Mushrooms stuffed with Braised Short Ribs

This is another recipe from the Holiday Appetizers cooking class that I attended last night.  There were so many great new things that I tried, but this recipe was the winner of the evening!  Everyone commented that it was so good and definitely everyone's favorite.  It is not a quick recipe, but I think that it is well worth the effort!

Olive oil
2 beef short ribs (boneless from Costco work the best) *
1 carrot - chopped

1 small onion - chopped

1 celery stalk - chopped
3 garlic cloves - smashed with the back of a knife
1/2 cup red wine
1 quart veal or beef stock
1 quart chicken stock
5 or 6 thyme springs
20 large white mushroom caps - cleaned

1/2 cup creme fraiche
2 TB. prepared bottled horseradish
1 tsp. lemon juice
fine sea salt
freshly ground white pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Farenheit.

*Please note that the short ribs that I used were nice, long, meaty, boneless beef short ribs. You do not want the tiny ones from the grocery store that barely have any meat on them. If you don't have a Costco around, ask the meat counter at your local grocery store for help.

Place enough olive oil in a medium oven-proof pot to cover the bottom.  Heat over high heat.  When the oil is hot, seat the short ribs on each side, about 1 minute per side.  Remove the ribs to a clean plate and set aside.

Add the carrot, onion, celery and garlic to the pot and cook over medium-high heat until almost browned and softened, about 4 minutes.  Add the wine and reduce until the pot is almost dry. 

Return the ribs to the pot and cover with the stock and bring to a boil.  Add the thyme and cover.  Place in the oven and cook for 3 1/2 hours or until the meat is very tender.

In a bowl, whisk together the creme fraiche, horseradish and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper, place in a sqeeze bottle and refrigerate until needed.  You can actually make this sauce a few days ahead of time and just refrigerate.  It would also be really great to serve with Prime Rib!

Remove the pot from the oven and raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees farenheit.  Transfer the ribs to a plate.  While they are still warm, shred the meat using two forks. 

Strain the ribs cooking liquid into another pot.  Place the pot over high heat and reduce the liquid to a sauce consistency.  It should coat the back of a spoon.

Now we need to pre-cook the mushrooms to remove some of the water.  This step will keep the finished stuffed mushroom from getting too soggy. 

Drizzle some olive oil on a baking sheet and add the mushroom caps.  Note: be sure to clean the mushrooms by removing the stem and coring out some of the inside brown bits.  Drizzle some more olive oil over the mushrooms.  Bake for about 8-10 minutes to remove the water.  You might see water accumulate inside the mushroom cap.  Remove from the oven and drain any water from the mushrooms.


Place the drained mushroom caps back on the baking sheet and fill with the shredded short ribs.  Return to the oven and cook until the mushrooms are soft and brown - approximately 15-20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and arrange on your serving platter.  Spoon a small amount of sauce on top of each mushroom.  Serve with the horseradish/creme fraiche sauce drizzled on top.  You can also dress the top of the mushrooms with some micro-greens for a nice presentation.



Serves 20


Recipe from White Apron Cooking Class