Whether we are having people over or going to a party, it seems I am always looking for an appetizer to make. We happen to like mushrooms. We also happen to like goat cheese. That was all it took to make me want to prepare these goat cheese stuffed mushrooms. I had planned on trying them on the family as an appetizer before the Thanksgiving meal. But the turkey got done quicker than we thought it would & there were lots of other things going on in the preparation of the feast, so the stuffed mushrooms didn’t get made. Eric & I ended up trying them out on ourselves. They will definitely be my choice for the next party we attend!

Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms  (adapted from bhg.com)

Makes:  24 servings  Prep time:  30 minutes  Cook time:  15 minutes

Ingredients:

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, then set it aside. Clean the mushrooms, removing the stems. Chop the mushroom stems and set them aside. In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon of the oil and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Brush the mushroom caps with the oil & salt mixture. Arrange the caps, stemmed sides up, in the prepared baking sheet.

Toast the pine nuts in a small, dry skillet over medium heat, stirring the nuts frequently, for 3-5 minutes, until the nuts start to turn brown. Set them aside.

For the filling, in a large skillet heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushroom stems, shallot, garlic, thyme and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook and stir the mixture for 8 to 10 minutes or until the stems are tender and the liquid is evaporated. Remove the mixture from the heat and carefully add the sherry. Return the mixture to the heat and cook until the sherry is evaporated, stirring to scrape up the crusty brown bits. Cool the mixture for 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and stir in the bread crumbs, chopped scallions and lemon peel. Stir in the goat cheese and toasted pine nuts.

Mix all the filling ingredients together.

Generously fill the mushrooms caps with the filling. Bake the stuffed mushrooms for about 15 minutes or until they are tender and the filling is bubbly around the edges. Serve warm.

Fill the caps.

The mushrooms & filling can be prepared ahead of time then stuffed & baked just before needed. To make them ahead of time: Prepare the filling as directed. Cover and chill the mushroom caps and filling separately for up to 24 hours. Fill the caps and bake as directed.

A perfect appetizer!

Enjoy the party!  ~Linda

Ingredients:

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, then set it aside. Clean the mushrooms, removing the stems. Chop the mushroom stems and set them aside. In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon of the oil and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Brush the mushroom caps with the oil & salt mixture. Arrange the caps, stemmed sides up, in the prepared baking sheet.

Toast the pine nuts in a small, dry skillet over medium heat, stirring the nuts frequently, for 3-5 minutes, until the nuts start to turn brown. Set them aside.

For the filling, in a large skillet heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushroom stems, shallot, garlic, thyme and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook and stir the mixture for 8 to 10 minutes or until the stems are tender and the liquid is evaporated. Remove the mixture from the heat and carefully add the sherry. Return the mixture to the heat and cook until the sherry is evaporated, stirring to scrape up the crusty brown bits. Cool the mixture for 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and stir in the bread crumbs, chopped scallions and lemon peel. Stir in the goat cheese and toasted pine nuts.

Generously fill the mushrooms caps with the filling. Bake the stuffed mushrooms for about 15 minutes or until they are tender and the filling is bubbly around the edges. Serve warm.The mushrooms & filling can be prepared ahead of time then stuffed & baked just before needed. To make them ahead of time: Prepare the filling as directed. Cover and chill the mushroom caps and filling separately for up to 24 hours. Fill the caps and bake as directed.