Presunto and Fig Stuffed Mushrooms

Thanksgiving has come and gone. The turkey was smokey, juicy, and tender. In a word, fantastic. The pomegranate chutney didn't make it to the table, but the other goodies such as stuffing (home made bread), the salads, green bean casserole (from scratch), and pumpkin pie (we aren't talking about canned filling or frozen pie either) were devoured. Unfortunately none of these made it onto my camera. But that doesn't mean I don't have anything to share before the upcoming holidays and parties.

Appetizers/hors d'oeuvres/tapas/aperitivos (<- Portuguese), whatever you choose to call them, they are something I always love to make and over the holiday I made several. I'm actually a little obsessed with them when it comes to the holidays (and at parties, I mean who doesn't like to have a bunch of different bites of yummy to try?).  In fact I would usually be perfectly content to just forgo the meal.

I've made stuffed mushrooms before, but they weren't too out of the ordinary really. These however are a different stuffed mushroom all together. I got the idea for them from a photo I saw back when I was scouring Flickr for photos for ideas when I was writing for Made In Kitchen. Hints of sweet, salty and creamy all stuffed into one mushroom. So good!

 

Presunto and Fig Stuffed Mushrooms

• 12 fresh crimini (button) mushrooms
• 5-6 dried figs, stems removed
• 5 or 6 thin slices of presunto
• 100 grams (3 1/2  oz) queijo fresco (fresh cheese)
• 50 grams (1 3/4 oz) cream cheese

Before you do anything, separate your slices of presunto (or prosciutto if you have troubles finding it labeled as presunto) and lay them out on a baking sheet and place in an oven at 3750F (180C) for about 10 minutes or until the edges are crisped up and it's curled upwards. If you are worried it'll stick, just line the baking sheet with parchment paper first.

Next, clean the mushrooms well. This can be easily done by rinsing them with water and patting dry (Don't fall into the hype of wiping them clean, it just takes more time, wastes clean cloths/paper towels and they don't absorb any extra water as they are mostly water anyways.). Set the clean mushrooms on a cutting board stem side up. Take your thumb and push on the end of the stem to pop it out whole. If any pieces are still still attached, just pick them out.  Set the stems to the side, don't throw 'em away.

Chop the figs roughly and toss in a bowl with the cheeses. Mix well. If you don't think you have enough filling, dice the mushroom stems and add them to the cheese and fig mixture. Take out the presunto and break up into smaller bits and add to the mix.

Using a teaspoon, scoop up some of the cheese, fig, presunto mixture and fill the mushroom caps until it's over flowing. You can add a good amount, no need to be skimpy on the filling.

Bake in a hot oven at 350F for about 10 minutes or until the cream cheese gets a golden brown color to it.

Serve warm, not cold (they just aren't as good!)