Cap

Portobello Mushroom and Crab in Puff Pastry

Deja-vu, I think I have already seen this before…while my husband is working on this Portobello mushroom creation. I can’t shake the feeling of familiarity… it’s not identical but fraternal twins of one I made before…Stephen King? Return of  Dome recipe?….Hmmm.

However, this chef Chris Czarnecki of The Joel Palmer House recipe placed my ’dome’ dish as a cousin once removed rather than next of kin. The rich and creamy sauce and the Portobello’s wholesomeness stands alone as an impressive main course.

The size of the portobello was huge and thick, end up cutting in 4ths. With the absence of truffle oil and other substitute, perhaps it didn’t achieve a perfect 10, nonetheless, you leaned well grasshopper…I mean my dear.

Ingredients and Instruction makes 4 servings (Print Recipe Here) ( in parentheses was what he actually used)

Sauce

• 1/2  cup fish stock (Japanese dashi)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• kosher salt
• 4 ounces tomato paste (2 ounces)
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream (1 cup)

1. Combine stock, bay leaf, onion, pepper and wine in a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan at medium- high heat.
2. Season to taste with salt and bring to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer. Cook until the onions are translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Whisk in tomato paste and cream and simmer until sauce has thickened. 5 minutes.
   
   The onion looks like noodles.

Portobello Wraps

• 4  4 to 5 inches diameter Portobello mushrooms, brushed clean, stems removed
• 1  1 pound package frozen puff pastry thawed (takes about 40 minutes to thaw)
• Flour for dusting
• 4 ounces Havarti cheese, cut into 1 ounce portions
• 4 ounces Dungeness crab meat, divided
• 1 egg beaten with whipping cream below in a small bowl.
• 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
• White truffle oil

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and place Portobello mushrooms, gills facing up. Bake for 10 to 20 minutes, until tender. Set aside mushroom but keep oven on.
2. Unroll the thawed pastry and cut into 6-inch squares. Dust work surface with flour. Roll each square out with rolling pin so that you can wrap around a Portobello cap, approximately  7 inches square.
3. In a center of the pastry, place 1 ounce of cheese, and a fourth of the crab meat. Top with baked Portobello cap, gills facing down.
4. Fold each corner of the puff pastry up and over the stack so that none of ingredients is exposed. Pinch the edges together. repeat the rest.
5. Turn over the wraps and put on the parchment lined baking sheet seam side down. Brush with egg mixture all over. Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown.
6. Divide warm sauce in 4 bowls, drizzle with truffle oil. Place pastry on top and serve immediately.

 

Relic of Easter…I gave some away but we still had left over ham. Put roughly chopped ham on the tomato along with cheese and bread crumbs bake in the toaster oven for 10 minutes (385F). Voila! We relished this for breakfast.

Sadly with accelerated speed, April passed by…Cinco de Mayo, Japanese Children’s Day is just around the corner. I made carp windsock sushi..

May health and success be upon all children!