Mushroom Croustade Recipe (Cauldron Cakes)

My recipe for cauldron cakes are really mushroom canapes. There are also other recipes for cauldron cakes that are really cakes, or cupcakes. Since we already had pizza and enough sweets at the party, I decided that we adults needed some savory side dishes instead.

Mushroom Croustades (Cauldron Cakes)
adapted from a Better Homes and Gardens recipe

Ingredients:
24 slices firm-texture bread (wheat or pumpernickel works well)
4 tablespoons chopped shallot or onion
1/4 cup margarine or butter
16 oz finely chopped fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I use Italian flat leaf)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
dash ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
sour cream and chives for garnish (optional)

Instructions:
Lightly grease 24 2½ inch muffin cups (mini-muffin pan). With a cookie cutter, cut a 2½ inch round from each slice of bread. Carefully press each bread round into one of the prepared muffin cups to form a shell.

Bake in a 400 °F oven for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.

For filling, cook shallots or onion in the margarine or butter for 4 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, cook, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in flour. Add cream all at once.

Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more; remove from heat. Stir in the chives, parsley, lemon juice, salt, red pepper and black pepper. Adjust salt and pepper if needed, this recipe goes light on the salt.

Remove bread shells from muffin pan and place on a shallow baking pan. Spoon filling into shells, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 °F oven for 15 minutes. If desired, top with sour cream and snipped chives as garnish.

Other options instead of the bread cups are phyllo dough, wonton wrappers, cut up flour tortillas in the muffin pan. Brush with a little melted butter before baking. I've also used refrigerated pie crust to make the mini-cups.

Serve on a fancy silver platter, Hogwarts style!

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