Now then.  If you ever invite me round to dinner (and I wish you would), if you ask me if there is anything I prefer not to eat, I will say mushrooms, aubergines and seafood.  With a caveat.  I don’t mind mushrooms and aubergines if they are cut up small and not the main event, but if you serve up a massive field mushroom with all its fronds showing, I might just have to grab my bongos and split.

This photo gives me the heebie-jeebies...

This photo gives me the heebie-jeebies…

I don’t think I’m a fussy eater, and actually, I find it fascinating when I ask potential dinner guests about their food dislikes.  I know off the top of my head, that the adorable Gary Chapman is averse to coriander.  That Heather doesn’t like meat combined with fruit and that Nathan (like me) doesn’t like mushrooms.

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All of this to say, I am trying to get over my mushroom phobia.  Aren’t I growing up?  So, as I had quite a few mushrooms left over from the Chicken in Champagne Sauce, I made some Champignons Grilles Marie Victoria to use a few up.   They were nice, I ate them. That is all I will say.

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Here they are alongside a Vincent Price Barbecued Double Hamburger (recipe coming soon).  The mushrooms are a good, easy veggie recipe for the forthcoming Vincent Price Cookalong (details also coming soon) so here’s the deets in all their glory for those of you who like mushrooms…

Champignons Grilles Marie Victoire – from the Treasury of Great Recipes (1965)

Serves 6

Scrub lightly: 18 large brown mushrooms.  Remove stems and save them to use in stocks or sauces.  In a large iron-handled skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter. Place mushroom caps, tops down, in the butter.

Blend 3 tablespoons softened butter with 1 teaspoon finely chopped shallots, 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper.

Fill mushroom caps with the butter mixture.  Broil about 6 inches from heat, for about 5 minutes, watching carefully.  Turn off broiler and allow mushrooms to sizzle for 5 minutes more.

PRESENTATION

Baste mushrooms with any juice in pan.  Serve without spilling contents of caps.

P.S. I sprinkled on some parsley for the photo (!)

P. P.S. In the Treasury Vincent explains that this dish is named in honour of his daughter.  Sweet.

Vincent Mary and Victoria

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