1UP Mushrooms

There once lived a princess who liked pretty things and loved to eat fabulous food. She drank delicious cosmopolitans while bathing in champagne and only dined on white truffles, caviar and uni. And she refused to eat any desserts other than macarons from Laduree. The princess really loved macarons. She also really loved shoes and everything sequin. The princess lived a gluttonous life and was about to learn the repercussions of her fabulous life. One sunny day, the princess put on her favorite green jeans. But to her surprise, she could not zip them. She forced the zipper shut but then it broke. The princess called 911. After a thorough check, the physicians diagnosed her with fatty liver syndrome and a sudden increase in waist size from too much fabulousness. The doctors put the princess on a strict diet of only mushrooms, spinach and potatoes, else her ass would get ginormous that it would need another zipcode. The princess did not want that. So she started her diet. She tried stewing the veggies, roasting it, puree-ing it, and even tried to eat it raw. But it just wasn't pretty. It was far from fabulous. The princess could not bare this diet any longer. She ordered her elves to bring her some mouth-watering macarons from Laduree. However, as she was about to eat a macaron, the princess had a fabulous idea. A mushroom macaron with potato and spinach puree filling? The princess put her elves to work immediately! And voila!

The princess loved the mushroom macarons that looked like the supermario 1up icon. She was able to stick to her diet and lived happily ever after in her green jeans.

All that was just a joke. Well, kind of. So here is the recipe!

Macarons de Champignon (Mushroom Macaroons)

So the real story behind this recipe is that I placed #2 in culinary school with this as one of my many side dishes to my beautiful seabass. The French didn't see it as a macaron but more of a burger...

MAKES 8 PIECES

INGREDIENTS:
16 medium sized white mushrooms
2 medium size potatoes peeled, cut into 1” cubes
3½ cups (¼ pound) of loosely packed spinach leaves
¼ cup of mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons of oil (vegetable or peanut)
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of chives, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
A pinch of nutmeg

PREPARATION OF THE FILLING:
Put the peeled and cut potatoes in a medium size pot and add cold water so the potatoes are completely submerged. Add a teaspoon of salt and boil until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork. About 10-15 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the spinach. In another medium sized pot, heat water and a teaspoon of salt. Once the water starts to boil, add the spinach and cook for about 3 minutes until the spinach is completely wilted. Refresh the spinach in cold water to keep the beautiful green color. Then drain and squeeze out as much of the water as you can. Chop into small pieces. Set aside. When the potatoes are ready, drain and transfer them to a bowl. Mash the potatoes with a fork. Combine the spinach, mascarpone and nutmeg. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

PREPARATION OF MUSHROOMS:
Clean the mushroom caps with a wet paper towel and remove the stalks. Heat oil and butter on medium heat in a large sauté pan. Lay the mushrooms top side down and let it cook for about 5 minutes. The mushrooms will let out water, but do not worry. Turn the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes. Turn up the heat to high and turn the mushrooms top side down again. The cooking is finished when all the water has evaporated and the mushrooms are well colored and have a golden hew. About 2 minutes.

ASSEMBLY:
Place a mushroom cap top side down. Take a tablespoon of the filling and place it on top. Then, cover with another mushroom cap. Top with some chopped chives. Repeat the process. Serve as a side dish or individual finger food.