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

AROMATIC LENTILS AND SAUTEED MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Mushrooms:
• Put the oil and butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted, add the crimini mushrooms, garlic, and thyme, saute until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper, toss and remove from heat. Reserve the mushrooms to add to the cooked lentils.
• Lentils:
• Put the lentils, shallots, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and water in a pot, bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer, cook until lentils are tender.
• Remove the bay leaves, garlic, and shallots, and set aside. Strain the lentils and put in a large bowl.
• Puree the garlic and shallots, and add back to the lentils and season with salt, and pepper. Add the sauteed mushrooms and diced tomatoes to the lentils. Toss and garnish with chives.

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.

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.

MUSHROOM STRUDEL

Steps:

• In a large skillet, over medium heat, combine oil, mushrooms, onion and garlic.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Stir frequently, until mushrooms have released their liquid and most of that liquid is evaporated.
• Add the wine, the thyme, the basil, the spinach and the lemon rind.
• Saute until the liquid is evaporated.
• Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.
• Stir in cheese, 4 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Line a cookie sheet with buttered parchment paper.
• Lay out one sheet of phyllo, brush with melted butter, top with another sheet of phyllo and brush again with butter.
• Repeat (using in total four sheet of dough).
• Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the phyllo dough.
• Lay out mushroom mixture over one end of Phyllo dough.
• Carefully roll into a strudel, tucking in the ends.
• Brush the strudel with butter.
• Bake until golden and crisp--about 30 minutes.

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.

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.

MUSHROOM & TARRAGON STRUDELS WITH MADEIRA SAUCE

Steps:

• Fry the onions in 50g of the butter in a large pan. Add the sliced flat and chestnut mushrooms, then soften for 5 mins. Stir in the shiitake mushrooms and garlic, then turn up the heat and cook quite fiercely to drive off as much moisture as possible. Stir in the madeira, tarragon, breadcrumbs and tomatoes, then take the pan off the heat.
• In a separate pan, cook the button mushrooms and pine nuts in the remaining butter until the nuts are golden. Add to the mushroom and tomato mixture, then cool.
• Lay a sheet of filo on the work surface and brush with oil. Top with another sheet, brush again, then continue until you have a stack of 4 sheets of pastry. Spread half the filling down the longest length, leaving several cms at each end. Fold the pastry ends up over the filling, roll up like a cigar, then carefully lift onto a baking sheet. Brush with more oil, then tear the last filo sheet into strips, scrunch up and place half on top to decorate. Repeat with the rest of the pastry and filling to make a second strudel, then chill until ready to cook. Can be made 1 day ahead.
• To serve, bake in a preheated oven at 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 for 30 mins or until golden and heated through. Serve in slices, scattered with extra pine nuts and tarragon, with the madeira sauce.

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.