Baked Pecan-Stuffed Mushrooms
- 3½ dozen (about 1 pound) uniformly small mushrooms (no more than 1½ inches across)
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- 2 ounces (¼ cup firmly packed) cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 medium garlic clove, crushed
- 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh lemon thyme or ¼ teaspoon crumbled dried leaf thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup half-and-half blended with ¼ cup heavy cream
Instructions:
I often put these mushrooms out as cocktail hors d’oeuvre but cool them first so they’re easy to handle. This recipe makes 3½ dozen bite-size hors d’oeuvre.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Remove the mushroom stems, wipe clean, chop fine, and reserve. Also wipe the mushroom caps clean and reserve.
- Combine all remaining ingredients except the half-and-half mixture with the chopped mushroom stems, then pack firmly into the mushroom caps, mounding as needed.
- Arrange the mushrooms one layer deep in an ungreased 13 × 9 × 2-inch baking pan, drizzle the half-and-half mixture over all, then cover the pan with aluminum foil.
- Slide onto the middle oven rack and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender, basting once or twice with the cream in the pan.
- Remove from the oven, baste once again with the cream, and serve hot as a vegetable. Or, if you prefer, cool to room temperature and serve as an hors d’oeuvre.