Kimi's Crappy Reduction Meets Some Awesome Stuffed Mushrooms

My family had it's annual Yankee-Swap-Annual-Christmas-Fun-Festival last weekend.  What could be better than good people, good food, lots of drinking, and typically horrendous yankee swap gifts?  Nothing.  This year the LaSalle family affair was held at my house in New Hampshire and so naturally, I decided it necessary to go all out and add some flair to some old recipes of mine.  Baked brie would be absolutely essential, and stuffed mushrooms were a must.  But I was tired of the boring basics of wrapping a brie in Pillsbury dough (not that there's anything wrong with that) and mashing up some sausage and Italian bread crumbs to shove in mushroom caps.

After a brief chat with my uncle, followed by an extensive birthday lunch (for him), and shopping for this hideous yankee swap gift which has found it's place as a fancy new adornment to my kitchen wall...

Beatrice not only has a place on my kitchen wall, but also a permanent place in my heart.

A warm and special thanks to Tom and Santy for this most wonderful apron.

... I figured out (with the help of my uncle of course) the perfect appetizers to prepare for my family's enjoyment!

Baked Brie with a Red Currant Reduction

Sausage, Panko, Gruyere and Apple Stuffed Mushrooms

There was just one teensy weensy little problem... I had never in the entirety of my short life, made a reduction.  I had no clue where to start and needless to say, I seem to have messed it up quite terribly.  The good things:  the flavor was fantastic, it was quite fun to make, it went well with the baked brie.  The bad things: I mayyyy or may not have over-reduced it, and it mayyyyy or may not have turned rock solid.  Okay, let's do it anyways and we'll fix this little over-cooking issue while we're at it!

Baked Brie with a Red Currant Reduction 
what you need...
1 medium-large wheel brie (can have skin still on it)
1 package of Pillsbury crescent roll dough
3/4 cup Red Currant jam
~1/4 cup Merlot (just enough to cover the bottom of the pan/ jam)
1 - 2 tbs butter


what you need to do...

1  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a medium sauce pan, combine red currant, butter and Merlot.  Heat over medium heat, whisking often, until mixture begins to bubble.  Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, whisking constantly, until a thick but not gooey, syrup has formed.  Remove from heat and use immediately.

Okay here's an essential tid-bit of knowledge you will need in order to succeed where I failed.  Under NO circumstances, should you decide to shower at any point during this step.  This will prove HIGHLY destructive to your reduction, and will give you bad results. Do we understand eachother?

2  On a cutting board, lay on the brie and cut or scoop (I used an ice cream scoop) a hole in the center that is only deep enough to go about half way through the brie. This is where we will stash the reduction.  Move the brie from the cutting board and roll out the crescent roll dough, squeezing together any holes.  Place the brie in the center of the dough. 
3  Pour the reduction into the hole in the center and carefully drizzle over the rest of the cheese.  Quickly fold the crescent dough around the brie so that it is completely covered, and press shut, closing any holes.  If there is extra dough on the top, either remove it or leave it and twist for decoration.  
4  Transfer onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and bake at 375 for about 15 - 20 minutes, or until dough appears golden brown and cooked through.  Remove from oven and serve very warm!

Sausage, Panko, Gryuere and Apple Stuffed Mushrooms
what you need...
1 package of whole white mushrooms (these are the basic mushrooms)
4 links sweet Italian sausage, with casing removed
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped apple (granny smith works best because of crispness)
4 oz grated smoked gruyere cheese
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 egg
Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper


what you need to do...
1  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2  Cook the sausage in a pan over medium heat with a dash of olive oil until it is mostly cooked through, breaking it down with a spoon or spatula as you cook.  When sausage is cooked, cool for about 5 minutes, and transfer into a food processor.  Blend until meat is very finely grated, and almost smooth. 
3  In a large mixing bowl, combine ground sausage, chopped garlic, onion, apple, cheese, panko, egg and salt and pepper.  Using your hands, blend thoroughly until all ingredients are combined.  This mixture should turn almost doughy and easy to mold.  You may need to add more panko, or bits of olive oil to either dry it out or moisten it up to desired texture.

4  Remove the stems from the mushrooms so that just the hollowed out caps are left, and wash thoroughly.   Transfer the mixture into the mushroom caps carefully, being sure not to push too hard as they will break.  I usually allow the mixture to pile quite high on top of the mushroom too, but add as much of the mixture as you see fit.  Place in a baking pan and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the tops.  Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes, or until the mushrooms appear dark grey and the filling appears golden brown.