Several years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Peabody Hotel in Orlando Florida. I was so impressed with the elegance of the hotel and the extraordinary dining experience, that I have never forgotten it. On this particular trip, I even discovered the famous Peabody Ducks. I had the opportunity to see their famous march from their penthouse suite down to the atrium fountain. This is a ritual that began at one of the sister properties in Memphis, and is now practiced at all of the other Peabody hotels in the USA. If you would like to see more about this beautiful hotel, click here.
During this visit, we had the opportunity to stay for a few days, and experienced a magnificent dinner and an unforgettable brunch the next day. One of the meals we were served was an appetizer of sautéed Portobello mushrooms in a demi- glace sauce layered between freshly baked layers of puff pastry. I had been dreaming of this delicious appetizer for years, and finally decided that I was going to try to replicate it. Making demi glace sauce can be quite time consuming, so I ended up buying some freshly made veal stock from the Butcher’s Block in Annapolis (you can find it in their freezer section). I then added a dark roux that I made with flour and clarified butter, and reduced it down before adding in the sautéed mushrooms. It was truly delicious! I actually made a larger serve for everyone, and we had it for dinner with a salad. If you would prefer to keep this vegetarian, make it with a hearty vegetable stock, I’m sure that would be equally good!
Mushroom Napoleon
I sheet prepared puff pastry (cut into equal squares)
3 large Portobello mushroom caps
3 sprigs of thyme (about 1 tablespoon)
I pint veal stock
1 tablespoon flour
5 tablespoons clarified butter
S&P
Preheat your oven to 350°. Remove your sheet of puff pastry from the freezer and allow to thaw. Cut into even pieces (I cut it into 8 large pieces but you can cut them smaller). The pieces that will be on the bottom need to remain flat and should not puff up. To do this, place the slices on a sheet pan lined with parchment. Score each piece of dough all over with a fork. Place another piece of parchment on top of this, and then set another sheet pan inside the other. The weight of the top sheet pan will prevent the dough from rising.
The top pieces you definitely want them to puff up because that will give you a really beautiful presentation. Place these pieces on another sheet pan lined with parchment, but do not cover them with anything. Bake these pieces for about 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
While these are in the oven, clean and slice your mushrooms. Add 3 tablespoons of the clarified butter to a sautee pan and gently sautee the mushrooms until they become caramelized, then put them into a bowl and set aside. Using the same pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of clarified butter along with the flour and cook over low heat for about 30-45 minutes until the roux starts to take on a little color. The longer you cook it, the darker it will get. Don’t worry, this is not “burning” the flour, it is just caramelizing it and adding flavor. Once you have achieved a nice caramel color, add in your veal stock , thyme and mushrooms and let it slowly cook together in the sauce for a few minutes. Remove the puff pastry sheets from the oven and while they are still warm, layer your crispy sheets with the mushrooms and the sauce…Heaven!
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