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Mushroom Nests, Pumpkin Cream, and Mozzarella

17/11/2023

Mushroom nests with pumpkin cream and mozzarella are a delicious and comforting autumnal dish, perfect for a special evening or a hearty lunch. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

  • 500 g of champignon mushrooms or a mix of wild mushrooms
  • 400 g of cleaned pumpkin
  • 200 g of buffalo mozzarella
  • 1 shallot
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 100 g of grated Parmesan
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Nutmeg to taste
  • Fresh thyme to taste
  • Vegetable broth (may be necessary if the cream is too thick)
  • Optional: 1 egg yolk to enrich the pumpkin cream

Preparation

  1. Begin by dicing the pumpkin and finely chopping the shallot. Sauté the shallot in a pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil until it becomes transparent.

  2. Add the pumpkin to the sauté, add a pinch of salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Let the pumpkin slightly brown.

  3. Pour in some vegetable broth and cook the pumpkin until soft. If you desire a richer cream, you could add an egg yolk towards the end of cooking.

  4. When the pumpkin is cooked, blend it with an immersion blender until it becomes a smooth cream. Adjust salt and pepper and keep it warm.

  5. Clean the mushrooms and, if they are large, slice them. In a second pan, sauté the garlic with some oil, then remove it and add the mushrooms. Cook them until they are golden and the water has evaporated. Add thyme leaves and a pinch of salt towards the end of cooking.

  6. Cut the mozzarella into slices or tear it up with your hands.

  7. Assemble the dish: place a base of warm pumpkin cream on the plate, overlap with the roasted mushrooms forming a kind of nest and place the mozzarella in the center to slightly melt it. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan.

Curiosity

The dish captivates with its autumnal flavors and presentation, which resembles a welcoming “nest”. Mushrooms and pumpkin are typical seasonal ingredients that pair wonderfully together, creating a balance of flavors between the earthy mushrooms and the sweetness of the pumpkin, with the addition of mozzarella that adds creaminess and binds all the ingredients together.

Mushroom Nests, Pumpkin Cream, and Mozzarella