Warm and Creamy Mushroom Dip
Simple and satisfying comfort food for cool winter nights. Try with morels, hedgehogs, or other robustly flavored mushrooms.
by Tahoma Mycological Society
%20(from%20inaturalist_org%2C%20obs_%20335277859).jpg)
Hydnum olympicum. © ladycartoonist (CC-BY-NC) (from inaturalist.org, obs. 335277859)
Method
Chop the mushrooms.**
Lightly sauté the the mushrooms in butter.
Gradually add the cream cheese in 1 tablespoon chunks.
Serve warm, maintaining a very low temperature, along with crackers or veggies for dipping.
Optionally, add a little white wine to taste, along with shallots and fresh thyme or other herbs.
** If you have sturdy mushrooms, chunky bits give the dip a satisfying texture. If you have thinner or delicate mushrooms, chop them more finely to infuse the cream cheese with their flavor.
For example, hedgehogs tend to hold less water, so larger chunks brown well without getting soggy, adding a nice texture to the dip. Yellowfoot are thin and cook down quickly, so if you chop them finely and sauté them well to concentrate their sugars, they will infuse the cream cheese to create a more creamy dip. Or try different combos, such as meaty mushrooms for texture and finely chopped mushrooms for aroma.
Recipe contributed:
December
1993
Objective:
Appetizer
Total Time:
About 15 mins
Yield:
6 to 8 servings
Suggested Mushrooms:
- Chanterelle (Cantharellus californicus, Cantharellus formosus, Cantharellus subalbidus)
- Hedgehog (Hydnum olympicum, Hydnum repandum , Hydnum umbilicatum, Hydnum washintonianum)
- Maitake (Grifola frondosa)
- Morel (Morchella sp.)
- Porcini (Boletus edulis, Boletus regineus, Boletus rex-veris)
- Yellowfoot (winter chanterelle) (Craterellus tubaeformis)
Login as an FFSC member to access the rest of this content.
Ingredients
1/4 lb. mushrooms*
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 lb. butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Crackers or veggies for dipping
Chafing dish, Sterno (canned heat), or low-temperature hot plate
* Choose mushrooms with earthy, robust, or meaty flavors, so their taste stands out in the rich, tangy fat of the cream cheese.