Stuffed mushrooms are timeless, popular appetizers. They make terrific hors d'oeuvres. The fillings vary from luxurious crabmeat or crumbled sausage to melty cheesy and wilted spinach. However, as rich and gooey as these fillings are, they run the risk of overpowering the flavor of the mushroom itself, which really isn’t fair. After all, if the humble mushroom is doing the heavy lifting as a vessel for the stuffing, it also deserves to be front and center in flavor.
This recipe gives the mushroom its due respect by using it in two ways: as the vessel and a duxelles filling. Duxelles is a French preparation of finely chopped mushrooms, sautéed until the juices release, along with aromatics to enhance the mushroom flavor. The result is an intense mound of fungi that may appear underwhelming, but delivers deep, earthy flavor.
