Several Irish farmhouse cheese makers produce blue cheese: Cashel Blue, made in Tipperary; Bellingham Blue, made in County Louth; Abbey Blue, a Brie-style cheese made in County Laois; and Kerrygold, a major importer of commercially made fresh cheeses, recently introduced Kerrygold Blue. Blue cheese goes from starter to main course to cheese board so effortlessly that recipes hardly seem needed. Blue cheese–stuffed mushrooms like these are popular at many Irish pubs, such as Kyteler’s Inn, in Kilkenny, where cream cheese and thyme are added, and at O’Shea’s Merchant, in Dublin, where the chef serves them with a garlic and chive dip. I like these with marmalade-mustard sauce.
SERVES 4; MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP OF SAUCE
MARMALADE-MUSTARD SAUCE
1 cup orange marmalade
2 teaspoons English-style mustard, preferably Coleman’s
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey
STUFFED MUSHROOMS
16 large white mushrooms, stems removed
8 ounces blue cheese, preferably Irish, at room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
All-purpose flour for dredging
2 large eggs beaten with 2 tablespoons water
Fresh white bread crumbs for dredging (see Note, page 33)
Canola oil for frying
Mixed salad greens for garnish
1 To make the sauce: In a small saucepan over low heat, cook the marmalade for 2 to 3 minutes, or until slightly runny. Whisk in the mustard and whiskey. Transfer to 4 small ramekins or dishes and set aside.
2 To make the stuffed mushrooms: Wipe the mushroom caps with a moist paper towel. (Use the stems in a soup or omelet.) In a small bowl, combine the blue cheese and cream cheese. Mash with a fork until blended. With a small knife or spoon, stuff the mushroom caps with the cheese mixture. Put the flour in one shallow bowl, the egg wash in another, and the bread crumbs in a third. Dredge the mushrooms in the flour, dip in the egg wash, then cover with bread crumbs.
3 Pour 2 inches of oil into an electric skillet or a large stove-top pan and heat to 325°F. Drop the mushrooms, 2 at a time, into the hot oil. Cook, turning frequently with a wooden spoon, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. With a slotted spoon, remove each mushroom as soon as it’s browned, and drain on paper towels.
4 To serve, place the ramekins or dishes with the sauce in the center of 4 salad plates. Arrange some mixed greens around each ramekin and place 4 mushrooms on top.