Smoked Mushroom Bruschetta w/ Wild Cherry Brandy Sauce

Ingredients

Shiitake mushrooms (at least 6 medium sized ones)

Swiss brown mushrooms (approx 15 if very small)

Oyster mushrooms (at least 10 medium size ones)

1 large onion finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic

2 Tbs olive oil

Walsh’s Wild Cherry Brandy Sauce

2 Tbs raspberry vinegar

1/2 cup white wine

Hickory smoking chips

Feta

Oregano

Thyme

Chives

Sourdough bread

Utensils

BBQ or outdoor cooking element

Dehydrator machine or oven at very low temperature

Wok

Aluminum foil

Baking paper

1) Soak the hickory chips in water for 30 minute and drain them just before you are ready for the smoking.

2) I don’t have a smoker (yet!) so I improvise. I smoke the mushrooms on the side element of the BBQ. For this I use my wok which I line with aluminum foil. To the wok I add the drained hickory wood chips.

3) Top the wok with a cake cooling rack (this is where the mushrooms will rest) and pop on the wok lid, if you don’t have a lid use any large round cooking pot. You need to ensure that the smoke does not escape from the side.

4) Turn the element on to low and wait for approx 10 min until your hickory chips start to smoke. Whilst you are waiting get your baking paper & cut it to the same size as the cake cooling rack, prick or cut out several small holes in the paper – this will allow for mushrooms to rest on the paper & not fall through the wire rack when you are smoking them.

5) When you are happy that your hickory chips are smoking enough place the mushrooms on the cake cooling rack & cover the lid. Pour glass of vino for yourself and watch magic happen! You might also want to warn the neighbours as so that they know that you are not burning down the house!

I wanted my mushrooms to be lightly smoked so I left them in for about 10 minutes. You know that they are ready when they have a gorgeous golden / red tinge to them.

6) Pop the smoked mushrooms into a dehydrator machine and set the temperature to the fruit / veggie setting. If you don’t have a dehydrator you can dry the mushrooms in the oven but the temp has to be extremely low, about 50 degrees with the door slightly open. My mushrooms were ready within about 5 hours.

Your dehydrated mushrooms should look something like this…

You can store these in a jar with some rock salt until you need to use them or continue with the next part of the recipe.

7) Re-hydrate the mushrooms by pouring boiling water over them. Let the mushrooms sit in the hot water for about 45 min. Drain the mushrooms & reserve the stock for a mushroom risotto or a mushroom soup!

8) Blitz the mushrooms until they are very fine, but not paste like. You want a bit of texture. To a pan add olive oil, onion and one crushed garlic clove. Saute until the onion is translucent, turn the heat down to very low and continue to cook the onions down a little more. You want them to start to caramalise almost.You must ensure that they do not catch to the bottom of the pan or burn.

At this point add a good quantity of salt, I added at least a teaspoon! Then oregano and the thyme.

9) Add the blitzed up mushroom mixture and cook down slowly for about 8 minutes.

10) Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup of good quality white wine. I say good quality because my rule in cooking is that if you wouldn’t serve the wine to guests then why add it to your food? Also add in the raspberry vinegar. Continue to cook this until the liquid evaporates but again ensure that the mushrooms don’t burn & dry out. Taste the mushroom mixture and add more salt if necessary.

Serve this yummy goodness on toasted and lightly oiled sourdough bread that has been scraped with the other garlic clove. Top it with broken up feta, fresh chives and a few teaspoons of the Walsh’s Wild Cherry Brandy.

I can’t even begin to tell you how good this was!

Bella

Smoked Mushroom Bruschetta w/ Wild Cherry Brandy Sauce

 

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Not your traditional bruschetta. This one is made with smoked earthy mushrooms. Perfect for on sourdough bread.

Author: FinSki's

Recipe type: Finger Food

Cuisine: Modern

Ingredients

• Shiitake mushrooms (at least 6 medium sized ones)
• Swiss brown mushrooms (approx 15 if very small)
• Oyster mushrooms (at least 10 medium size ones)
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• Walsh’s Wild Cherry Brandy Sauce
• 2 Tbs raspberry vinegar
• ½ cup white wine
• Hickory smoking chips
• Feta
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Chives
• Sourdough bread

Method

1. Soak the hickory chips in water for 30 minute and drain them just before you are ready for the smoking.
2. If you do not have a smoker you can smoke the mushrooms on the side element of the BBQ. For this I use my wok which I line with aluminum foil. To the wok I add the drained hickory wood chips.
3. Top the wok with a cake cooling rack (this is where the mushrooms will rest) and pop on the wok lid, if you don’t have a lid use any large round cooking pot. You need to ensure that the smoke does not escape from the side.
4. Turn the element on to low and wait for approx 10 min until your hickory chips start to smoke. Whilst you are waiting get your baking paper & cut it to the same size as the cake cooling rack, prick or cut out several small holes in the paper – this will allow for mushrooms to rest on the paper & not fall through the wire rack when you are smoking them.
5. When you are happy that your hickory chips are smoking enough place the mushrooms on the cake cooling rack & cover the lid.
6. Smoke the mushrooms for about 10 minutes. You know that they are ready when they have a gorgeous golden / red tinge to them.
7. Add the smoked mushrooms into a dehydrator machine and set the temperature to the fruit / veggie setting. If you don’t have a dehydrator you can dry the mushrooms in the oven but the temp has to be extremely low, about 50 degrees with the door slightly open. My mushrooms were ready in about 5 hours.
8. Re-hydrate the mushrooms by pouring boiling water over them. Let the mushrooms sit in the hot water for about 45 min. Drain the mushrooms & reserve the stock for a mushroom risotto or a mushroom soup!
9. Blitz the mushrooms until they are very fine, but not paste like. You want a bit of texture. To a pan add olive oil, onion and one crushed garlic clove. Saute until the onion is translucent, turn the heat down to very low and continue to cook the onions down a little more. You want them to start to caramalise almost.You must ensure that they do not catch to the bottom of the pan or burn.
10. Add a good quantity of salt, I added at least a teaspoon! Then oregano and the thyme.
11. Add the blitzed up mushroom mixture and cook down slowly for about 8 minutes.
12. De-glaze the pan with ½ cup of good quality white wine.
13. Add in the raspberry vinegar. Continue to cook this until the liquid evaporates but again ensure that the mushrooms don’t burn & dry out. Taste the mushroom mixture and add more salt if necessary.
14. Serve this yummy goodness on toasted and lightly oiled sourdough bread that has been scraped with the other garlic clove. Top it with broken up feta, fresh chives and a few teaspoons of the Walsh’s Wild Cherry Brandy.

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