Earthy Intoxicating Flatbread Pizza – Mushroom, Walnut, Black Truffle Sauce

Earthy Flatbread Pizza - Mushroom, Walnut, Black Truffle Sauce

Earthy Intoxicating Flatbread Pizza
Mushroom, Walnut, Black Truffle Sauce
Mozzarella, Parmesan, Chives

“Our black truffle sauce is made of Black truffles (tuber aestivum), harvested in the beautiful Piemont region in Italy. Only best quality black truffles are hand selected by experts before confectioning in jars to be tasted all year long. To create this amazing sauce, we are using artisan methods as well as high quality raw materials.”

Black Truffle Sauce from my friends at Gourmet Attitude is made with mushroom, olive oil, truffle, carrot, onion, salt, aromatic herbs and spices, garlic, and walnuts. The addition of Black Truffle Sauce to a humble mushroom flatbread transforms it into an intoxicating slice of heaven.

The flatbread is heated just long enough for the cheeses to melt and the edges to get a little crispy allowing the Black Truffle Sauce to release its heady aromas and intensify the robust earthy flavors.

Black Truffle

Earthy Flatbread Pizza Recipe

Continue reading “Earthy Intoxicating Flatbread Pizza – Mushroom, Walnut, Black Truffle Sauce”

Welcome Fall: Radicchio and Sautéed Mushroom Salad

Radicchio and Sautéed Mushroom Salad
Radicchio and Sautéed Mushroom Salad
with
Frisee, Point Reyes Blue Cheese, Toasted Pine Nuts, Golden Raisins
Garlic Chives, Warm Balsamic Vinaigrette

Deeper colors, warm earthy mushrooms, and crisp bitter lettuces make this a perfect salad to serve as we transition into Fall. Creamy pungent blue cheese and rich toasted pine nuts harmonize with the smooth flavors of a fine balsamic vinaigrette. And to bring the entire salad into balance, golden raisins add the perfect touch of sweetness.

Speaking of balance, today, the earth will be rotating upright on its axis. The northern and southern hemispheres will have equal sunlight and the sun will be rising due east, and setting due west. Happy Autumnal Equinox!

Radicchio and Sautéed Mushroom Salad Recipe

Continue reading “Welcome Fall: Radicchio and Sautéed Mushroom Salad”

THIN IS IN: Fennel, Mushroom, Watercress, Parmesan, Walnut

Fennel, Mushroom, Watercress, Parmesan, Walnut, Olive Oil, Balsamic Syrup

Fennel, Mushroom, Watercress, Parmesan, Walnut
Fruity Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Balsamic Syrup

It’s almost summer and thin is in! Thin vegetables, that is. A mandoline slicer can help turn a fennel bulb and common white mushrooms into a graceful salad or side dish. Pretty paper-thin watercress leaves add a bold peppery flavor. Their deep green color contrasts the pale fennel, mushroom, and cheese. Walnuts bring nutty, earthy flavors and a crunchy texture. Dressed with fruity olive oil and balsamic syrup, the final dish has a synergistic elegance beyond its everyday components.

THIN IS IN SALAD/SIDE DISH RECIPE

Continue reading “THIN IS IN: Fennel, Mushroom, Watercress, Parmesan, Walnut”

Stuffed Mushrooms “Green Bean Casserole Style”

green bean casserole makeover
Stuffed Mushrooms “Green Bean Casserole Style

Mushroom Duxelles, Olive Oil Bechamel, Haricots Verts
Panko Crusted Fanny Bay Oysters, Truffle Salt, Frizzled Leeks

My friends in the 5 Star Makeover Cooking Group have made some major changes to the iconic green bean casserole this year. Major. For our monthly challenge we’ve taken the classic casserole recipe, originally made with green beans, mushroom soup, and fried onions and turned it ON ITS HEAD. There are soups, quiche, gnocchi, pancakes, and catfish ~ some have a Latin twist, another Asian, some are modern, some deconstructed, others retro. It’s a virtual cornucopia of casserole makeover creativity. And you can view all the incarnations of this most loved/hated Thanksgiving dish in the world over at Lazaro Cooks here.

Here I remake the casserole into a bite-sized morsel which conjures up of all the memories of mom’s holiday dish but with a fresh twist and pair it with another one of our holiday traditions ~ fresh oysters.

Original Recipe Ingredients:

  • cream of mushroom soup
  • milk
  • soy sauce
  • ground black pepper
  • green beans
  • canned french fried onions

green bean casserole makeover

In this makeover, mushrooms are stuffed with earthy mushroom duxelles and a rich olive oil bechamel flavored with tamari. Bright steamed haricots verts are sliced thin and sit atop the mushrooms. Panko crusted fresh Fanny Bay oysters are fried in canola oil until crisp, then seasoned with truffle salt. Finally, frizzled leeks add texture and are an update to those canned fried onions .

Continue reading “Stuffed Mushrooms “Green Bean Casserole Style””

Matsutake en Papillote with Rosemary & Cinnamon

matsutake en papillote
Matsutake en Papillote with Rosemary & Cinnamon

The unique woodsy aroma of the matsutake (pine mushroom) is what inspired this preparation en papillote. To tear open the parchment at the table and breathe, is to inhale Autumn in the Pine Forest. Just a few rosemary leaves and a restrained pinch of ground cinnamon enhance the earthy spice aromas of the matsutake. Butter gives the meaty mushroom a rich creamy mouthfeel and slight nutty flavor while sake adds a bit of moisture, balanced acidity and complex umami flavors.

Continue reading “Matsutake en Papillote with Rosemary & Cinnamon”