Mushroom Strudel With Braised Shallots And French Lentils With A Port Demi Glaze Recipes

WILD MUSHROOM STRUDEL

Steps:

• For the mushrooms: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Stir together cremini and oyster mushrooms, sherry, oil, thyme, dill and some salt and pepper in a roasting pan, then roast for 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Remove and discard herb stems.
• For the filling: Sweat carrots, fennel, onions and celery in oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat until soft. Turn off heat and add goat cheese to melt. Transfer to a half-sheet pan to cool.
• For the strudel: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 3 sheet pans with parchment and spray with nonstick spray. (Each strudel must be rolled and baked on its own sheet pan.)
• Mix mushrooms together with the veggies in a large bowl.
• Lay each sheet of pastry on a lined sheet pan.
• Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash, then sprinkle panko in a line down the center of the pastry. Spoon a third of the filling in a line on top of the panko, then sprinkle more panko on top to absorb excess liquid.
• Roll up tightly (like a burrito) and lay seam-side down. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with dill, salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then switch and rotate the sheet pans and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes more. Cool, then cut into 1/2-inch slices.

MUSHROOM STRUDEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Mince mushrooms and squeeze them dry in the corner of a towel.
• Sauté with minced shallots or green onions in butter and oil over moderately high heat, stirring frequently. Cook until pieces separate and the liquid has evaporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Blend in cream cheese.
• Spread a sheet of strudel or filo dough on a damp towel, narrow end toward you. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle on bread crumbs. Repeat with second and third sheets, stacking them on top of the first sheet, then butter, but do not crumb fourth sheet. Put half the mushroom mixture on narrower edge of the dough, leaving a 2- to 3-inch border at the sides. Fold in the sides, then, using the edge of the towel, roll. Prepare the second strudel.
• Put strudels on buttered baking sheet and brush with melted butter. Bake in oven until brown (about 20 minutes). The strudel cuts easily with shears. Strudel can be made and baked ahead, stored in the refrigerator or in the freezer overnight, and then reheated.

SIMPLE BRAISED MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Heat a large straight-sided skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil and heat another 30 seconds. Add the shallot and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt to the hot pan and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes or until fragrant and beginning to soften. Add the mushrooms to the pan along with another 1/2 teaspoon salt and the thyme. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have let off some of their juices are beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
• Deglaze with the Marsala, if using, and add the broth and remaining salt. Reduce the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover the pan, increase the heat to medium and cook until the liquid has reduced by half, about an additional 5 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs, stir in the butter and serve.

MUSHROOM STRUDEL

Steps:

• Soak porcini in boiling-hot water in a small bowl until softened, about 10 minutes. Lift out porcini and squeeze excess liquid back into bowl. Rinse porcini well to remove any grit. Strain soaking liquid through a sieve lined with a dampened paper towel into another bowl and reserve.
• Pulse porcini and white mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped (but not minced).
• Cook shallots in butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, reserved soaking liquid, wine, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Stir in parsley, then spread filling on a plate and chill, uncovered, until cold, about 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.
• While filling chills, put stack of phyllo sheets on a work surface and cut in half crosswise, then stack halves and cover with plastic wrap. Remove 1 phyllo sheet from stack (keep remaining sheets covered) and arrange with a long side nearest you, then lightly brush with some duck fat. Top with another phyllo sheet and brush with fat. Spread about one fourth of mushroom filling in a narrow strip along edge nearest you to within 1/4 inch of each end, then roll up phyllo tightly around filling, leaving ends open. Transfer roll, seam side down, to a baking sheet and make 3 more rolls in same manner, transferring to baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool slightly on baking sheet on a rack, then brush length of each roll with a very thin line of truffle oil (if using) with tip of a cotton swab. Gently cut each roll crosswise into 8 pieces with serrated knife. Serve strudel warm or at room temperature.

BRAIDED PUFF PASTRY STRUDEL WITH CARAMELIZED MUSHROOMS AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Defrost the puff pastry overnight and keep cold in the refrigerator.
• In a heavy skillet "dry sauté" the mushrooms (no oil, high heat), until you hear a popping sound in the pan. Lower the heat to medium and add the butter. Stir in the shallots and cook for about three minutes. Add the garlic and the thyme, season with the salt and pepper, and cook for a few more minutes, or, until the shallots are tender and caramelized.
• Chop the spinach and fold it into the above vegetable mixture. Cook briefly until it is wilted and reduced in volume. Empty the contents of the skillet into a medium bowl and set aside.
• Remove the casing from the sausages, crumble them, and place the loose sausage meat in the same skillet used for the vegetables (no need to add oil to the skillet, as the sausage will render some amount of fat while cooking). Cook the meat over medium heat until it is lightly browned and cooked through, stirring often. Add the fresh sage and cook for another minute.
• Remove from the heat and add the vegetable mixture back into the skillet. Fold half of the cheese in and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400° F.
• Lay out the first defrosted puff pastry sheet on a piece of parchment paper, lightly dusted with flour. Return the second roll of puff pastry to the refrigerator to keep cold. Unfold the puff pastry and, with a rolling pin dusted with flour, gently even it out to a ¼" thickness. You should have a square about 11" x 11". Trim off the top corners and then cut notches in the bottom (this will make the braid look neat). Carefully lift the parchment paper and place it on a baking sheet. Cut 1"-thick strips diagonally down both sides of the pastry leaving the center uncut. There should be an equal number of strips on both sides.
• Add half of the filling down the center of the puff pastry and sprinkle the half of the remaining shredded cheese on top of the filling. Fold the top and bottom flaps over the filling. Form the braid by crossing the strips diagonally over the filling, alternating from side to side as you go. When you get to the end, trim off any extra strips and tuck under any overhanging dough.
• Place the strudel in the refrigerator to keep the puff pastry cold. Repeat each of the above steps with the second piece of puff pastry and the remaining filling and cheese. Remove the baking sheet with the first strudel from the refrigerator. Place the second braid on the baking sheet, 2" apart from the first.
• Lightly brush the top only (not the sides) of the strudels with some egg wash. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and crispy, about 25 minutes. With a large spatula, remove the strudels to a rack and let them cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

ROASTED MUSHROOMS WITH BRAISED BLACK LENTILS AND PARSLEY CROUTONS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• For mushrooms, trim any woody stems, and clean with a damp kitchen towel as needed. Place face down on a sheet tray lined with parchment. Season assertively with salt and pepper. Generously drizzle with olive oil, and roast until tender, about 20 minutes. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a heavy-bottomed wide sauté pan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over gentle heat. Add in the onion, fennel and garlic. Season with salt and black pepper and cook until tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes, taking care not to brown the vegetables. Add the lentils, stirring to coat them with the olive oil and vegetable mix. (Add more olive oil if needed to get a glossy coating on the lentils.) Cover just barely with cold water, add the bay leaves and fennel stalk and reseason with salt and pepper. Simmer, partly covered, until the lentils are tender but not mushy, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed, as you might for a risotto. (You want to end up with wet-juicy cooked seasoned lentils but not lentil soup.) Turn off heat, remove bay leaves and cooked-out fennel stems or fronds, and finish with a healthy drizzle of olive oil.
• For croutons, over medium heat, melt the butter in a skillet large enough to hold the diced bread in a single layer. Add in the bread, stir to coat evenly with the butter and season with salt. Toast the croutons in the butter on the stovetop, stirring frequently, until golden brown and crispy. The butter will smell browned and toasted. Remove from the heat, season with salt and black pepper and allow to cool briefly before tossing with chopped parsley and lemon zest.
• Combine lentils with the roasted mushrooms and any accrued roasted mushroom juices, scatter croutons over top and serve.