Langoustine Thermidor Stuffed Mushrooms
This recipe is what my dad likes to call a two-for (toofer), or two for one. I was looking at two recipes in my Nani's Better Homes & Gardens cook book, Lobster Canape and Stuffed Mushrooms, thought about how I might revamp them and decided to put the two together, hence two-for (my dad's so cute). I then thought back to the New Year's Day dinner I made, which just so happened to be the Lobster Thermidor recipe from Epicurious.com (it was at that moment that I realized what all the lobster hype was about, so you could say I liked it). Traditional Lobster Thermidor is lobster meat that has been broiled in its shell with mushrooms and a savory custard sauce, and the Lobster Canape recipe achieves a similar effect with many of the same ingreidents all piled on a piece of rye toast. I also love a good stuffed mushroom; mushrooms are such a versitle vessel for holding all sorts of tasty morsels. I opted for langoustine for this recipe because it is a bit more accessible than lobster, and is easy to use, as it commonly can be found cleaned and shelled in the freezer section of your grocery store (I really like Trader Joe's frozen langoustine tails). I adapted this recipe from the Epicurious Lobster Thermidor recipe we enjoyed so much, and it is oh so tasty. Hope you think so too!
Here's what you need:
1 12 oz. Package of Frozen Langoustine Tails, defrosted
1/2 lb Button Mushrooms
1 c. Heavy Cream or Evaporated 2% Milk
1/2 Stick Butter
1/2 tsp. Paprika
2 Large Egg Yolks
2 tbsp. Sherry
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Here's how to make it:
Preheat your broiler. Brush the mushrooms with a wet paper towel to remove any grit and separate the caps from the stems. Slice the stems and set aside. Transfer the caps to a foil lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt, pepper and olive oil, place them top side down on the pan, then set under the broiler until lightly browned. Let the caps cool slightly. In the meantime, heat the cream or milk in a small sauce pan until scalded. Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat and cook the stems until brown and most of their liquid has evaporated. Stir in the langoustine tails, paprika, a pinch salt and pinch pepper. Cook for about 1 minute, shaking the pan gently being careful not to cook them for too long. Add 1 tbsp. sherry and 1/2 c. hot cream or milk to the mushroom stems and lanqoustine tails, simmer for about 5 minutes. Whisk the yolks in a small bowl with the remaining tbsp. sherry, and slowly pour in the rest of the hot cream or milk, whisking constantly. Transfer the mixture to a small sauce pan over low heat and whisk until the mixture thickens slightly and registers at 160 degrees farenheit. Add custard to langoustine tail mixture, stirring gently. By this point the mushrooms may have accumulated some juice in the well of the cap, toss the juice into a bowl and save for another use (mmm mushroom soup?). Carefully fill the mushrooms with the langoustine mixture and place under the broiler until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Stuff face.
