Friday, December 28, 2007

Potato Canapés with Chanterelles

mushroomtartlets

This is one of my most requested recipes from friends and family lately! I've made them twice - first for a tupperware party, and then for my mother's birthday party. They disappeared like crazy - people really loved them. And what's not to love? The potato crust is really delicious and crispy and soft all at once (Thanks to Pille!), the filling is savory and rich, without feeling greasy or heavy (Umm, thanks to.. me?) and the combination, plus the addition of pink peppercorns (that aren't really peppercorns at all) is just incredible! (And that's thanks to Kristina, who got the stellar idea to put two and two together and end up with more than just the sum of its parts.)

Do make the potato crusts just as instructed. Yes, you DO need to make little paper balls and put in them or they will just puff up. I learned it the hard way. You will too. But don't worry - making the balls is quite fun! The dough will make a little more than you need - I made twice the amount and got three times as many canapés, but if I'm only making this for a few people, I'd probably just throw away the excess dough and not bother about making another half pan-full.

You can use all button mushrooms instead of funnel chanterelles for the filling. I did that for christmas, and it turned out just fine. In fact, I'd wager that you can use any mushrooms - just stick to your favorites, and you can't go wrong!

Potato Canapés with Chanterelles
Makes 24

200 g boiled potatoes
125 g butter
200 g flour (wholewheat is fine)
salt

Either boil the potatoes if they're raw, and grate them right away - use a potato ricer or a food mill. Or use leftover potatoes, and grate them.

Mix with flour, butter and salt until you have a soft dough. (Yes, you can use a food processor.) Place cold for at least 30 minutes. Roll out into a 3-4 mm thick dough, and use a suitable cutter to cut circles that will fit into your mini-muffin pan. (Or whatever size pans you're using, but I find the 24-hole mini-muffin pans perfect.) Press the circles into the holes in your pan to make little cups.

Make tiny balls from parchment paper, and place one in each cup. This will keep the dough from puffing up.

Bake at 200°C until the edges color - about 10 minutes. Remove the paper balls, and put the pan back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let them cool completely.

Funnel Chanterelle Dip

100 g funnel chanterelles
200 g button mushrooms
200 g cream cheese
1 small onion
salt
pepper
olive oil

Mince the onion and the mushrooms, and fry in a little bit of oil until softened. Let cool completely. Mix with the cheese, and flavor with salt and pepper.

To decorate:
pink peppercorns, crushed

You can make them a couple of hours in advance, but don't let them be filled too long, or they will go a little soggy. You can prepare both shells and filling the day before instead, and keep separately. The shells might benefit from a quick blitz in the oven to crisp up a bit, but again, don't fill them until they're cool.

Finish with a sprinkle of crushed pink peppercorns.

Recipe in Swedish:
Potatiskrustader med kantarellröra

8 comments:

Nikki said...

Pink peppercorns... I had a recipe calling for that over Christmas and when I asked a guy in the spices section of Maxi - he directed me to a bottle of rose pepper. Which I already had at home. But assumed he knew what he was talking about. I think I gave him too much credit. It isn't the same thing, is it?

Anne said...

Nikki - as far as I know, they're the same! At least, rose pepper is what I used - I just thought pink peppercorns was more internationally recognized.

Greg said...

Ah, little potato cups. How interesting. I'll bet you could fill those with all sorts of savory goodness. I may have to make something like this for New Year's Eve. Thanks for the inspiration.

Ann-Louise said...

I must agree with Greg that these adorable little potato cups are a great idea for New Year!

Helene said...

Those look gorgeous! I can see why they would disappear fast! Lovely idea for a party nibble!

Anonymous said...

These are the first thing I've cooked from your blog and they were wonderful! Will try more of your recipes in the future.

Pille said...

Anne - you're welcome :) I love the potato cups, as they are very easy to make and extremely versatile. I've filled them with various types of salads (incl wild mushroom one, of course), haggis, etc. I'm glad you liked the recipe!
Re: rose pepper/pink peppercorns - they are the same thing indeed. In the UK it was easier for me to find pickled pink peppercorns (no good for baking, unfortunately), whereas in Estonia (and I assume in Sweden) they're sold as dry spice (excellent for garnishing and baking).
Happy new year!

Lisa said...

That looks amazing. Just my kind of food.