Friday, April 23, 2010

Day #23, Appetizer- Wild Mushroom Empanadas






The Wild Mushroom Empanadas were an appetizer that I was excited to try. Our empanadas are filled with mushrooms, dry sherry wine, paprika, and fresh thyme in a flaky crust. The crust used for the empanadas is the same as the crust that is used for our delicious quiche. As it's used in this appetizer it is meant to be soft and flaky.

The filling that we use is similar to a duxelles. This is a french creation, made with mushrooms, onions, shallots, and herbs sauteed in butter and reduced to a paste. It is often used in stuffing or sauces, or baked into a pastry. The paprika and dry sherry used in this dish creates a unique flavor, and is often used in many Spanish dishes.

The empanadas are served with a creme fraiche, meaning "fresh cream" in French. It is a sour cream containing about 28% butterfat, coming from the buttermilk used rather than the regular cream often used in sour cream. Although you don't really need any type of dipping sauce for the empanadas, the creme fraiche is a great addition.
Overall, this dish was awesome, and I rarely say that. I would order this again as an appetizer, or even as a meal. It was filling, but I didn't feel overly stuffed from the dish. For anyone that loves mushrooms this is a must-try. It had a great flavor and unique texture that I had not experienced before and I absolutely loved it.

2 comments:

  1. Wow..I always wondered what the filling was made of!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love these too! I wasn't sure at first since I can take or leave mushrooms but these are delicious and I love the creme fraiche that comes with it. It is perfect for dipping.

    ReplyDelete