Tiny morsels of deliciousness
AKA: Mom's Mushroom Cups. Not to be confused with stuffed mushrooms, which are also good, but- no. More like little tartlets, these are bread crusts filled with a creamy, savory, mushroomy filling, then baked until warm and gooey. They are, in a word: delectable.
My mom used to make these for parties. For some reason, this recipe was not included in her recipe box. I was quite sad about this, until I discovered that my mom gave the recipe to Faye years ago. Unbeknownst to me, Faye then passed the recipe on to Ash, and Ash has since been making it for parties.
Can I please tell you how happy this makes me? I LOVE it! I love that my mom shared a recipe with my stepmom, first- let's stop there for a moment. How rare, yet wonderful, and yet another reminder of how special my moms are, were, and were with each other. Really, I cannot tell you how much that means to me- I am so lucky. I also love that I was able to receive this long lost recipe from my mom, via my stepmom and sister. Furthermore, I love that my sister, who had no blood relation to my mom, enjoys making "Aunty Linda's Mushroom Cups." Again, I am reminded of how lucky I am to be related to so many amazing women who cared about each other and me. Oh yeah, and who loved yummy food, like mushroom cups! :)
I've made these mushroom cups twice now, most recently a week ago today, and both times for another group of amazing women, my LA knitting girls. I call them my knitting girls because we originally met and came together through knitting, however, our friendship has expanded way beyond knitting. We don't meet up as often as we'd like, because several of us are now moms, work, and live across the city. Makes it hard. But when we are able to sync our schedules and settle on a day and time, we devote and afternoon and evening to being together, eating, talking, laughing, sometimes crying, and yes, knitting. I can't think of a better opportunity to share this recipe. This is a picture from another get-together, the first time the mushroom cups made an appearance.
I thoroughly enjoyed making these mushroom cups, using the recipe card in Faye's handwriting, using helpful hints I learned from Ash. Since Mom isn't around to help, I'm grateful to be able to learn how to make her recipe from Faye and Ash. :)
Mom's (Aunty Linda's) Mushroom Cups
What you need:
1 - 2 loaves of white bread
4 Tbsp. butter, plus a little extra
3 Tbsp. minced white onion
1 container fresh mushrooms finely chopped
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, depending on taste
2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese, grated
1 1/2 Tbsp. chives, finely chopped
1 cup (= 1/2 pint) heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
To make the shells:
Cut bread into 2-inch diameter circles using a biscuit cutter, or the way we do it- with a pint glass. :) Generously butter mini muffin tins. Press break circles into muffin tins. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool. Set aside.
To make the filling:
Make sure the onion is minced and the mushrooms are chopped very fine (remember: these will be going into mini shells). Melt butter and before foaming, begin adding onions, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and mix well. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from heat; sprinkle in flour and stir until flour has dissolved. Add cream, then bring to a boil. Lower heat; add seasonings. Let cool.
To assemble:
When ready to use, fill the pre-baked shells with 1 teaspoon of the filling. (When I've made it, there has been enough filling for just short of 2 loaves of bread's worth of shells.) Sprinkle with cheese and dot with butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Enjoy!
I was in a bit of a rush when I made the shells this time so they are not exactly pretty, but that's also part of their rustic charm, I think. They don't claim to be healthy by any stretch of the imagination, but they are damn tasty! And they have the added honor of being the only mushroom dish my friend Jillian will eat. :)
I won't make these for just anyone. But I'm happy they've become a requested item amongst this group of women who I adore as much as the women in my family who also make them, and I will happily make these for them again and again in the future.
ETA: Tips!
Faye was kind enough to post a few tips in the comments, which I thought I would add here for us all:
Tip 1: Bake shells ahead. Your mom was cutting and baking the shells the night before a New Year's eve party, so all she had to do the next day was prepare the filling and bake it. She stored the baked shells in a gallon Ziploc.
Tip 2: Patching holes. If you make a hole by mistake or don't have a complete circle, she said you can patch it by pressing over a scrap piece of bread.
Tip 3: Recruit help. Ashley gets her Mister to help chop and saute the filling.
When I made these, I baked the shells ahead of time, then stored them in big ziplock bags, like Faye mentioned above. On the same day as the get-togethers, I made the filling. Then I took the filling and baggy of shells and assembled and baked at my friend's house so they would be warm. I spent just a few minutes filling the shells, adding the cheese and dots of butter, and it only took 10 minutes to bake. Worked quite well! :)
My mom used to make these for parties. For some reason, this recipe was not included in her recipe box. I was quite sad about this, until I discovered that my mom gave the recipe to Faye years ago. Unbeknownst to me, Faye then passed the recipe on to Ash, and Ash has since been making it for parties.
Can I please tell you how happy this makes me? I LOVE it! I love that my mom shared a recipe with my stepmom, first- let's stop there for a moment. How rare, yet wonderful, and yet another reminder of how special my moms are, were, and were with each other. Really, I cannot tell you how much that means to me- I am so lucky. I also love that I was able to receive this long lost recipe from my mom, via my stepmom and sister. Furthermore, I love that my sister, who had no blood relation to my mom, enjoys making "Aunty Linda's Mushroom Cups." Again, I am reminded of how lucky I am to be related to so many amazing women who cared about each other and me. Oh yeah, and who loved yummy food, like mushroom cups! :)
I've made these mushroom cups twice now, most recently a week ago today, and both times for another group of amazing women, my LA knitting girls. I call them my knitting girls because we originally met and came together through knitting, however, our friendship has expanded way beyond knitting. We don't meet up as often as we'd like, because several of us are now moms, work, and live across the city. Makes it hard. But when we are able to sync our schedules and settle on a day and time, we devote and afternoon and evening to being together, eating, talking, laughing, sometimes crying, and yes, knitting. I can't think of a better opportunity to share this recipe. This is a picture from another get-together, the first time the mushroom cups made an appearance.
me, Julia, MJ, Amiee, and Jillian (missing: Kat)
Spread at our most recent get-together. Mushroom cups, Julia's soup, Amiee's veggie fritters,
Kat's empanadas, MJ's lemon cake, and Jillian's pumpkin bread.
I thoroughly enjoyed making these mushroom cups, using the recipe card in Faye's handwriting, using helpful hints I learned from Ash. Since Mom isn't around to help, I'm grateful to be able to learn how to make her recipe from Faye and Ash. :)
Mom's (Aunty Linda's) Mushroom Cups
What you need:
1 - 2 loaves of white bread
4 Tbsp. butter, plus a little extra
3 Tbsp. minced white onion
1 container fresh mushrooms finely chopped
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, depending on taste
2 Tbsp. parmesan cheese, grated
1 1/2 Tbsp. chives, finely chopped
1 cup (= 1/2 pint) heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
To make the shells:
Cut bread into 2-inch diameter circles using a biscuit cutter, or the way we do it- with a pint glass. :) Generously butter mini muffin tins. Press break circles into muffin tins. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool. Set aside.
To make the filling:
Make sure the onion is minced and the mushrooms are chopped very fine (remember: these will be going into mini shells). Melt butter and before foaming, begin adding onions, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and mix well. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from heat; sprinkle in flour and stir until flour has dissolved. Add cream, then bring to a boil. Lower heat; add seasonings. Let cool.
To assemble:
When ready to use, fill the pre-baked shells with 1 teaspoon of the filling. (When I've made it, there has been enough filling for just short of 2 loaves of bread's worth of shells.) Sprinkle with cheese and dot with butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Enjoy!
I was in a bit of a rush when I made the shells this time so they are not exactly pretty, but that's also part of their rustic charm, I think. They don't claim to be healthy by any stretch of the imagination, but they are damn tasty! And they have the added honor of being the only mushroom dish my friend Jillian will eat. :)
I won't make these for just anyone. But I'm happy they've become a requested item amongst this group of women who I adore as much as the women in my family who also make them, and I will happily make these for them again and again in the future.
ETA: Tips!
Faye was kind enough to post a few tips in the comments, which I thought I would add here for us all:
Tip 1: Bake shells ahead. Your mom was cutting and baking the shells the night before a New Year's eve party, so all she had to do the next day was prepare the filling and bake it. She stored the baked shells in a gallon Ziploc.
Tip 2: Patching holes. If you make a hole by mistake or don't have a complete circle, she said you can patch it by pressing over a scrap piece of bread.
Tip 3: Recruit help. Ashley gets her Mister to help chop and saute the filling.
When I made these, I baked the shells ahead of time, then stored them in big ziplock bags, like Faye mentioned above. On the same day as the get-togethers, I made the filling. Then I took the filling and baggy of shells and assembled and baked at my friend's house so they would be warm. I spent just a few minutes filling the shells, adding the cheese and dots of butter, and it only took 10 minutes to bake. Worked quite well! :)
Comments
I remember talking with your mom and watching her from the other side of her kitchen counter as she made the toasted bread shells. It looked delicious and easy to make so I wrote down her receipe. (You may recognize her recipe card that I used.)
Tip 1: Bake shells ahead. Your mom was cutting and baking the shells the night before a New Year's eve party, so all she had to do the next day was prepare the filling and bake it. She stored the baked shells in a gallon Ziploc.
Tip 2: Patching holes. If you make a hole by mistake or don't have a complete circle, she said you can patch it by pressing over a scrap piece of bread.
Tip 3: Recruit help. Ashley gets her Mister to help chop and saute the filling.
But more than "Aunty Linda's" Mushroom Cups, I love that this recipe also reminds me of the moms: although it may not the norm in most families, in our family, I got to know your mom, and called her Aunty Linda. :)
And while, it's difficult to explain to most people, it's really quite simple - we are lucky "girls" who have incredible role models, and amazing women who love us very much.