Cream of mushroom

DP,

 if you are using heavy cream or whipping cream and let it reduce enough, you probably don't need to add roux .not sure what you mean by 'immerse'....maybe you can explain that...green bean cassrole, while being snubbed by some, can and is a great dish, done right...for me i saute mushrooms and shallots..i like creminis, but regular mushrooms are good too... deglaze with wine or vermouth or good sherry(my choice), add cream...let reduce...add s&p somewhere in there...blanch green beans...butter or oil pyrex baking dish....i mix the beans and the sauce, then pour extra sauce on top, but you can put the beans in and then pour the sauce over...top with bread crumbs or onion rings/pieces and bake... buy the good ones in the bag if you can find them...they are less greasy than the knock offs...or of course, make your own....you want lots of sauce yet not too much...not swimming...bake til bubbly...oh boy, here it comes....thanksgiving everyone...yeah!!!...hope this helps...sure there are lots of others who have great ideas... 

joey

French Crumb Crust

(For one pie)

Ingredients:

6 tbs unsalted butter

6 tbs brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (preferably Vietnamese)

Pinch salt

3/4 cup AP flour

1/2 cup chopped pecans or filberts (aka hazelnuts).

Technique:

Soften the butter.  Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and butter until well combined.  Use a fork or pastry cutter to cut in the flour; mixture should be slightly lumpy.  Mix in the nuts.

Prepare an apple pie as usual, but without a top crust.  Use your fingers to sprinkle the crumb topping over the fruit.   You want an even, but not perfectly even covering.

A better alternative is to omit the cinnamon from the topping and use goldschlager and vanilla accented, sweetened whipped cream to garnish.

BDL

hope you all induldge me if this is a repeat question...since the seasons' will soon be upon us and it will be 'pie time' i have a crust question....can one add both butter and shortening to a crust? butter = flavor, shortening = flakiness...so why not both....i usually just use butter cuz i always go for flavor but hmmmm, just got me to thinking....anyone else? i do add vodka instead of water just cuz it's cool and it works (adds flakiness) and your friends' are always even more impressed..soo, just curious has anyone done this? thanks

joey

I usually use butter and lard. Maybe 3 - 1 or 3 - 2.  It gives both flavor, tenderness and flakiness.  I suppose you could also use shortening, but check out the recent thread on crisco and pies, and what seems to have happened to crisco.  I shun it because it's weird, but apparently it's changed and doesn't work like it used to. 

For your onion & bean cassarole try buying a bag in the potato chip aisle of onion rings,.Crumble them up and top dish with it.

  Comes out very good it already has crumbs and flavor in one.

  I also break up and sprinkle on salads as croutons, they taste good and do not get soggy as fast as bread does.

thanks siduri...i don't  nor ever have used crisco...they all seem so 'unhealthy'...

joey

DP,

 i meant to add that if this is your first spin around the block with making a mushroom sauce, do it ahead of time..should be good in your fridge for at least 4 or 5 days...i just wouldn't wait til the day of or the last minute....when you make the sauce ahead a great advantage is that on the day of you can just reheat your sauce (slowly), cook your beans and then go from there. as far as how much to cook the beans, i think they should be more than blanched but less than mush...keep in mind that they will cook more in the oven...nice idea from chefed with the bagged onion rings....i've never seen them, but then again i haven't looked.....everybody loves green bean casserole, so don't worry...just don't screw it up!!!

joey