyme (optional)
11 oz. goat cheese (usually they come in 11 oz. logs)
1 17 oz.pkg. puff pastry (get in the freezer section of most supermarkets)
Defrost puff pastry but keep it cold in the fridge b/c it will be easier to work with chilled. Melt butter in saute pan and add shallots and garlic. Add mushrooms and cook until wilted. Add brandy if using it and allow to evaporate. Remove from heat and add fresh thyme if using it. Let cool. Drain all excess liquid from mushrooms-this is important or it will make puff pastry soggy. Transfer the mixture to a food processor with goat cheese and pulse until well blended and chopped.
Using flour so pastry does not stick, roll out pastry dough to about 1/4″ thickness. Spread mixture on top of pastry with a spatula, leaving 1/4″ empty border at the edges.
Spray a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper with non-stick spray. The long way, start rolling the pastry dough like a cigarrette (but don’t smoke, ever!) towards the center and stop in the center. Then roll the opposite side into the center to meet the other side. This should look like 2 rolls side by side but connected. Wrap in saran wrap and chill for at least an hour.
Remove from fridge and slice connected rolls into 12 pieces. Place on a sheet pan and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until puffed and brown. Serve warm or at room temp. They are so fancy looking and delicious-enjoy!
P.S. To answer a reader’s comment:
“OK so what’s NOT a good buy at Costco?? “
Well, there are only a few things that I feel are not a great price or just the same as a supermarket or other discount store:
bread, especially French or Italian baguettes
fresh ravioli, not the frozen ones
Cheer and other laundry detergent