It was a deceptively simple idea – I’ll send you a box full of wonderful mushroom canapes and wine, she said, and all you have to do is find some friends to eat them!
Sounds like a plan, I thought and jumped at the offer. Surely I had plenty of friends who would love to join me on my deck for sunset drinks and mushroom canapes?
I'm a big fan of mushrooms, not just because I love the flavour but also because I'm very aware of the health benefits packed into these mighty little packages. Just three a day, they say, will keep you on the path to good health.
When the day came and the box arrived prepared by hospitality students at Southbank Institute of Technology it looked like a winner. My plan was to keep the delicious morsels in the fridge until ‘deck drink day’ and wow everyone as the hostess with the mostess. Unfortunately I forgot to factor in a very busy week and a lunch at Beach House, Noosa (more on that soon) which required a weekend at Sunshine Beach.
It was no hardship but did put a hole in the drinks on the deck plan until I simply moved the venue to the coast and served the canapes to a willing group on the deck as the sun set over the beach - bliss.
And here’s what we ate with recipes so you can make them too!
MUSHROOM TORTELLINI ON GARLIC CROUTON SAGE CREAM SAUCE AND CRISP BACON
by Cameron BenbowIngredients (makes 10 portions)
Filling
75g diced mushrooms (combination of shitake and buttons)
15g butter
50g diced onions
Pinch of salt
10 wonton wrappers
3 slices of bread, finely minced garlic and butter
20 small bacon pieces
Sauce
15g sage leaves
150mL pure cream
Salt, pepper and garlic to taste
Mushroom trimmings
Method
For the tortellini
1.Saute onions and then add mushrooms and cook until almost no moisture is in the pan. Season
2. Blitz and then set aside to cool. Once cool, lay out wonton sheets and pipe mushroom mix into the centre of the wonton and wrap into desired shape.
3. Cook in boiling water for 4 mins
For the sauce
1. Melt butter and add mushroom trimming, pure cream, salt and pepper, garlic, and sage leaves and simmer for a few minutes.
2. Add parmesan to thicken
Cut bread into appropriate circles, brush with garlic butter and bake in oven until golden in colour.
Cook bacon on pan to crisp up. Drain on paper towel
Assembly
Place the bread on the serving platter with the tortellini portion on top. Add the sauce to the middle of the canapé and garnish with crispy bacon and sage cream.
STUFFED SWISSBROWN MUSHROOMS WITH SHITAKE DUXELLE & 3 CHEESE FILLING AND SUNDRIED TOMATO PÂTÉ
by Kyle Davies, Joshua Skelton and Thomas MattersIngredients (makes 10 Portions)
10 Swiss Mushrooms
4 Shitake Mushrooms
¼ Brown Onion
20g Chives
3g Lemon Pepper
2g Ground Thyme
2g Cayenne Pepper
30g Goats Cheese
30g Camembert Cheese
20g Cream Cheese
Bread Crumbs
Flour
Egg Wash
300g Sundried Tomato
Method
1. Dry roast Swiss mushrooms for 5 minutes at 160 degrees C.
2. Make duxelle with shitake mushrooms, by sweating onion, adding finely chopped mushrooms, cook down and finish with chives and thyme. Season. For the cheese filling blend cheeses together with lemon pepper, cayenne until smooth.
3. Blitz sundried tomato to a paste and olive oil to pâté consistency.
4. Stuff roasted mushrooms with duxelle and cheese mixture and chill in fridge.
5. Double crumb mushroom with filling inside.
6. Deep fry at 185°C until golden brown. Season with sea salt.
7. Serve with sundried tomato pâté.
GRILLED BUTTONS WITH HALOUMI TRUFFLE AIOLI
by Paulo FigueiredoIngredients (makes 10 Portions)
1 loaf of white bread - cut to small croutons
50 Button Mushrooms
1 Onion - brunoise
300g Button Mushrooms - finely diced
100g Butter
300g Haloumi – grilled
Chives
3 Cloves of garlic
Truffle oil
Parsley
Salt and Pepper
2 egg yolks
Lemon Juice
250ml Oil
Method
Peel and trim Mushrooms. Dry Roast in 160°c for oven for 20min.
Duxelle
Sweat onions in butter until translucent on low heat, add mushroom cook until water releases, cook further until mixture becomes dry. Add parsley at the end. Season
Aioli
Roast garlic in aluminium foil in oven for 30min. Drizzle olive oil. Peel and blend garlic to a paste.
In a bowl, mix egg yolks with garlic paste then add oil drop by drop then increase to a drizzle until sauce emulsifies. Stir continuously. Add lemon juice and rest of oil. Season to taste and stir in a few drops of truffle oil.
Cut grilled haloumi into the desired shapes.
Brush croutons with olive oil and bake in oven.
Assemble
Spread crouton with aioli. Fill mushroom with duxelle. Place on top of prepared crouton, drizzle with aioli and top grilled haloumi and chopped chives.
MUSHROOM QUENNELLE ON POPPY SESAME SEED LAVOSH WITH BUSH TOMATO CHUTNEY
by Samuel Lee and Louis SavvaIngredients (makes 10 Portions)
1 shallot
1 clove of garlic
500g button mushrooms
1 tomato – diced
Chives – finely chopped
50ml cream
Bush Tomato Chutney
Lavosh Baskets or small savoury paste cups
Chilli powder
Method
1. Roughly chop mushrooms, garlic and shallots.
2. Pan fry on high heat to colour and then remove from heat.
3. Drain juice, then put mushroom mix back onto a medium heat.
4. Add cream, and reduce by ¾
5. Add diced tomato and finely chopped chives. Season.
6. Remove from heat and cool directly.
7. To prepare the canapé, take 10 Lavosh baskets and put ½ tsp. of tomato chutney, and a sprinkle of chilli powder.
8. Spoon mushroom mix into the basket until ¾ full and garnish with a chervil leaf
9. Serve cold
SMOKED SWISS BROWN PÂTÉ ON CRUSTINI WITH SHAVED PARMESAN AND TEMPURA ENOKI
by Lauren TangeyIngredients (makes 40 Portions)
1 ½ loaves of bread
1kg Swiss brown mushrooms, de-stemmed
1 Leek, diced finely
3 Cloves of Garlic
8tbsp Brown sugar,
8g Green tea Leaves
10g Wattle seed
3 Sprigs of Thyme
Olive oil
Butter
50g Soft Fetta
Chervil
Parmesan, shaved for garnish
2 Bunches of Enoki
Tempura batter (thin mixture of cornflour, soda water)
Method
1. Toast of crostini (bread) in oven at 150°c2. Place mushrooms on an elevated tray. Line your vessel with aluminium foil, place brown sugar, tea leaves, stems of thyme and wattle seed in the bottom. Place tray of mushrooms (gills down) with a secure lid on top. Wrap in aluminium foil if needs, and place on a medium heat to smoke for 20min.
3. Allow to cool and chop roughly.
4. Sauté leek and garlic in butter on a moderate heat. Add smoked mushrooms and sauté for 15min or until coloured and dry.
5. Process smoked mushrooms and fetta in a food processor until smooth. Check for seasoning – refrigerate.
6. Dress crostini with melted butter, a quenelle of smoked mushroom pâté and shaved parmesan and chervil to garnish.
7. Last minute dust enoki in plain flour and pass through tempura batter and deep fry your until crisp and golden
BALSAMIC STUFFED BUTTON MUSHROOMS WITH OLIVE TEPAMADE AND PARMESAN CRISP
by Barton McKee, Amber Reid and Amanda AdlawdIngredients (makes 10 Portions)
10 Button Mushrooms
10 Parmesan Crisps
10ml Balsamic Vinegar
10ml Oil
Tapenade
3 Anchovies
2 cups Olives
3 Roasted Eggplants
3 Cloves of Garlic
2 Sprigs of Oregano
Fetta Paste
250gm fetta
Rosemary leaves
Method
1. Remove stems from mushroom and coat in balsamic and oil glaze. Bake on 180°c for approximately 10min.
2. Mix tapenade ingredients together to a smooth paste (blender or food processor).
3. Blend fetta and a little rosemary until a smooth paste
4. Grate parmesan and spread flat on baking paper and bake for approximately 10 mins on 180°c or until golden on colour and crisp.
5. Pipe small amount of fetta paste into each mushroom and follow with a small amount of the tapenade on top.
6. When ready to serve break off a small piece of parmesan and garnish each mushroom.
7. Serve cold and enjoy!
One of my favourite recipes is Mushroom and herb fritters. How do you like to enjoy your mushrooms?
Kerry Heaney
Disclaimer: Ed+bK was gifted the mushroom canapes