Michelin award winning chef Jean-Christophe Novelli’s favourite mushroom recipe, Strudel of Roast Portabello Mushroom, combines fresh cultivated mushrooms in a fondue of Beaufort cheese.
He says: “This is a fabulous recipe combining fresh cultivated mushrooms in a fondue of Beaufort cheese, which actually is a personal favourite of mine, but you can use gruyere instead. I have fond memories from my home town of Arras in northern France where we have a local dish of mushrooms in mornay sauce wrapped in a pancake. This is my own variation on it."
“There are so many varieties of cultivated mushrooms available from the white and browns, flat caps to the exotic. All these are a welcome change adding texture and flavour from the robust to the delicate. Iregularly feature mushrooms on the courses at my Academy and in
the menus at my Gastro pubs, they are one of the most classic and versatile ingredients available.”
Ingredients
60ml/4 tbsp olive oil
4 large Portabello mushroom
2 cloves garlic, cracked
4 sprigs of thyme
2 shallots, chopped
450g/1lb mixed mushrooms, such as closed cup, Shiitake, Oyster and Shimeji
30ml/2tbsp of fresh basil, chopped
30ml/2tbsp of tarragon, chopped
30ml/2tbsp chopped fresh chives
50g/2oz unsalted butter
45ml/3tbsp plain flour
300ml/1/2pt mushroom or vegetable stock
100g/4oz Beaufort or gruyere cheese, sliced
100g/4oz butter, melted
12 sheets of filo pastry
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C/Gas Mark 6. Heat half the olive oil in a frying pan, add the Portobello mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and add one of the garlic cloves and thyme. Cook them for about 45 secs on each side then transfer to a baking tray.
Bake them for 5 mins then transfer to a plate - gill side down, along with the garlic and thyme, cover with cling film and allow to cool.
Reduce the oven to 190C/Fan170C/Gas mark 5. Return the pan to the heat, heat the remaining oil, add the shallots and the rest of the garlic and sauté for 2 mins.
Add the mixed mushrooms and sauté for about 2 mins. Tip into a colander - reserve the juices. Mix the herbs with the mushrooms and season to taste. Leave to cool.
Place the butter, flour, reserved liquid from the mushrooms and the stock in a pan and slowly bring to the boil, stirring with a balloon whisk until the mixture boils and thickens. Cook over a gentle heat for 2 mins. Remove from the heat, then add half the cheese allowing it to melt in slowly. Stir in the sauté mushrooms and herbs and season to taste.
Unwrap the filo pastry, brush the top sheet with butter then place it on the work surface, repeat laying the second sheet at right angles to the first. Repeat with a third sheet so you have a stack of 3. Repeat to make 3 more stacks in the same way.
Place a mushroom in the centre of each of the pastry stacks, then pile the mushroom mixture on top along with the remaining cheese. Gather the corners of the pastry up around the mushroom to enclose the topping, seal with butter - you want to get a pyramid effect leaving the leaves as tall as you can. Drizzle over any remaining butter.
Bake on a baking sheet for 15 mins or until the pastry is golden brown and crisp. Serve hot.
For an Extra Special Touch Jean-Christophe Recommends:
- Combine a little truffle oil with the melted butter to give a wonderful aroma when cooked.
- Use Emmenthal or gruyere instead of Beaufort.
- This dish can be made with thin poppy seed crepes instead of filo pastry.
- Try using two sheets of pastry and sprinkle with chopped pistachio nuts and then seal with the second sheet to give extra texture.
- Serve with a spoonful of peppered crème fraiche to accompany.
- The addition of port, Madeira or sherry when sautéing the mushrooms will amplify their flavours.