Mushrooms Bienville

Several years ago it seemed I was making stuffed mushrooms every time I turned around.  Nearly every party I catered had somebody asking for them.  I made sausage and cream cheese stuffed mushrooms, French onion stuffed mushrooms, crab stuffed mushrooms, bacon and Swiss stuffed mushrooms, goat cheese and sundried tomato stuffed mushrooms, stuffed mushrooms Florentine, even mushroom stuffed mushrooms for a vegan couple’s co-ed wedding shower.  I was pretty tired of stuffed mushrooms.

Then one day I had a request.  Could I make Oysters Bienville–wait for it–only without the oysters?  Of course I said yes, and then I had to go figure out what the heck to do.  

I was familiar with Oysters Bienville.  Oysters Bienville were first served at Arnaud’s in New Orleans, and are now a specialty all along the upper Gulf Coast.  The dish features oysters topped with a buttery shrimp dressing and baked in their shells.  But even though Oysters Bienville were her elderly father’s very favorite, his adult daughter was unwilling to serve them for his July birthday.  

For those of you who didn’t grow up on the Gulf Coast, down here we were taught not to eat fresh oysters in a month without an “r”.  May, June, July, and August were too hot for fresh oysters to be safe, plus oysters were spawning and the season was closed.  Nobody wants a run-in with the game warden, but the biggest danger was the risk of hepatitis A, which can be deadly.  These days, thanks to oyster-farming and advanced water testing technology, you can safely eat oysters year-round.  Still, my client wasn’t taking any chances.

After careful consideration, I realized the perfect vehicle for the Bienville dressing was a mushroom cap.  They were a hit!  (And much safer for a caterer to serve, given that even clean oysters are highly perishable.)

I don’t actively cater parties anymore, but Mushrooms Bienville were top-tier stuffed mushrooms at LKC.  Until now, you couldn’t get them anywhere else, what with my having dreamed them up in a pinch and all.  Now that you have the recipe, you can have them whenever you want.  You can use white mushroom caps or cremini mushroom caps, it makes no difference.  (Creminis are also known as baby bellas, BTW.)  You can even divide the shrimp dressing among 4 portobello mushroom caps, bake, and serve them as a main course.  

Mushrooms Bienville are easy to make.  Note that the instructions include running the empty caps upside down in the oven before filling them.  This step dehydrates them somewhat so the stuffed mushrooms aren’t drippy.  This matters a lot if you’re planning on serving them as a stand-up party hors d’oeuvre, and not so much if they’re served on a plate with a knife and fork.   Your call.

And yes, you can substitute oysters on the half shell for the mushrooms!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Mushrooms Bienville

A delicious riff on classic Oysters Bienville

Ingredients

• 1 lb. mushrooms, caps only, wiped clean
• 6 T. butter, divided
• 2 or 3 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 12 large Gulf shrimp, peeled and minced
• ⅔ cup fresh breadcrumbs, divided
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 T. heavy cream
• 1 T. dry sherry
• 1 T, parsley flakes
• ½ . each, salt and pepper
• paprika for dusting, optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°.  Put the mushroom caps open-side down on a sheet pan.  Run the empty mushroom caps in the oven for 5 or 6 minutes.  Set aside.  Leave the oven on.
• Meanwhile, melt 4 T. of the butter in a skillet over medium heat.   Briefly sauté the scallions--about a minute.  When the scallions are wilted add the minced shrimp and the garlic.  Cook, stirring, for another minute or so until the shrimp is opaque.  
• Off the heat add ½ cup of the breadcrumbs, ⅓ cup of parmesan, sherry, cream, parsley, salt, and pepper, to the shrimp in the skillet, mixing well.  Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.  Use to stuff the mushroom caps.
• Melt the remaining butter, and toss with the remaining bread crumbs and parmesan.  Sprinkle a little of this mixture on each stuffed mushroom.  Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the crumb topping is golden brown.  Serve hot.

Notes