Herbed Mushroom Custards Recipes

MUSHROOM CUSTARDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300F. Butter 6 8-oz ramekins. Place ramekins in a baking pan with 3-4 inch high sides.
• Remove stems from mushrooms and chop them. Thinly slice muchrooms. Fill each ramekin to the top with mushroom slices. Chop any remaining mushroom slices and reserve.
• Heat half-and-half in a heavy saucepan with the garlic, chopped mushroom stems (and any reserved chopped mushrooms), paprika, cayenne and thyme. Stir in the bouillon. Let the mixture simmer for 8 minutes. Pour mixture (in batches) into a blender container and puree. Pour back into pan and remove from heat.
• Whisk eggs together and pour into saucepan with mushroom mixture and whisk to combine.
• Pour mixture into each ramekin and pour boiling water halfway up sides of ramekins. Put baking pan in oven and bake 35 minutes. The custards are done when a knife inserted in center comes out clean.
• Sprinkle each ramekin with chopped parsley. Serve warm with garlic toast points. (Use thick white sandwich bread cut into triangles or 2-inch wide slices, brush with oil and garlic and toasted in oven.)

WILD MUSHROOM CUSTARD WITH ASPARAGUS-TRUFFLE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a hot saute pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil and saute garlic. Add mushrooms and mix carefully. Season with salt and pepper. Deglaze with wine and reduce until nearly dry. Check for seasoning and lay mushrooms on a tray to cool completely. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and cream. Mix in cooled mushrooms and scallions. Spray 4 large ramekins with cooking spray and fill 4/5. Place in hot bain marie (boiling water up half way) and bake in oven at 300 degrees for 25 minutes or until set.
• In a 1 quart casserole, add 1 tablespoon butter and sweat onions and garlic until soft. Add water and season well. Add the asparagus and cook for only 3 to 5 minutes until soft. Add the spinach and take the casserole off of the heat. (It is imperative that this water tastes salty so that when the asparagus and spinach are added, they maintain their green color.) Immediately buzz the sauce with a hand blender and add the butter. Check for seasoning. Add the truffle oil and keep warm in a water bath.
• PLATING
• In a large pasta bowl, ladle in the asparagus sauce. Place one custard in the middle and garnish with asparagus spears, truffle oil and fresh truffle slices.

SPINACH AND GRUYERE QUICHES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks set in upper and lower thirds. In a large skillet, heat butter over medium. Add shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add as much spinach to skillet as will fit; season with salt and pepper, and toss, adding more spinach as room becomes available, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Transfer spinach mixture to a colander. Press firmly with the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Divide spinach mixture and cheese between prepared crusts. Place each crust on a separate rimmed baking sheet.
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Dividing evenly, pour egg mixture into crusts.
• Arrange baking sheets on racks, and bake until center of each quiche is just set, 55 to 60 minutes, rotating sheets from top to bottom halfway through. Let quiches stand 15 minutes before serving.