Musings on Food

Individual mushroom gratin

I love mushrooms.

This wasn't always so, as I recall turning up my nose at them as a child. But somewhere along the way, I rediscovered them, and my taste buds fell in love.

One really tasty and simple way to serve them is stuffed. So last night, I stuffed a portabello with a mix of seasoned breadcrumbs, garlic, olive oil and grated parmesan cheese. It's a very basic recipe and heavy on the Italian influence.

I had a bunch of stuffing mix left over as the mushroom was a bit shallow.

So today, having almost a full package of leftover cremini mushrooms in the fridge, and that remaining stuffing mixture, I decided to try and make something with them both. I ultimately decided on a gratin of sorts.

I had about 7 oz of a 10 oz package of mushrooms left over. And so I didn't have enough for two individual gratins, but next time I make this, I'll use a whole package.



Individual Mushroom Gratin (serves 2)

10 oz chopped mushrooms (I used cremini)
1/2 cup grated parmesan (4 oz)
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
olive oil (preferably extra-virgin), to your liking
2-3 cloves garlic, minced (You may omit 1-2 cloves if you want a milder garlic taste; I like this garlicky)
1/4-1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (to your liking)

Preheat oven to 350º F

Mix parmesan, garlic, and breadcrumbs. Add about 1 T olive oil. Mix again and set aside.
Prepare two individual ramekins or custard dishes. On the bottom of each, add a little bit of olive oil, followed by about 2 T of breadcrumb mixture. Add a bit of mushrooms to make the first layer. Top these with a bit more oil (a few drops to 1/2 teaspoon per layer, depending on your preference), some more breadcrumb mixture, and some mozzarella cheese. Repeat until both ramekins are full.

Sprinkle a bit of mozzarella on top of each, and bake 10 minutes or until cheese has melted and browned slightly.

posted by Christina @ 8:47 PM 0 comments

Vanilla Yogurt Pancakes

It has been a while since I've updated this blog. Although it hasn't been due to a lack of cooking and baking on my part. It's more a matter of getting things done and this wasn't as high on the list as some other things. But I figure I'll try and start adding here semi regularly. Well, onto the food.

I woke up this morning and decided I wanted to make pancakes.
I looked through a few cookbooks for recipes, but they all seemed to serve eight people. Who cooks for eight at a time anymore? That's one problem I have with many cookbooks - the recipe serves way too many.

I rarely cook for more than myself or one other person. When it comes to things that are easily stored, it's not so much of an issue. But I do like to cook fresh food, so I'll often cut the recipe or simply experiment with one of my own.

This is pretty much one of those times where I went into the kitchen with a goal in mind and made it up on the spot. The result was a bit of a different texture than regular pancakes, moist and slightly custardy, actually, with a very pleasant light vanilla taste and a slight lemony tang to boot.

Vanilla Yogurt Pancakes

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
6 oz vanilla non fat yogurt ( I used Stonyfield Farm)
1 tsp baking powder
2 T sugar

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix with fork until blended and lump free.
Spray a griddle or skillet with cooking spray or use oil. When it's hot, pour about 3 T batter for each pancake. When the top begins to bubble, turn over, and cook until browned on the bottom.

Serve with syrup or fruit of your choice.

posted by Christina @ 2:26 PM 0 comments