Mushroom gratin

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 90 ml olive oil, divided into 2 equal portions
• 1.4 kg white mushrooms, medium-sized, quartered
• salt and pepper
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped, divided into 2 equal portions
• 225 g cream cheese
• 125 g Gruyère, grated
• 115 g Panko, in 2 equal parts
• 90 g Parmesan, freshly grated, in 2 portions
• 15 g parsley, flat, finely chopped
• 60 g butter, liquid

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

Also suitable for preparation

Place the oven rack on the middle shelf. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Place a large frying pan over moderately high heat and heat the first portion of the oil. When it’s very hot, but not smoking hot, add half of the mushrooms and let them brown for 1-2 minutes without stirring. Season with salt and pepper and add a portion of the garlic. Stir the mushrooms to brown on all sides and release any excess liquid. Continue stirring until just a little liquid remains at the bottom of the pan, but they are not dry. Remove the cooked mushrooms and their juices from the pan and place them in a large bowl. Repeat this process with the remaining mushrooms, garlic, oil, salt, and pepper. Once all the mushrooms are in the bowl, stir in the cream cheese, just until blended. Fold a portion of panko, all of the Gruyère, half of the Parmesan, and most of the parsley into the mushrooms. Pour the mixture into a 2-liter casserole dish. Mix the remaining breadcrumbs and Parmesan with the butter and a little salt, and sprinkle over the mushrooms. Bake in the preheated oven until light golden brown, about 25-30 minutes, and serve sprinkled with parsley. Note: This side dish is easy to make ahead of time—simply cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to use. When the time is right, warm the casserole (still covered with aluminum foil) in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture and finish baking, uncovered, for about another 25 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.