If you like blue cheese, you will love these stuffed mushrooms! The blue cheese is not overpowering because there is only 2 tablespoons of it for 12 large mushrooms.
The flavor of the blue cheese is enhanced by raisins, apple, fresh fennel and also my new favorite, Marcona almonds. The Marcona almonds add a little more of a smoky complex flavor than regular almonds would. If you can’t find Marcona almonds (I buy mine at Trader Joes), or don’t want to spend the money you can try using Smokehouse flavored almonds but I would wipe some of the seasoning off of the outside because it is really salty.
Fresh tarragon also adds a nice flavor to these stuffed mushrooms. There is a couple of tablespoons of goat cheese to add to the creaminess of the filling. You could probably also use sour cream or yogurt if you would rather.
If your onions are too strong then you can saute them for just a minute in a little bit of water before adding them to the mushroom stuffing mixture.
Mushrooms Stuffed with Fennel, Apple and Blue Cheese
You can prep these stuffed mushrooms earlier in the day and then bake them right before you are ready to serve.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
12 mushrooms to stuff- they should be about 3 inches across.
Clean mushrooms (I do it in water and let dry for a few minutes on a paper towel)
Cut the bottom stem end off then remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop finely to add to the stuffing mixture.
I use a little spoon and make the opening of the mushroom where the stuffing goes a little bigger if it is soft enough. Don’t worry about it if the mushroom is really firm becaus it will break!
Mix filling ingredients in bowl:
1/2 cup very fresh fennel, chopped fine. (If your fennel is not that fresh looking, you may want to saute it in a little bit of water first to take away some of the oxidized flavor)
1/2 cup apple, finely chopped (I used Gala and left the skin on for color and texture)
1/4 cup raisins
2 tablespoons blue cheese
2 tablespoons goat cheese (I use Chavre because it’s creamy)
1 and 1/2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, minced
1/4 cup Marcona almonds, chopped
pepper to taste
I used a squeeze of lime to brighten the flavors.
If your mushrooms are large, you might want to bake them for 3 minutes before you fill them at 375 degrees with the bottom side up. That way you will not need to cook the stuffing mixture so long and it will retain more texture.
Stuff mushrooms with the mixture and bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.
Enjoy!
