Wild Mushroom And Leek Beggars Purses Food

MUSHROOM AND LEEK SAUTé

Steps:

• Put oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they release their water and the pan begins to dry out again, 10-15 minutes. Add leeks and cook, stirring, until they soften a bit, 2-3 minutes. Add tarragon and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

WILD MUSHROOM AND LEEK BEGGAR'S PURSES

Steps:

• Split leeks in half lengthwise, leaving root attached. Remove some of the inner layers to use for tying purses; blanch them for 30 seconds in boiling water, refresh in cool water, drain, and set aside.
• Remove green tops and thinly slice leeks. Saute in 1 tablespoon of the oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Do not brown. Remove from pan to a large bowl.
• Add another tablespoon of oil to pan, turn heat to medium high, and add enough mushrooms to cover bottom of pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until just softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and add to leeks. Repeat until all mushrooms are cooked. If using a variety of mushrooms, cook each type separately.
• Return mushrooms and leeks to pan. Add thyme, salt, pepper, and Madeira or stock, and cook over high heat, stirring, until liquid is reduced to a syrupy consistency. Set aside to cool.
• Unwrap phyllo pastry and unroll flat. Cover completely with damp dish towel to prevent drying out. Lay out a sheet of phyllo and brush it sparingly with melted butter. Repeat until you have three layers. Cut into 4 rectangles. Place 1/3 cup filling in the center of each and gather into a cinched-purse shape. Repeat with remaining filling. (Wrap and refreeze remaining phyllo dough.) Chill purses until firm.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place purses on a baking sheet and bake until evenly golden brown, about 15 minutes. Tie each purse with a leek ribbon and serve hot.

CHICKEN AND LEEK BEGGARS PURSES

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients for the crepe recipe, excluding the oil, in a bowl and whisk until smooth. The batter should be the consistency of heavy cream. Adjust with flour or water. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes before making crepes. Coat a crepe pan or saute pan with oil. Add enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook until the edges begin to curl and flip over for a few seconds to cook the other side. Remove to a plate and continue with remaining batter.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Saute the leeks in butter until translucent and cool in the refrigerator. Place the chicken in a food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer the chicken mixture to a bowl and fold in the remaining ingredients.
• Place about 1 tablespoon of chicken mixture in the middle of a crepe; pull the edges up to form a beggar's purse and tie with chive that has been blanched for 20 seconds in boiling water. Place the purses on a sheet-pan and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 5 minutes or until cooked through.

APPETIZER/MUSHROOM BEGGAR'S PURSES RECIPE

Steps:

• Slice the mushrooms. Use 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp olive oil. Saute mushrooms in saucepan over high heat for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Over medium heat, saute garlic, shallots and bacon for 5 minutes or until bacon is golden brown. Add the herbs and cayenne pepper and remove from heat Combine with mushrooms, toss with salt and pepper to taste. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to 1/8"thick. Cut each half into 20 pieces. Brush each square with eggwash. Spoon onto square. Fold up the four corners. Pull corners up and squeeze edges to form purse. Tie with scallion greens that have been dropped in boiling water for 30 seconds. Tie each purse with a scallion green. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove purses from refrigerator and brush with eggwash. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until golden (10-15 minutes).Remove from oven and sprinkle with chives and parsley