A while back I posted a brisket smoke where I had intended to make the French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms as a side item but never got around to it as I spent several hours on the phone with a retired buddy living in Costa Rica I had not heard from in a while. Finally got around to making them tonight along with some nice thick loin chops.
The mushroom recipe can be found at this SMF post
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/136657/french-onion-soup-stuffed-mushrooms
Original recipe was for the regular sized white mushrooms but I picked up a nice pack of large ones at Sam's Club the other day. Butter stick is for scale. *Note: These larger mushroom ended up taking longer to cook than the time in the original recipe.
Two large sweet onions in the cast iron pan with the butter
About 20 minutes later after they caramelized some
After tossing in the wine, broth and Worcestershire and letting the liquid reduce. This would go great on just about anything from hotdogs to brisket.
This is the wine I used. We received this bottle over the Christmas holiday and it was a good drinking wine as well. It has a slight flavor tone of plum, blackberry, black cherry, and mulberry.
Tossed the mushroom caps in a larger pan with some butter to start the cooking process. Probably could have tossed a little longer due to their size though (photo was at the start). Added some kosher salt after this photo was taken.
Here is the Gruyere cheese I used (also from Sam's Club). It had a very good flavor by it's self.
Mushrooms, onions & cheese assembled in the baking dish and ready for the oven.
Mushrooms are in the oven, so it's time to turn my attention to the pork loin chops. They are about 1 1/2" thick. Dried and patted with the basic Smoke & Spice rub. (*Note: might want to go heavier on rub as this is "IT" for flavoring on this pork)
After wiping out the cast iron pan used for the onions, a little fresh oil and into the pan go the loin chops
Flipped them to start the sear on the other side. And then after searing the edges by holding with tongs, covered the cast iron pan and into the oven with the mushrooms they go (also bumped the temp from 325* to 350*).
Mushrooms were larger than the ones in the recipe so it ended up taking longer than expected to bake them. I intended on pulling the pork at about 140* internal and letting it coast up to 145-150* while resting but went a little over. It was still fine and not dry. Here is the pair when done.
Plated and cut - time to dig in......
Final comments on this evenings dinner....
I think I could have used a heavier coating of rub on the chops, but I went light as the wife does not like it as much as I do. Overall the chops were very good, tender and moist (although they should have been pulled a few minutes earlier than I did). I think next time I will reserve some of the onions and make a onion wine glaze to serve with the chops for additional flavor complexity (I mean, it's pork and absent the rub it's just white meat pork).
The stuffed mushrooms were good. The onions wanted to come away from the mushroom when cut as Gruyere is a somewhat firm cheese, and I think I will put a little soft mozzarella cheese under the onions and under the top coating of Gruyere next time. It's a softer cheese and might tend to hold them all together better. I forgot to add the parsley after baking also but I don't think the absence of parsley really would affect the flavor. I also would salt and pepper the onions a little heavier but again, the wife has a more delicate pallet than I do.
Overall both were excellent and worth doing again.
The mushroom recipe can be found at this SMF post
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/136657/french-onion-soup-stuffed-mushrooms
Original recipe was for the regular sized white mushrooms but I picked up a nice pack of large ones at Sam's Club the other day. Butter stick is for scale. *Note: These larger mushroom ended up taking longer to cook than the time in the original recipe.
Two large sweet onions in the cast iron pan with the butter
About 20 minutes later after they caramelized some
After tossing in the wine, broth and Worcestershire and letting the liquid reduce. This would go great on just about anything from hotdogs to brisket.
This is the wine I used. We received this bottle over the Christmas holiday and it was a good drinking wine as well. It has a slight flavor tone of plum, blackberry, black cherry, and mulberry.
Tossed the mushroom caps in a larger pan with some butter to start the cooking process. Probably could have tossed a little longer due to their size though (photo was at the start). Added some kosher salt after this photo was taken.
Here is the Gruyere cheese I used (also from Sam's Club). It had a very good flavor by it's self.
Mushrooms, onions & cheese assembled in the baking dish and ready for the oven.
Mushrooms are in the oven, so it's time to turn my attention to the pork loin chops. They are about 1 1/2" thick. Dried and patted with the basic Smoke & Spice rub. (*Note: might want to go heavier on rub as this is "IT" for flavoring on this pork)
After wiping out the cast iron pan used for the onions, a little fresh oil and into the pan go the loin chops
Flipped them to start the sear on the other side. And then after searing the edges by holding with tongs, covered the cast iron pan and into the oven with the mushrooms they go (also bumped the temp from 325* to 350*).
Mushrooms were larger than the ones in the recipe so it ended up taking longer than expected to bake them. I intended on pulling the pork at about 140* internal and letting it coast up to 145-150* while resting but went a little over. It was still fine and not dry. Here is the pair when done.
Plated and cut - time to dig in......
Final comments on this evenings dinner....
I think I could have used a heavier coating of rub on the chops, but I went light as the wife does not like it as much as I do. Overall the chops were very good, tender and moist (although they should have been pulled a few minutes earlier than I did). I think next time I will reserve some of the onions and make a onion wine glaze to serve with the chops for additional flavor complexity (I mean, it's pork and absent the rub it's just white meat pork).
The stuffed mushrooms were good. The onions wanted to come away from the mushroom when cut as Gruyere is a somewhat firm cheese, and I think I will put a little soft mozzarella cheese under the onions and under the top coating of Gruyere next time. It's a softer cheese and might tend to hold them all together better. I forgot to add the parsley after baking also but I don't think the absence of parsley really would affect the flavor. I also would salt and pepper the onions a little heavier but again, the wife has a more delicate pallet than I do.
Overall both were excellent and worth doing again.
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