Chestnut stuffed mushrooms

These mushrooms make an excellent dish for the autumn with distinct autumn flavours.  A distinguished starter dish.

Preparation Time: 15 Mins

Cooking Time: 20 Mins

Total Time: 50 Mins

Ingredients

For 6 servings…

18                   Mushrooms  - just openned     

  Butter            

6 slices             Appenzeller cheese   

For the filling

4                    Shallots  - sliced finely

30 gms            Butter       

4                    Mushrooms  - closed cap, sliced

2 cloves            Garlic  - chopped     

230 gms           Chestnut purée        

10 cl                Cider  - dry

1 tbs               Parsley  - chopped finely        

                     Pepper      

                     Salt          

1 tsp               Worcestershire sauce

1 dash             Angostura bitters     

4 tbs               Cream      

Method

To prepare the filling…

Gently sweat the shallots in the butter, add the sliced mushrooms and garlic.  When cooked, add the chestnut purée and moisten with cider, add the chopped parsley and season well.  Then add the Worcestershire sauce and Angostura bitters.  Finish with the cream and allow to cool.

Final assembly…

Heat an oven to 180°C.

Arrange the mushroom caps in individual gratin dishes - three mushrooms to each dish.  Dot mushrooms with butter and place the oven for 5 minutes.  Take the mushrooms out of the oven and fill each one with the filling.  Top each dish with a small slice of the cheese and return to the oven for a further five minutes.

Serve.

Variations

If Appenzeller cheese is not available, use another Swizz cheese such as Emmental or Gruyère.

Wine recommendations

          Possibly, a dry white wine.

  Conventional

           Vouvray

  Interesting

           Arbois blanc

           Côtes du Rhône blanc

           Pinot Gris

           Roussette de Savoie