Day #3 of Holiday Appetizers: Wild Mushroom Cups

I'm not going to lie, these appetizers aren't the prettiest on the plate. I like to call them the Little Miss Sunshines of Appetizers because they might not be beauty queens, but my goodness are they great for entertaining. These little gems are perhaps some of the most delicious party appetizers I've ever had. My mom found the recipe in Bon Appetit Magazine about 15 years ago and has been making them at her cocktail parties ever since. As a kid, I used to sneak them off the baking sheets before being shipped off to grandma's house, hoping that there would be one (one!!) left for me after the party. Suffice to say I was always disappointed when I came back home; it didn't take me long to realize that if there's one appetizer guaranteed to be gone, these mushroom cups are it. And our party was no exception.

Mushrooms Cups: The Little Miss Sunshine of Appetizers

Forget the fact that they're slightly unattractive, the mushroom cups are so good that at our party I literally couldn't get them from the baking sheet to the platter. The minute the cups started baking friends would swarm the kitchen from the savory aroma, grabbing the steaming little cups and popping them in their mouths before I could even get them off the baking sheet. This time, however, I made sure to save a few for myself. :)

Here's how you make them: 

Mushroom Cups

Recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine, circa 1993

Makes 36 mushroom cups

• 36 slices white bread
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1/2 pound mushrooms, minced (I use a mixture of Button, Cremini & Shiitake)
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup half and half
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped chives
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley leaves
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan

DIRECTIONS: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut out a 3-inch round with a round cutter from each bread slice, press the rounds into 1/8-cup muffin tins, forming cups, and bake the cups in batches in the middle of the oven 12-15 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Transfer the cups to racks and let them cool. 

Use a cookie cutter to remove the cups from the pieces of bread

Continue until all pieces of bread have been cut out 

Press the rounds into 1/8" muffin rounds and bake until golden brown 

In a skillet melt the butter over moderately high heat and in it sauté the onion, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté the mixture, stirring, for 15 minutes, or until the liquid from the mushrooms is evaporated. Remove the skillet from the heat, sprinkle the flour over the mixture, and stir the mixture until it is combined well. Add the half and half, return the skillet to the heat, and cook the mixture over moderately high heat, stirring, until it is very thick. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the salt, the cayenne, the black pepper, and the chives, the parsley, and the lemon juice, and let the mixture cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. 

Saute the butter and onion until soft

Add mushrooms and cook until the liquid has evaporated

Remove from heat and add flour. Stir to combine.

Add cream, seasonings and herbs and cook until mixture is very thick

Transfer the cups to a baking sheet, divide the mushroom mixture among them (I use a piping bag with a large round tip), and sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top. (The mushroom cups may be made up to this point and kept frozen, wrapped tightly. Reheat the mushrooms cups on a baking sheet in the middle of a preheated 350°F oven for 20 minutes, or until they are heated through). Bake the cups in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Pipe the mushroom mixture into the cups

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on each mushroom cup and bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted. Serve immediately and enjoy!