Friday, May 3, 2013

FFwD: Creamy Mushrooms and Eggs


Today we are preparing Creamy Mushrooms and Eggs for the French Friday with Dorie group.




When I read the recipe I understood that it is meant to be served as an appetizer and I thought that it was quite easy to prepare à la minute. There is only a short list of ingredients required and the few steps in this recipe are not difficult to follow at all.




You sautée one finely minced shallot in some good butter and olive oil, add sliced mushrooms (I used cremini mushrooms), freshly ground black pepper, some sea salt and cream. The sauce will thicken quickly as it bubbles away in the pan.




Then all that is left to do is add herbs and voilà, the sauce or as the recipe calls it the “creamy mushrooms” are ready – though I added fresh Italian parsley and chives from the garden rather than the rosemary and mint that Dorie´s recipe calls for.




Then onto the egg – the recipe states that the eggs should be poached and that the mushrooms should be served on a slice of toasted brioche. But  I decided to go a bit of a different route to make the appetizer more appealing and the recipe a tad more challenging.




Instead of serving the mushrooms on a slice of brioche, I made some fresh breadcrumbs with the brioche and fried the poached eggs with a coating of flour, some more egg and fresh brioche crumbs.




Then I served the appetizer with some steamed and thinly shaved green asparagus and carrots and decorated the plate with some pretty savory blossoms – now that was different and certainly quite delicious!




To see how the other members of the French Friday with Dorie group prepared the Creamy Mushrooms and Eggs, please click here.



48 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thank you very much, this was a nice recipe for an appetizer and we really enjoyed eating it this way!

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  2. This looks absolutely beautiful…so delectable! I have enough of a challenge trying to poach an egg! Lovely photos! Have a wonderful weekend, Andrea!

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    1. Kathy, I do like to poach eggs but some days just call for a little extra, not the usual poaching and the idea to fry the poached egg just seemed nice and challenging as this technique was a bit tricky to say the least.

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  3. This is restaurant worthy...brilliant interpretation.

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    1. Thank you for the lovely comment, Diane, I do not know about that restaurant thing but it sure looked nice served that way. My taste testers liked it and that made me happy.

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  4. The best egg Andrea, so crunchy and perfect! A wonderful twist on the recipe. I never made eggs this way, and it´s one great idea. Have a good weekend!

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    1. Paula, not that I ever made this kind of fried poached egg before either but after some practice and taking a few deep breaths, I got the hang of it and it was fun to prepare this appetizer with a bit of a twist - sometimes I get bored in the kitchen and then I come up with things like this.

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  5. Replies
    1. Thank you, Rosemary, wonderful recipe, lovely appetizer - we liked it served that way.

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  6. Your version looks gorgeous, Andrea. I thought serving this on toast reminded me more of breakfast than an appetizer, but your twist bridges that and turns it into a true starter. I love the flowers on the plate. Isn't fun to be able to eat flowers from your plate? It always makes me smile. Have a great weekend!

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    1. Betsy, thank you for the nice comment - glad that you like my version or rather interpretation of this weeks´ recipe for the group. Flowers on the plate are "a big thing" with me these days.

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  7. I think you win this week. Wow. Not only do you not eschew the runny eggs like so many other Doristas but you embrace it and make them even more fantastic. This was fat free, right? :)

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    1. Trevor, thank you for the wonderful compliment - actaully I was just plain bored out of my head in the kitchen this week, honestly, I just needed some creativity around me. But it sure makes me more than happy to read that you like my version and to answer your question, no, no fat whatsoever involved, none really!

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  8. What a marvelous twist! Even though I'm not a fan of poached eggs, I'm a fan of your gorgeous presentation! Well done, my friend!!!

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    1. Thank you so much, Liz, I saw that you do not appreciate poached eggs and made scrambled eggs instead, so it is nice to read that you like this tiwst on the original recipe that I came up with.

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  9. That's a brilliant variation, Andrea. I love the look of the egg on the plate and I bet it was perfect with the mushrooms. I admire your attention to garnishes, too.

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    1. Teresa, thank you so much - just happen to enjoy playing with the food that I prepare - seriously, it makes me quite happy to read that you enjoy the way I present my finished dishes.

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  10. I know this must be very delicious but I think I would have had a hard time making it look pretty. You didin't just make it pretty, you made it gorgeous!

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    1. So very kind of you, Chris, glad that you like the way that I interpreted and took liberties with this simple recipe and the way it turned out.

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  11. A very lovely presentation. You always make everything look soo delicious:) My family enjoyed this dish also. It was very easy to put together.

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    1. Thank you very much, dear Geraldine - glad that you like my presentation!

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  12. That is certainly a different way to prepare a poached egg and it looks so very tasty. We all enjoyed this recipe and I can see me making it time and time again.
    It really is easy to prepare. You are right about our cancellation, we were supposed to make this trip last October and now this. I think someone is trying
    to tell us something here. Just kidding, we will get there one way or another. Thank you for your well wishes.

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    1. Nana, thank you for stopping by, I hope that things are looking up and you will be feeling all better soon!

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  13. Andrea - what a beautiful and creative way to present this dish. The idea of crumbing and frying the poached egg was very clever.

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    1. Thank you, Cher, nice to read that you enjoyed this different presentation of this fabulous recipe. some days I just need an additional challenge in the kitchen.

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  14. What a beautifully plated dish, Andrea. I love that you challenged the challenge and created a fantastic appetizer. Bravo!

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    1. Thank you, Karen, I appreciate your fabulous comment! This recipe just called out for some "prettying up" and my taste testers approved, so this presentation was just right for us.

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  15. Wow- I had to stop and recall what we had cooked this week for FFWD because I knew my dish didn't look anything as yummy as yours !!! Fabulous idea to bread the fry the egg. You were looking for a challenge while I had my fingers crossed to get the poached eggs out of the water again in one piece :) Teasing aside, your dish looks so amazing I really do want to try it for my guys. I think they will go nuts for it. And your photography, as usual, should put the professionals to shame. Truly stunning. I also wanted to thank you for the lovely comment and sentiments you left Nana and I this week. I am stunned that you recalled this was actually our "postponed" trip-what a memory and focus you have. It was quite a disappointment to have to cancel and at the last minute but it was meant to be. At least this time :) Third time's a charm ?? I never like to give up. Thanks again and awesome post. PS- loved your May Day post. We had actually scheduled to be in Paris specifically because we had experienced May Day celebrations there before and were enchanted. I surprised Nana with some Lily of the Valley perfume and white flowers but no actual Lily of the Valleys could be found in our state that day. I should have baked the cake......

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    1. Tricia, your comment is so kind and wonderful, thank you for the time you took to look at my posts and leave such a lovely comment - I sincerely hope that Nana is feeling much better by now and I know that the third time around, this trip to Paris will be one of the best, ever! I should let you know that "Lily of the Valley" was the first "perfume" I ever used in my life, it is one of my very favorite flowers and to this day I adore its smell - what thoughtful gifts for the first of May.

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  16. How gorgeous! two of my favorite ingredients - this looks SO lovely!
    Mary x

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    1. Mary, thank you kindly for the nice comment - glad you liked this post!

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  17. As always, another beautiful post! I love how you added your own unique touches to this recipe. Now I only wish I could have been sitting at your table! I love mushrooms and eggs. Thank you for sharing with us, sweet friend!

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    1. Monet, lovely comment, thank you, the taste combination of the different ingredients of this recipe was really nice, such a wonderful spring appetizer.

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  18. Can I please eat at your home??

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    1. Cindy, anytime you are in the neighbourhood you are more than welcome to eat at our house - wouldn´t that be fun?!

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  19. As always, your dish looks over-the-top amazing! What a great idea. Even without that, I loved this dish. It was a nice getting back to the group recipe!

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    1. Candy, thanks for stopping by and I must say that it makes me happy to read that this idea of mine to fry the poached egg in the brioche crumbs was so well received!

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  20. So, let's see. You poached the egg first and then did the crumb/frying part? Ohhhhhhh, I can't even think about that without my heart racing (in a panicky kinda way). If that was the technique, I can imagine the condition of MY poached egg had I done all those cruel things to it. Assault and Battery charges, for sure. (DOn't you love that I threw in a legal term, Andrea?) It took me three times to get a presentable plain old poached egg. Your presentation does look delcious and absolutely the prettiest of the week. I cannot wait to spend a day with you in food valhalla in Paris. Soon.

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    1. Mary, oh Paris, it is just two weeks away and I am getting rather anxious - haven´t been there in a while and so much looking forward to meet you and do some serious kitchen supply shopping!

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  21. You never fail to impress me! Your eggs in brioche crumbs are beautiful. Did you follow a recipe or just make them up? I never realized you could bread and fry an egg.

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    1. Jora, yes, you can actually fry a poached egg, but only very very carefully - I had fun discussing this "technique" with a trained chef yesterday and we agreed that while this is a beautiful presentation, you would not necessarily be doing this for an everyday style lunch or dinner because it is a tad time consuming.

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  22. Oh goodness! How did you fry a poached egg?!? What an amazing idea. I must try it. It looks beautiful and delicious. Fabulous recipe.

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    1. Thank so muc, Beth, the words of the day here are "very very very carefully" and I do not really know where I got the nerve from to fry a poached egg - but it did work this time and the presentation looked nice too.

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  23. I have weak spot for runny egg (which I hated growing up - what was I thinking!) and I'm imagining the combination of the egg with creamy mushrooms... YUM. This is my very first time seeing fried poached eggs. You are super genius, Andrea!

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    1. Nami, you are such a wonderful and kind person, Nami - what a lovely comment - eggs are such a marvel and I love to cook with them whenever the opportunity arises.

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  24. Alright, I don't think I have your skill to coat & fry a poached egg.
    Your twist w the brioche crumbs is brilliant.

    Interesting you have savory blossoms. It's not a widely known herb here in the States.
    It's crucial to the flavour of a layered beef & veggie Persian dish called tass kabob. I should
    post it soon.

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    1. Colette, then I am looking forward to that post of yours - I had never heard of "tass kabob" before but I looked it up and it looks like a nice comfort-style dish.

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