Mushrooms Stuffed with Bacon, Blue, & Cherry
Mushrooms. I could seriously eat them every single day of the week. Their earthiness is something I find hard to resist, whether grilled, sauteed, or in this case, stuffed.
I remember making stuffed mushrooms as a kid, with a recipe of Mom’s that involved lots of gooey mozzarella cheese. It was a favorite appetizer that our family made for special occasions, and there were never any leftovers.
This recipe for Mushrooms Stuffed with Bacon, Blue Cheese, & Dried Cherry is a little more involved than the one from my childhood, but incredibly worth the extra time and effort. The meaty bites are packed with flavor. Lots of yummy flavor. I love how the salty bacon and blue cheese is offset by little pops of sweet dried cherry. It’s a fabulous coming together of tastes and textures. My “blue cheese is gross” oldest daughter even downed a few. There really is no resisting.
Ile de France sent me some of their beautiful Roquefort over the holidays. And I have proceeded to enjoy it sprinkled on green salads, on crackers with a drizzle of honey, and as a major component in the awesome Mushrooms Stuffed with Bacon, Blue Cheese, & Dried Cherry. Creamy and robust, this cheese is both versatile and delicious!
Disclosure: Thanks to Ile de France for providing me with yummy Roquefort to sample. You can find Ile de France on facebook and twitter. All text and opinions are my own.
Mushrooms Stuffed with Bacon, Blue Cheese, & Dried Cherry
Ingredients
- 24 to 26 medium to large sized baby portabello mushrooms about 1-1/2″ to 2″ in diameter
- 4 slices bacon
- ¼ c. small diced shallot
- 4 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
- 4 oz. blue cheese crumbled
- 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
- ⅓ c. small diced dried cherries I love the ones from Trader Joe’s!
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 2 T. dried bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Pop the stems off the mushrooms, then finely dice the stems. Set aside both the stems and the caps.
- In a skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Add the diced mushroom stems and shallots to the same skillet with the bacon drippings, and give a stir every now and then. Once the shallots and mushrooms have softened (turn the heat down if they are browning too much), about 10 minutes or so, remove them to another paper towel-lined plate to cool.
- In a separate bowl, combine the cream cheese and blue cheese. Stir in the thyme, cherries, black pepper, and the cooled bacon, mushroom stems, and shallots. Using a teaspoon, fill the mushroom caps with a mound of the cheesy stuffing. Place in a baking dish and sprinkle with a bit of bread crumbs. Pop them into the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until softened and nicely browned. They are best eaten warm, so just let them cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
I LOVE Monterey Jack-straight up!!!!
Oh yum yum yum!
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i adore a soft triple cream, such as st. andre, on a warm baguette. yum.
My favorite cheese is a smoked cheddar and it’s basic, but I love it as a simple snack with a Granny Smith apple.
I love cheese, I guess one of my favorites is muenster.
Probably feta or mozzarella or brie:)
Ha! I know exactly what you mean. ;)
How can I choose a favorite?! I love parmesan, pepper jack, gouda, cheddar, blue cheese… pretty much all of them. I eat it with crackers, or top it on chili, in an omelet, cheesy eggs, or grilled cheese of course :)
I know. It’s a hard question to answer!!
I love goat cheese and will eat it in pretty much any meal– mac and cheese, quiches and tarts, on crackers. I recently made a goat cheese, butternut squash, and caramelized onions. Yummy!
Baked Brie is my absolute favorite. I also tend to like cheese without crackers or bread…so I can really taste the cheese!
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I like Grilled Gouda with salmon
Interesting combo! Sounds delicious!
I love all cheese. I’ve only once had a cheese I couldn’t eat. I’ve have too many favorites to honestly choose. But since I have to select one, I’ll say blue cheese. I buy an Amish smoked blue at my local grocery store that knocks my socks off. I could eat it at every meal – and sometimes I do. Thanks for the giveaway.
So I’m definitely curious about the cheese you couldn’t eat!! That smoked blue sounds fabulous!
The cheese I could not choke down was a German beer kase. I know there’s probably many versions, but the one I had was gross. I think I got it at a German delicatessen, if I remember right. It smelled okay, but the flavor was horrible. I just could not eat it and ended up throwing it away. Have you ever had Danish Tilset? It’s a type of Havarti. I’ve eaten it my whole life. Our family calls it “stinky cheese”, and so do the folks at the grocery store. My family is from Germany and they ate it “back home” before the war. It doesn’t taste anything like it smells, thankfully, and is very tasty. We eat it on rye with plum jam. Sounds weird, but tastes awesome. If you haven’t had it, you ought to try it some time.
I love fresh mozzarella (different from packaged) sliced and layered with sliced tomatoes, then drizzled with olive oil. Very italian!
Ohhhh…yum!!
I would say any cheese . Parmesan and blue are two of my favorites but I’ll take any cheese any day on anything.
My favorite cheese is the award-winning St. Pete’s Select blue cheese from Caves of Faribault, made right here in my community. This blue cheese and other cheeses are aged in the St. Peter Sandstone caves along the Straight River. There’s a delightful retail store/eatery in our historic downtown with a wide selection of cheeses, etc.
I enjoy my blue cheese most in a simple Romaine salad mixed with cucumber slices and fresh fruit like strawberries or grapes or raspberries. I usually top it with a lemon poppyseed dressing.
Sounds delicious, Audrey! I’ve had that St. Pete’s blue – it’s wonderful.
I am so not a mushroom person, but my husband adores them and he would totally be drooling over this recipe. I need to woman-up and make them for him. ;-)
Sounds like a good woman! ;)