Fast forward – my mushroom ideas

 

Pancakes

If you are a lover of pancakes, in particular a savoury version, serving them with mushrooms in a sauce supreme is a fab starter or a lunch or supper – depending of course on the size of the pancake. You could use wraps if you don't want to make pancakes – either way, place your filling in the middle of the pancake or wrap then fold and roll.

Steaks

If you are a lover of steaks, or a Quorn fillet alternative, serve with a mushroom sauce, again using the sauce supreme.

On toast

My personal favourite – mushrooms in the sauce supreme, served on toast what I call “posh mushrooms on toast”. You can serve a small version as a starter or scale up for a lunch or supper. Garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley.

For the sake of convenience I'm including the Sauce Supreme recipe. If you want to be organised you can make ahead and freeze in small pots to suit – you can always take out more if required or halve the recipe if preferred.

Sauce Supreme

500ml stock – vegetable or chicken

ideally cold

30g unsalted butter

30g plain flour

1 tsp Dijon mustard

400ml double cream

salt and black pepper

Melt the butter, take the pan off the heat, add the flour and whisk. Return to the heat and cook out the flour for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously making a roux sauce – do not walk away.

Tip your cold stock straight into the roux and whisk until smooth, then cook on a low heat for 30 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.

Add the mustard and the cream and simmer for 5 minutes then cool, cover and fridge.

You can make ahead and freeze the sauce if it's more convenient – it's every bit as good from the freezer.

Your mushrooms are already cooked and frozen – defrost and then add to your sauce for any of the three ideas above!

My final idea is appropriate for the weather at the moment – Cream of Mushroom Soup … read on

The rescue mission!

You'll need a large non-stick frying pan.

Peel and slice the mushrooms. Add a generous knob of unsalted butter and a glug of rapeseed oil to the frying pan and heat until the butter foams.

Add the sliced mushrooms, a sprinkle of celery salt and tarragon and sauté gently until the liquid released from the mushrooms is absorbed. Turn up the heat and add a glug of sherry, wine or brandy, turn down the heat and reduce again until the alcohol is absorbed into the mushrooms. 

Done!

Now what? Cool, box and freeze.

Fast forward – here are my ideas

Have you checked your fridge lately …

… it's a good job I did!

Last week I treated myself to a box of portobello mushrooms – they were cheaper than normal and so a good deal.

Fast forward to this week … guess what I found in the fridge – untouched – yep the mushrooms.

Only recently I mentioned a tip about old mushrooms and minimising food waste. Have you got old mushrooms that are past their best? Using a little alchemy you can “turn something ordinary into something extraordinary” - transform your sad mushrooms and enhance their flavour by adding a glug of red wine or very dry sherry when sautéing. A glug is 1-2 tablespoons and should be added when sautéing the mushrooms, cook out gently until all the liquid is absorbed.

Tarragon is an excellent partner with mushroom – cream is another!

If you want to be really decadent, add a splash of brandy instead of sherry or wine when the mushroom juices have evaporated.

Here are my mushrooms – you'll see that accordingly to the date on the top they are out of date – I'm cooking them on the 24^th March. Take a look at them out of the box – there doesn't seem much wrong to me!

Here's the rescue mission …

The Upside Down Nests – a photo guide

the Petit Fours cases I found are perfect

just the right size for a mini egg!

the short handled measuring spoon

and the cocktail stick makes life easy

my homage – done and ready for

delivery!

Next … have you checked the fridge lately?

A hospital drop for Easter

I've mentioned recently, a very dear friend is in hospital recovering, positively I'm relieved to say, from a stroke. My other dear friend Morag (who has gone above and beyond in keeping me posted on progress) and I have been doing hospital drops taking treats for the Staff as well as the patient.

Here's my homage to an Easter Egg Hunt that couldn't be!

Upside Down Nests

200g plain chocolate, broken into small pieces

30g golden syrup

50g unsalted butter

100g cornflakes – crushed finely

2 x 80g bags of mini eggs (25 per bag)

Petit Fours cases

Makes 40 approximately

Place the chocolate, syrup and butter into a bowl and melt over a pan of simmering water.

While this is melting, place the Petit Fours cases on a tray and then a mini egg in each case.

Whisk the chocolate mixture together until it's smooth and shiny, then remove from the heat. Add the cornflakes and mix to coat evenly.

Top each egg with a teaspoon of the chocolate mixture – I used a short handled measuring spoon aided by a cocktail stick – it gives you control of the mixture and you won't overfill. Place in the fridge to set.

The treat needed to be easy to “pop in the mouth” for the Staff whilst on a break, grabbing a quick brew.

Here's the result …

The Chocolate Chip Scones – the testers' verdict

I didn't expect the reaction I received – a resounding thumbs up. My testers have a reputation for being honest – like it or not! What they loved most was that they weren't sweet. It's the balance of a warmed scone with a sweet jam and cream of your choice.

I did “test run” them at home and H loved his unexpected treat although he's not keen on cream so good quality butter and jam hit his spot. There's no doubt that what matters is good quality ingredients, plain chocolate and organic cocoa in particular. I always use Green and Black's Organic Cocoa, it never fails. If you're not a fan of plain chocolate you could use 50/50 plain and milk.

It's important that these scones are served warm. They will freeze which might be a good idea of you want “chocolate control” – defrost – which will take a couple of hours at room temperature and then warm in a pre-heated oven (150fan/170c/Gas 3) for 5 minutes, split and serve.

Have a look :

a Chocolate Chip Scone

warmed and split with a side of jam and clotted cream

a loaded treat!

A final tip – don't be tempted to add the cocoa to your ingredients without sifting!

Next up – the hospital drop for Easter ...

A cream tea … and Chocolate Chip Scones!

This is a bit of fun and an experiment – a variation on a theme of a cream tea for the chocolate lovers.

Chocolate Chip Scones

500g plain flour (1lb 2oz)

1 tsp salt

2 tsps bicarb

4½ tsps cream of tartar

25g cocoa

125g (5oz) unsalted butter

100g of plain chocolate drops – minimum

50% cocoa solids

300ml milk

1 large egg, beaten

5cms/2” fluted cutter

cocoa in a small ramekin to dip the cutter

to prevent sticking plus extra to dust your

working surface

2 baking sheets, lined with baking parchment

Pre-heat oven 200fan/220c/Gas 7

Sift the flour, salt, bicarb, cream of tartar and cocoa into a large mixing bowl. Rub in the butter until you've got breadcrumbs, add the chocolate chips then add the milk – all of it – mix with a round bladed knife, roughly and then tip onto a working surface, dusted with cocoa and knead lightly so that you have a dough. Divide the dough in half, leaving half in the bowl. You can use a rolling pin or your hands to round and flatten until 4cms/1½” deep. Remember to dip your cutter into the ramekin of cocoa before cutting, repeat with the remaining dough.

If you use the size of cutter in the recipe you'll get 24 scones.

Place the scones on the baking parchment, then brush with beaten egg. Bake for 10 minutes until risen and chocolatey brown.

As usual I sent these scones out to my trusted testers …