The original title on this recipe is “Happy Hour Mushrooms” and the handwriting on the recipe is one I can’t identify so I can’t give attribution to the cook who shared this recipe with my mom, I can only say that we loved these mushrooms and I suspect she at least doubled the recipe when she made them. If there had only been the 10 the recipe makes, riots would have ensued.
We used to make pilgrimages to a local mushroom farm to get the freshest and most consistently sized mushrooms available when she was going to entertain and we certainly bought more than 10. In the absence of a reliable local mushroom grower, I would recommend buying from the bulk bin at the grocery store and finding out when they get their shipments because this recipe really shines when made with fresh mushrooms. Here it is:
- 10-12 (about 1/2 pound) medium-size mushrooms ( each about 1 1/2″ diameter)
- 6 Tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 3 Tablespoons shredded jack cheese
- 2 Tablespoons dry white or red wine (I suspect Mom used white)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/3 cup fine cracker crumbs or as much as required to make stuffing mix dry
Remove stems from mushrooms and chop finely. You may also buy and chop a few more mushrooms, thus 10-12 are called for in the ingredients. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and brush over mushroom caps, coating thoroughly. Stir together the remaining 4 tablespoons of soft butter, garlic and cheese and chopped mushroom stems until well blended. Stir in wine, soy and crumbs until well blended and hanging together.
Place mushrooms, cavity side up, on a large rimmed baking sheet. Evenly mound filling in each mushroom, pressing filling in lightly. Broil about 6 inches below broiler until bubbly and lightly browned (about 3 minutes). Serve warm. Makes about 10 appetizers.