Wild Mushroom Gratin w/ a Wildly Delicious Topping
We’re eating a wild mushroom and young garlic gratin chock full of crimini, king trumpet, brown beech & oyster mushrooms and topped with a decadent blue cheese, macadamia nut, herb & oat crumb topping.
It was this topping that actually inspired the entire dish. What started out being a topping for a savory pear crisp was just too good to leave alone. Almost immediately after making the crisp, I knew I wanted to eat more of that yummy blue cheesy crumble topping and this time, it would have to be used in a completely savory application. Thus the emergence of this dish. We think that pretty much anyone who tries this and isn’t a freak (freak=one who dislikes mushrooms and blue cheese in this case) is gonna love it! We sure did. 🙂
For the Filling:
1 slice bacon
2 tsp canola oil
1 tsp truffle oil
6 king trumpet mushrooms, ends trimmed and cut in a large dice
15 crimini mushrooms, halved
1 1/2 cups oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups brown beech mushrooms, separated
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
5 bulbs young garlic, outer layer removed then thinly sliced
juice and zest from 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp kosher salt, plus extra as needed
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper, plus extra as needed
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
For the Crumb Topping:
1 clove young garlic, outer layer removed
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup oats, not quick-cooking
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Zest from 1/2 of a lemon
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
2 tbsp butter, very cold and cut in cubes
3 oz crumbled blue cheese
Preheat oven to 375. Lightly oil either 3-4 (7oz.) ramekins or a square glass or ceramic casserole dish.
Place slice of bacon in skillet over medium heat. Cook bacon slowly until most of the fat has been rendered out and both sides are browned, about 5-6 minutes per side. Remove bacon from pan and set aside. Drain off all but 1 tsp of bacon drippings from the pan.
Added the canola oil to the pan and return the pan to the heat. Once the oil is hot, add the trumpet mushrooms. Saute over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until mushrooms begin to caramelize. Add the crimini, oyster & beech mushrooms to the pan. Sprinkle with kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper and fresh thyme leaves. Stir. Saute for another 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the mushrooms have softened and have begun to caramelize. Add lemon juice and zest to the pan to deglaze, making sure to scrape up all of the bits on the bottom. Set aside.
While the mushrooms are sauteing make the crumb topping. Place all ingredients for the topping, EXCEPT for the blue cheese, into the bowl of a food processor. Process for 8-10 seconds until all ingredients have been combined and small pea crumbs begin to form. Do not over process. (If you do not have a food processor you can blend the ingredients together using your hands, a fork, or a pastry blender.) Pour contents from the food processor into a mixing bowl. Add crumbled blue cheese to the bowl and toss with your hands to fully incorporate the blue cheese into the crumb mixture. Set aside until ready to top.
Once the mushrooms have finished sauteing, place the half and half into a mixing bowl. Add the sauteed mushrooms & Parmesan to the half and half. Stir to combine. Pour the mixture evenly into the three ramekins or the casserole dish. Top with handfuls of crumb mixture to completely coat the top. Place dishes onto a sheet pan and place into the upper third of a 375 degree oven. Bake at 375 for about 45 minute or until the crumb topping is golden brown. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Ok, you know that I’m not a huge mushroom fan but this gratin was AMAZING! That macadamia nut blue cheese topping was unbelievable! I think you should put that topping on EVERYTHING!!!!
Stop it, Amanda. Just stop it. Stop cooking delicious and insanely creative food and making me jealous and hungry and left feeling slightly inadequate. And did I mention hungry? I’ve been in a TOTAL creative cooking slump lately. I need the Amanda cooking boot camp to kick my ass into gear for spring!
I also love how bacon has become part of your basic mirepoix 😉 I scanned the recipe and that was the first word that jumped out at me!
@nicole I so agree! i would eat the toenails if it came coated in that topping! 😉 okay, maybe that’s pushing it…
@leena don’t feel jealous & inadequate leena! just move to san diego so you can come cook with us… and get leftovers delivered to you, like nicole gets. 🙂 also… you mean bacon isn’t one of the three main ingredients for a mirapoix? 😛
wow does this sound decadent and fabulous. It is a real pain trying to find a good variety of mushrooms where I am (you’d think close to NYC the supermarkets would be good but nooooo), but I will have to try some approximation of this at some point!
Oh, my… this sounds absolutely fantastic. Well done!
That sounds great… but the savory pear crumble really caught my eye! Could you post the recipe… pretty please???
I love wild mushrooms! This sounds like a perfect side dish.