There are few appetizers that whet my palate like stuffed mushrooms.  I just love ’em.  As usual, my appetizer for the wine tasting party was a bit more involved than I would normally do.  There are several ways you could cut out the time (i.e. don’t cook the mushrooms before stuffing).  This makes a pretty big batch, too.

Recipe:
6 slices of bacon
2 large packages of baby portabellas
Olive oil (I used one infused with Italian Seasonings from a specialty shop. Oh, how I lurve specialty shops!)
1 package hot italian sausage
1 TBSP finely minced fresh rosemary
1 can water chestnuts, chopped fine
1 package cream cheese, slightly melted
1/3 cup breadcrumbs (I used panko)
1/2 cup Parmesan
1 large package goat cheese
1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped fine

In a sauce pan, fry up the bacon until crisp. Set aside on a paper towel. In same pan, drain the fat and then fry up the sausage. Meanwhile, clean the mushrooms and take off the stems. Place bottoms up on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  This helps to expel the liquid from the mushrooms.  Mix the goat cheese with the chopped cherries (I couldn’t use a food processor or chopper – had to use a knife).  I mixed them in the food processor, but mixing my hand would work, too.   When sausage is done, mix with the water chestnuts, Parmesan, rosemary, bread crumbs and cream cheese. The cream cheese helps to keep everything together. Crush up the bacon into small pieces.

Now, we put everything together. Put the mushrooms bottom down on the sheet (drain the sheet of any liquid first) and place a small layer of the goat cheese first. Cover with a mound of sausage and put some bacon pieces on top. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve warm, if possible. I put my serving dish in the oven during the last part of their cooking so it would be hot and keep them warm longer. I wish I had one of those fancy warming dishes.

They did not win this year, though I did get compliments on the taste.  They were pretty yummy. 🙂  Lots of people brought yummy appetizers.  I was definitely full when I got done sampling one of each.

As for the wine we brought…it was a box wine.  We have brought expensive wine to this tasting before and they never win.  People tend to lean towards lighter wines with less depth.  This box wine was actually reviewed in Wine Spectator, so it has some legitimacy…but still…box wine.  We put it in a decanter, but that seemed to throw people.  We did not win, but it was no worse than many of the wines there.  They asked for a low price point, which is what most people brought.  We left a bit early and came home and opened one of our good bottles.  Yes…I have become a wine snob. 😉